How would a carribean reef biotope tank be made?

[Blackwater guru]

So for the last 6 months or so I have had this gorgeous biotope freshwater aquarium of 145 litres with around 40 fishes where water changes are performed once a week.

Recently though I have had thoughts of building a reef tank once I have enough money and space for a new tank after I get a job and graduate high school .

What I really want to accomplish with it though is to establish a biotope environment that emulates a reef environment in the carribean sea in all it's beauty.

I would love to have corals that live exclusively in the carribean sea along with any compatible peaceful fish or invertebrate

In terms of invertebrates I like most of them such as sea urchins or anemones not only do they have interesting behaviour they look really cool with their almost alien like appearances.

I have seen many reef tanks that look pretty much the same to me and one of the reasons is probably the lack of usage in sea grass which could be because many people think sea grass is harmful even though it's really not.

I would say this is because sea grass is easily confused with sea algae which is bound to cause paranoia because it's green and many learn to hate green things in a tank even If they don't do any harm.

Sea grass is a big part of real life reefs so in my eyes including it in a reef tank is a must have because not only does it look natural it also provides a source of food and a place for baby fish to hide.

I always strive for my tank to look natural but also to create an optimal natural environment close to home for my fish especially when wild caught fish are in the tank.

Including natural looking rocks is an obvious thing to include just like the fact I use wild collected pieces of tree branches that have been treated before going into my tank to create the illusion of roots because my goal is to recreate the environments of the amazon river .

What would be the best approach to this and how would I do it to succeed in the long term?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@Colin_T and @Chad have the most experience with salt water tanks. They should be able to help.

 

[Chad]

Fortunately a Caribbean reef has a lot of diversity. If you want a true biotope you will have to source your corals. Many come from Australia, and from Indonesia but may also be found in the Caribbean with slight variations. Elegance is a great example. It grows in both places but those specimens from Australia tend to be more hardy.

I find a true reef biotope very hard to keep. Mixed coral tanks are possible, but difficult. Usually people settle for soft corals only or LPS with SPS.

Lettuce coral, brain corals, porites, scolymia, are some good ones to start. Acropora can be good depending on variety.

I personally love soft corals with some macro algae species.

Google "caribbean coral species list" and you should find a good list to start researching.

First stop though it to determine if you want a soft coral reef, hard coral reef, or mixed. That will help you decide on lighting and flow as well. An all SPS reef tank is the most costly by far. So there is that to keep in mind.