Mixed reef tank build with compatibility checks
A mixed reef is popular because it does everything. It is risky for the same reason: the gear has to satisfy several animals at once.
Split heat around two 95 W heaters when possible.
Target the 20-40x band: 1,500-3,000 GPH before placement tuning.
Use bioload headroom rather than the most optimistic number printed on the product page.
A typical 75g footprint needs coverage across about 48 x 18 in and the 150-250 PAR band.
Monthly supplies often land around $60-$120 before livestock and repairs.
The final answer depends on actual equipment, source water, livestock, and maintenance plan.
What this build has to get right
- Use mixed-reef PAR as the baseline, then place corals by demand.
- Blend flow sources so LPS are not blasted while SPS get movement.
- Leave nutrient-export headroom for a real fish list.
Better than a generic shopping list
A 75 gallon plan can fail even when every product is individually good. ReefCrafter checks whether heater wattage, flow, light spread, nutrient export, budget tier, and livestock intent all agree before the cart becomes the build.