There are many types of reef tanks and some are more complex than others. Knowing what to gift a reef tank lover can be hard to determine what they would like, need, or want. The following list contains excellent reef tank gift ideas for your reef tank lover. These gift ideas make excellent gifts for most reef keepers without having to consider the many intricacies that come with running a reef tank. Many of the items on the list make life easier when it comes to maintaining a reef tank and others are nice to have. Read on to find the perfect gift for your reef tank lover.
Reefer Gift Idea #1 a gift card to your local fish store (LFS)
Most reef keepers myself included having a favorite local fish store that is frequented often with many purchases being made throughout the year. I purchase most of my livestock, coral, fish food, and reef-keeping staples from my LFS. A gift card from a loved one would always be appreciated by me. A gift card to a reef keeper’s favorite LFS gives them the ability to choose what they want without having to worry if you got the right gift for them. When I’ve received gift cards to my local LFS it’s also allowed me to purchase something out of the norm to try out or use the gift card towards a larger purchase like a rare coral or piece of equipment.
Reefer Gift Idea #2 a gift card to an online reef tank store
Similar to a gift card at an LFS, there are many online retailers that offer gift cards. Advantages for online retailers can be expanded product offerings and occasionally lower prices. I usually look to support my LFS first, but if your reef tank lover has something specific in mind a gift card to an online retailer might be a good option. My two favorite online retailers are saltwateraquarium.com and bulkreefsupply.com.
Reefer Gift Idea #3 premium food sample for fish or corals
It’s always nice to see my fish happily eating their fish food and I’m always looking to try new foods to keep my fish happy, plump, and healthy. I would be happy with some new food to try with my fish and coral. Here are a few of my favorite fish foods:
Hikari Marine Herbivore Medium Sinking Pellets Marine Fish Food – excellent food for herbivore fish like Tangs. I feed this food daily to my fish and all of the fish herbivore or otherwise devour this food.
Hikari Herbivore Sinking Pellets
A probiotic enhanced marine fish diet that marine herbivores and omnivores crave! Offering an incredible nutrient mix. Expect growth and form that are as close to that of actual reef specimens as humanly possible.
Easy Reefs Masstick Marine Fish Food – Masstick is a powder food that is mixed with water that will turn into a paste-like putty that can be stuck to the glass on the inside of the tank. Masstick will then stick there and provide a grazing opportunity for fish throughout the day.
Easy Reefs Masstick Fish Food
Masstick is a blend of diverse, all natural, self-production, highly technical compounds, providing natural and balanced nutrition for omnivorous fish and marine invertebrates.
PolypLab Reef-Roids Coral Food – Mixed with water PolpLab Reef-Roids is coral food that can be released in high flow areas of the tank or direct feed to filter-feeding corals like Gonioporas.
PolypLab Reef-Roids Coral Food
Reef-Roids is a blend of naturally occurring marine planktons, which contains a species of zooplankton that is unique to our product. It is formulated to minimize water degradation and is ideal for filter feeding corals.
Reefer Gift Idea #4 premium glass scrapper
I scrape my glass twice a week. Having a high-quality glass scrapper that is a joy to use and performs well is a must for reef keepers. Have a look at what your reef keepers use and if it looks old and worn out it may be a good opportunity to gift them a high-quality glass scraper. Keep in mind that some tanks are acrylic and use different scrappers than glass so they don’t scratch the acrylic. Also, make sure to measure the thickness of the aquarium and choose the right scraper based on the magnet strength. Here are a couple of my favorite scrappers.
MAX Flipper FLOAT – Magnetic Aquarium Algae Cleaner- A nice 2-1 glass cleaner with a metal scraper on one side and a scrubber block on the other. The scrapper float within the tank if it becomes dislodged. To switch sides of the scrubber you disconnect the magnetic connection and rotate the handle then reengage the magnets. There are different models so make sure to choose the correct one based on the tank size and thickness of the glass.
MAX Flipper Float
The Flipper Floating Aquarium Cleaner is the last aquarium cleaning tool you will ever need for your fresh or saltwater tank – it even floats to the top instead of sinking like a rock!
Algae Free – Hammerhead Float Plus- One of my favorite scrapers that uses a metal scraper and scrubber block. The nice thing about this scrapper is that it uses the metal scraper and scrubber block at the same time as you clean the glass. Blades are easily replaced and the scrubber floats if it dislodges from the magnet. This scraper feels premium and the block outside of the tank is a nice solid piece of wood. The magnets on Algae Free cleaners are legit, so make sure to choose the right size.
Algae Free Hammerhead Float Plus
Algae Free Lilac Hammerhead Floating Magnets. Great Magnet Tank Cleaner with beautiful wood grain finish. It will Turn Big Jobs into Fast, Easy Fun.
Reefer Gift Idea #5 subscription to reef keeping magazine
Keeping up with all the changes, new equipment, and newest reefing methods is tough. Having a quality magazine subscription dedicated to reef keeping is nice to have. I subscribe to Coral the reef aquarium magazine and have learned a lot from the articles in the magazine. The issues come every other month and are jam-packed with articles and bright beautiful pictures.
Coral Reef Aquarium Magazine
Hailed by critics as “the world’s best reef keeping magazine,” CORAL is written by leading aquarium experts and marine biologists, lavishly illustrated with breathtaking images.
Unfortunately, there really aren’t that many reef-keeping-specific magazines currently being published with most information included in general pet magazines. Another option that I haven’t tried yet is Reef Hobbyist Magazine.
