Reef Tanks and Nano Reefs are used by hobbyists to keep living corals, fish and invertebrates in their natural surroundings.
It is possible to keep living corals in a Reef Aquarium (or Reef Tank) along with some of the fish and invertebrates that normally live on coral reefs. There are literally thousands of species for the hobbyist to choose from, but it is best to begin with reef-safe species.
Reef Tanks
All aquaria attempt to re-create a particular habitat in a very small space, and this becomes exceptionally difficult when you try to emulate a coral reef. The natural reef relies on a complex collection of creatures for its well-being, and this huge biodiversity cannot be duplicated. In an attempt to introduce a few of the important micro-organisms that re-cycle materials and help keep the water suitable hobbyists will usually include some live rock, which is actually dead coral that has been naturally colonised by sea creatures. Once established the reef tank can be used to display a large number of species, provided they are carefully chosen!
Smaller tanks
In order to house a sufficient number of different species, reef tanks are usually quite large. If you do not have the space (or cash!), and are prepared to restrict the number of species, then a much smaller tank is possible. These small tanks are usually called nano reefs, but although they are smaller they are no easier to maintain. Temperature, pH, salinity, nitrate levels, light intensity and many other factors all need to be maintained very carefully. Fortunately there is now a wealth of information available online.
Clownfish
One of the most popular reef fish has got to be the clownfish of ‘Finding Nemo’ fame (images of clownfish). They are relatively easy to keep, very beautiful, and have some fascinating attributes. One of these is that they will shelter amongst the tentacles of sea-anemones that normally kill and eat fish, and another is that males can turn into females when there is a need! The Percula Clownfish Amphipron percularis is one of the species most commonly kept, along with the False Percula (Images of false Percula Clownfish).
Mantis Shrimps
One creature you do not want in any ‘community tank’ is a Mantis Shrimp! He is very beautiful, intelligent and extremely interesting (I am devoting a whole article to him), but he will kill everything and might even break the glass.
Please make sure that the fish, coral and other invertebrates that you stock your reef tank with have been captive-bred or collected ethically. That way coral reefs might still have a chance!
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