When we first viewed this tank at Germany's Interzoo show it stood out a mile because of the stunning contrast of the deep blue lighting with fluorescent Ricordea mushroom corals. Here's how to get the same effect.
What you will need
Tank: Any size of tank can be used to grow Ricordea, though if you want a pair of clownfish, like the two featured here, choose a tank of 60cm/24” and over.
Expect to pay £350 for a decent marine spec all-in-one nano tank, and another £100 on the cabinet.
Blue lighting: Most nanos already come with some form of blue lighting, although to get the really rich blue lighting, as featured here, you will need extra. Opt for either the TMC AquaBeam 600 Reef Blue or new Eco Aqua LED marine Blue from Arcadia.
Expect to pay around £100 for the TMC unit or upwards of £65 for the Arcadia light.
Décor: To accentuate the colours in this tank, and others we saw at the show in Germany, black aragonite sand was used. Other décor comprises about ten kilos of cured live rock that has been arranged in a central pile.
Expect to pay £25 for black aragonite and £125 for the rock.
Livestock: The livestock is actually the stinger in this otherwise not-too-expensive marine nano tank. Bright, colourful Ricordea are so expensive they are sold separately and we reckon there are 20 or more in this set-up.
Expect to pay £400 for 20 Ricordea corals, £20 each for the two other soft corals and £30 for a pair of tank bred clownfish.
Total: £1,170