Reefer Gift Idea #6 digital salinity meter
One of the most frequent tasks performed by a reefer is the checking of water salinity or how salty the water is. Saltwater needs to be a specific gravity for fish and coral to survive in the reef tank. The most common way that reefers measure salinity is by using a refractometer or hydrometer. Both of these ways of measuring salinity work, but can be inaccurate at times, and the process to measure with these devices is not ideal.
One of the best investments I’ve made in my reef-keeping process is the use of a digital salinity tester. I use the Hanna digital salinity and temperature tester. You simply turn the device on stick it in the water and you get an exact digital reading on the test. The tester also measures temperature and adjusts the salinity reading based on the temperature of the water.
Get the Hanna Digital Salinity Tester Here on Amazon
HI98319 Hanna Marine Salinity Tester Review
Reefer Gift Idea #7 Coral Fragging Tool Kit
As a tank with coral matures the corals will often grow large and take over a tank or invade the space of other corals leading to coral warfare. Propagating or fragging is often necessary and an excellent part of reef keeping. Corals can be fragged and traded or even sold to other reefers or local fish stores. A good set of stainless steel fragging tools makes fragging sessions a joy. Here is a nice kit with many of the tools needed to frag corals.
Also here is another article outlining the different fragging tools and how they are used.
Reefer Gift Idea #8 professional lab test kit ATI ICP-OES
One of the more tedious tasks in reef keeping is testing water parameters. A successful reef tank is one that is stable and has all the elements present at their ideal levels for the specimens being kept in the tank. Usually, testing of different elements is done one at a time and can be very time-consuming.
One way to bypass testing every element individually is to use an ATI ICP-OES send-out test. You simply buy the kit, collect a water sample from your tank, and send it to ATI to perform the ICP test. The tests are lab-grade tests and include many results including salinity, KH, major elements, and minor elements. Once you have the tests your reefer can adjust the ones needed and focus on measuring those.
ATI ICP -OES Send Out Water Test
This is your way to being totally aware and in control of what is happening with your aquariums water chemistry. With the help of our ICP-OES the daily challenges of meeting the needs of your reef aquarium inhabitants are now possible.
Reef Gift Idea #9 Pocket Expert Guides to Reef Aquarium Fishes and Invertebrates
When I first started reefing I found both of these books excellent resources to build my knowledge of marine fishes and invertebrates available to the hobby. I would go through the book and look at the fish I found interesting and then would be able to intelligently begin planning how I wanted to stock my tank in terms of compatibility and environmental needs. I would also take the books to my local fish stores and utilize them when I saw a fish or invertebrate that I was considering purchasing.
Pocket Expert Guide to Reef Aquarium Fishes
Organized by family for easy reference, each profile includes all care, feeding, and husbandry advice. The species profiles include all available reef aquarium choices, with scores of seldom seen, rare, and recently discovered species.
Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Invertebrates
Covering over 500 species, this authoritative reference offers the most up-to-date information on marine invertebrates, including helpful advice on captive care and feeding.
Reef Gift Idea #10 Fish Tank Magnifying Glass
Reef tank fish and corals are amazingly vibrant and seeing them up close is even more amazing. Magnifying glasses for reef tanks usually have a magnet on the inside of the tank that attaches to another magnet and magnifying glass on the outside of the tank. The magnifying glass can be moved around the tank to view fish and corals up close. It is simply amazing seeing different corals up close in detail. A great one that I’ve used is the Flipper Deep See Magnified Viewer.
FL!PPER DeepSee Aquarium Magnifier Magnetic Viewer
The Flipper DeepSee magnetic magnifying viewer features an optical grade magnifying lens that shows off your tank. It is the perfect aquarium accessory for fish photography.
Reef Gift Idea #11 Coral and Fish phone camera photography filter
Taking photos of your tank and corals is an awesome way to show off your tank to friends and family. Most reef tanks use a heavy blue light spectrum which can make corals look very different from the naked eye. Phone camera filters help filter out the blue lighting making corals look more natural and vibrant. These simply clip onto a phone and make much truer pictures of corals. Another great product from Flipper is the Flipper FlipKick.
FL!PPER Flipper FlipKick Universal Aquarium Smartphone Camera Lens Filter Kit & Kick-Stand
Perfect for aquarium photography on the go! Taking quality pictures of your beautiful corals has never been easier
Bonus: Three things not to buy as a gift for your reef tank lover
#1 Marine Fish
It’s usually not the best idea to buy a fish as a gift because there are so many factors and considerations in choosing the right fish for the tank. One consideration is bio load and size of the tank vs the size of the fish. Too many fish in a tank can cause poor water quality and lead to the death of fish in the tank. Some fish are just not appropriate for small tanks and though may start out small and may quickly outgrow the tank. Some fish require special care such as frequent feeding or even live foods. Another big factor is compatibility, some fish are aggressive and some are community fish. Lastly, some fish are not compatible with coral and will eat or destroy coral in the tank. Also, keep in mind that fish typically need to go through a proper acclimation or even a quarantine before adding to the tank.
It’s best to not purchase fish for your reef tank lover unless you check in with them first to make sure that the specimen choose a fish they want and have the capability to keep in their tank.
#2 Corals
Corals are very similar to fish and can have very specific needs to thrive in a reef aquarium. Some coral need pristine water conditions, high lighting, feeding, and high flow to be sustainable in a reef tank. Others can be easier to keep but it’s best to check in with your reef tank lover before choosing a coral specimen.
#3 Reef tank equipment
Reef tank equipment can be expensive and again very specific to the individual tank. Some equipment may be unnecessary or even not work with the owner’s current configuration. It’s best to leave the choice of reef tank equipment to the owner of the tank.