A mimimalist new reef aquarium created by a 29-year-old French reefkeeper is being showcased by Tobias Neyer and his YouTube channel SeaFriendlyReef. Mononymous reef aquarist Charles, a 29-year old residing in Metz, France, tells us that while some of the corals are from a prior tank, the reef as you see it today has only been in operation for nine months.
This 100 gallon (380 L) reef is lit with a combination of six T5s (3 blue plus ATI + 1 Aquablue Special ATI + 1 Coral plus ATI + 1 Turquoise Great barrier KZ) and two LED strips (470nm). Internal circulation is driven by a Tunze Stream 6105 (without hood) and a Jebao SLW20, while a Maxspect Jump DC 12k returns water from the sump. All the reef aquarium details and specifications can be found in the YouTube description.
The minimalist foundation encourages excellent water movement for corals while leaving ample swimming room for classic reef aquarium fishes. Less commonly seen these day is the interesting inclusion of a Niger Triggerfish (Odonus niger), notable in that it is one of the few triggerfish species that is generally regarded as somewhat reef safe, although clams and motile inverts may wind up on the trigger’s meal plan. Given that this species can grow 1 foot (12 inches, 30 cm) in length, and occasionally even larger, over the long term (probably several years) this personable pet could wind up needing a larger reef. If and when that time comes, perhaps this fish will encourage Charle_ShallowReef to create an even larger version of this attractive installation.
Even though it’s still quite young in terms of reef-tank age, this is already a reef aquarium that will turn most aquarists blue with envy. The corals show great color and healthy growth. We are eager to see how this reef fills in over the next year as the colonies grow in and mature, and hope to have the opportunity to check back in on Charles’s Shallow Reef!
Watch Shallow Reef Tank – Floating Reef Aquarium Setup
