In this episode of the Focus Reefing Podcast, JV sits down with Shaun (@somdtanks) to break down a nano reef that goes against a lot of what the hobby typically promotes.

No testing. No dosing. Minimal equipment.
And somehow it works.

Shaun walks through his LPS-dominant nano reef, how it evolved from an anemone tank, and why he’s intentionally kept things simple after decades in the hobby. The conversation dives into stability in small systems, evaporation challenges, lighting choices, and the tradeoffs between hands-off reefing and high-control systems.

This is a grounded look at what actually matters in reefing and what might not.

If you’ve ever questioned whether more gear, more testing, or more complexity is really necessary, this episode will give you something to think about.

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Instagram https://www.instagram.com/somdtanks
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@somdtanks
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@somdtanks

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Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/focus-reefing/id1872864213

Topics covered
Nano reef challenges
No testing reef tank approach
Water changes vs dosing
Lighting choices for small tanks
Anemone issues in nano systems
Keeping reef tanks simple
Old school reefing vs modern methods

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Welcome to the Focus Reefing Podcast.

In this episode, I sit down with Dean, also known as @irishshrimpguy, to break down his 120 gallon mixed reef and how he’s transitioned from LPS into SPS over the last year.

We talk about what actually drives success in reefing, consistency, testing habits, flow, lighting, and how to avoid getting overwhelmed by too much advice early on. Dean also shares his approach to keeping things simple, dialing in parameters, and building a system that works for him.

This episode is a solid look at what it takes to maintain a clean, stable reef and why consistency always wins.

Follow Dean on Instagram @irishshimpguy

Listen to the Focus Reefing Podcast on Spotify

Follow Focus ReefingInstagram: ⁠@focusreefing⁠Facebook: ⁠@focusreefing⁠YouTube: @focusreefing⁠

What do you do when your brand new reef tank shows up and it doesn’t even fit in the freight elevator?

In this episode, JV talks with Jonathan aka @social_reefer about running a 200 gallon peninsula reef in a New York apartment and what it takes to keep a big system stable without overcomplicating it.

Jonathan shares how he got into reefing during COVID, how he scored most of his setup secondhand, and why this hobby has more than one right answer if you commit to a method and stop chasing every new opinion online.

They cover lighting flow dosing and filtration plus the corals and fish that have survived the mistakes and the simple slip ups that can turn into a disaster fast.

Follow Focus Reefing on Instagram and Facebook @focusreefing

Follow Jonathan on Instagram @social_reefer and on YouTube @Social Reefer

Follow Focus Reefing on Instagram and Facebook ⁠@focusreefing⁠.

⁠YouTube @focusreefing⁠

Follow Danny on Instagram ⁠@britosreef⁠.

Danny (@britosreef) literally walked a Waterbox 20 across NYC and took it on the subway to get it home — and that was just the beginning.

In this episode of Focus Reefing, JV talks with Danny about how his first saltwater tank became a thriving 20g nano mixed reef with a GSP back wall, smart-simple automation for travel, and a system built around consistency more than constant testing.

They cover the gear (AI Prime, Nero 3, All For Reef dosing), his 5-gallon weekly water change routine, why torches kept “randomly dissolving,” how he skipped the ugly phase with seeded media, and even how he keeps a Biota mandarin fat and happy in a nano by training it onto pellets.

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In this episode of Focus Reefing, JV sits down with Mike (MK_Reefs) to break down what makes nano reefs succeed or crash fast—from “when in doubt, water change” to why he skips protein skimmers on nanos, how he runs a surprisingly simple 10g Waterbox setup, and how his bigger frag system supports constant growth, trades, and tank restarts.

In this episode of Focus Reefing, I sit down with Jamie, also known as @EmpireReefer, to walk through his reef system and the mindset behind it.

Jamie shares his transition from freshwater into saltwater, how he approached building his first reef tank, and the lessons learned along the way. We talk about coral placement, flow, lighting decisions, aquascaping with growth in mind, and how experience changes the way you think about equipment and livestock.

The conversation also covers nutrient management, dosing and testing routines, lighting schedules, fish selection, and how reefing in a city apartment shapes the way systems are designed and maintained.

This episode is a full system breakdown paired with honest insight into what’s worked, what hasn’t, and how Jamie continues to refine his approach as the tank matures.

You can watch the full video version on YouTube and YouTube Music, or listen on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.

Instagram @focusreefingYouTube @focusreefing

Facebook @focusreefing

In this episode of Focus Reefing, JV sits down with JT (@Hardy_reef) for a deep dive into his 210-gallon peninsula reef. JT shares his reefing journey, system philosophy, and the lessons learned from building and maintaining a mature SPS-dominant tank. We cover automation, flow, lighting, redundancy, and the mindset required to keep a large reef stable long term.

YouTube — @focusreefingInstagram — @focusreefing
Facebook — @focusreefing