What impresses you about someone’s reef tank?

[nereefpat]

Large colonies grown from small frags over a couple years.

 

[Stephensx04]

Healthy fish, simple selection with a well color balance.
A Unique, clean aquascape.
A nice mix of corals, massive sps colonies that have a balanced mix of color, giving you the essence of a natural reef.

This tank meets the criteria:
Jake did a great job presenting it.

While very clean and nice looking. I was impressed until he talked about how lives right next to reef and can get what he wants. I'm more impressed with a tank that starts with small frags and can grow it into what this guy has.

 

[A Young Reefer]

While very clean and nice looking. I was impressed until he talked about how lives right next to reef and can get what he wants. I'm more impressed with a tank that starts with small frags and can grow it into what this guy has.

Maintaining wild caught acro colonies is as challenging as growing aquacultured frags imo. While I agree with you that it is more far more impressive, the end result would be similar.

 

[radiata]

I'm impressed by any reef tank that looks better than mine. So, I'm frequently impressed by the photos of tanks here in R2R.

 

[The Natural Coral Depot]

What impresses you about someone’s reef tank?

Is it a lot of expensive fish or just healthy fish?

Is it super crazy colored coral frags or is it mature colonies that have grown large?

Is it a very clean tank or is one that’s covered in coralline?

Is it a massive display tank with an extensive life support system or a tiny minimal ecosystem that’s growing together in harmony?

What is it for you, when you see it, you’re impressed?

Image via @Reef Builders

The most impressive part of a good reef tank is when the reefer is able to mix all kinds of fish, corals and inverts. a good long lasting and healthy reef requires all aspects to be self maintaining and a functioning ecosystem just like our oceans.

 

[-XENOMORPH-]

Clean sand. It's a dream 4 me. Hahhahahah

 

[atoll]

A great looking reef maintained with minimal equipment.

 

[Dave1993]

a nice torch garden and a dragon eel then i'm very jelly

 

[FMF0331]

Water clarity and Cleanliness

 

[design.maddie]

Large very healthy and full colonies. No dead spots on the colonies. A rare fish that you wouldn't expect someone to put in a reef tank, and they can explain why it works for them because of an issue that arose that no one had ever experienced.

 

[Ardeus]

A tank inspired by a biotope.

Before having a reef tank I was into Tanganyika cichlids and I was used to most people building their tanks with fish just from that lake.

Many people went even further and selected the fish populations based on a specific habitat (rocky area, open sand, shells, etc).

Some people go even further and only select fish populations from a very specific tiny area of the Lake.

If I could go back, that's the path I would follow. Ideally I would go diving/snorkeling for a week somewhere and then try to recreate a scene I've seen, including corals and fish.

 

[Paul B]

The age and health of the system. A brand new tank with all the beautiful corals on the cement pedestals they came on is not very impressive. It just means the owner has some cash to spend. But if they grow past the pedestals on to the rock and the fish are healthy and have some age to them, I am impressed as it is a healthy system.

 

[CrunchyBananas]

To me, a tank cannot be impressive until it has large, mature colonies, that have grown IN THAT TANK.
Typically after the 2-3 year mark. To me, no tank (including any of my own) is impressive until they've moved out of the frag tank stage.
IMO purchasing and packing in large colonies or just having single head, expensive LPS or other hype corals that don't grow automatically put a tank into the unimpressive category.

 

[i cant think]

What impresses you about someone’s reef tank?

Is it a lot of expensive fish or just healthy fish?

Is it super crazy colored coral frags or is it mature colonies that have grown large?

Is it a very clean tank or is one that’s covered in coralline?

Is it a massive display tank with an extensive life support system or a tiny minimal ecosystem that’s growing together in harmony?

What is it for you, when you see it, you’re impressed?

Image via @Reef Builders

I don’t care about the coral or what goes into the tank, what really wows me is how natural the tank looks.
If it just looks like a sterile tank that’s clearly been done and looks artificial then I don’t usually like it.
Even bare rockwork can make a tank look natural if placed the right way.