Time for another look at a reef aquarium designed and maintained by Swiss reef aquarist Manuel Amrein, who goes by the alias “Swiss and Salty” online. Be sure to check out his other reef, a 45-gallon shallow room system, that we featured earlier.
The “Volcano” Reef
One shallow reef was clearly not enough for Amrein. In the following 4-minute video, Manuel intersperses time-lapse from the building phase with vistas of the system running at only five weeks post-setup. The system is designed for a very shallow aquarium with a large, square footprint. It is easily viewable from two sides, and above but is placed in a manner that appears to allow access to the “backside” of the reef as well. Water drains through an external overflow and is returned up through the center of the “volcano” in the tank.
We can’t wait to see how this reef grows and evolves. Since this video was produced, the substrate was already changed out for a lighter color and while the initial setup featured two AI Hydra 26HD led lights, that number was quickly bumped up to five!
System Specs:
Size: 100cm x 100cm x 30cm (39.4“ x 39.4“ x 11.8“)
Light: 1 Philips CoralCare gen. 2 and 5 AI Hydra 26HD
Water Care: Grotech Balling Basics / Corall ABC Vitamino M
Mechanical Filtration: Theiling Rollermat Compact
Skimmer: Grotech
Controller: GHL Profilux computer and 2x Doser
Be sure to follow Swiss and Salty on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
