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Reef Refuge Photos: See Our Work
Behind the Scenes: Real Austin Reef Keeping
No Instagram-perfect tanks here. These are the actual breeding systems, copepod cultures, and everyday setups that make Reef Refuge possible. Successes, failures, and everything in between from our Pflugerville operation.
Clownfish Breeding Systems
Individual 20-40 gallon systems where our ocellaris pairs spawn every 2-3 weeks. Each pair has distinct behavior – some are prolific breeders, others took 8+ months to establish, and a few never quite figured it out.
Copepod Culture Room
Sterile 1 gal vessels with gentle airline aeration, housing mixed cultures of Tisbe, Apocyclops, and Tigri. Weekly harvests through 53-micron filter produce thousands of copepods for our fish and Austin customers.
Display Reef System
Mixed reef display featuring our own grown corals, retired breeding Mollies, and whatever survived the latest algae bloom. Real tank conditions with all the equipment, algae, and imperfections intact.
Equipment Reality Check
Multiple heaters per system (learned from February 2021 freeze), ATO reservoirs, air pumps with generator for backup, and the cable management reality behind clean-looking reef tanks. Function over form.
Quarantine & Grow-out
Bare-bottom 10-20 gallon systems where juvenile clownfish and molly transition from live copepods/rotifers to prepared foods. Each fish earns its spot through consistent eating and healthy behavior before joining the waitlist.
The Reality Behind Reef Refuge
Every photo tells a story – not just the pretty ones. This is what real marine aquaculture looks like in Central Texas: practical setups, constant learning, and genuine dedication to the craft.
🔬 Copepod Culture Lab
Dozen+ sterile 1-gallon vessels maintained at room temperature, each culture producing 2,000-5,000 copepods weekly. Mixed species approach (Tisbe, Apocyclops, Tigri).
Real talk: Sometime a culture crashes. That’s why I maintain multiple bottles – redundancy keeps the business running when mistakes happen.
🐠 Breeding Program
Six breeding pairs in dedicated 10-20 gallon systems with PVC caves and gentle circulation. Productive pairs spawn every 14-18 days, newer pairs still establishing breeding behavior, one pair that consistently eats their own eggs.
Success rate: About 60% of spawns result in sellable fish. Best spawn: 127 fish to market. Worst stretch: 6 consecutive spawn failures. Rotifer culture crashes, temperature spikes, and unexplained die-offs happen. It can take up to a year+ from start to finish to grow a salable fish.
⚡ Austin Challenges
Austin’s treated water (pH 9.6-9.7 with operational swings to 7.4-9.0), summer garage temperatures exceeding 105°F, ERCOT grid concerns, and sourcing marine supplies across Central Texas. Every system adapted for our specific challenges.
Winter Storm Uri lessons: Lost power for 73+ hours, garage dropped to 38°F, saved tanks with a gas generator, airpumps, and sleeping bag insulation. Now every system has dual heaters and emergency protocols – with generator on standby incase of power outages.
Every Tank Tells A Story
The 40-gallon display ran perfectly for 14 months until the heater failed overnight. Three breeding pairs stopped spawning after a pH controller malfunction. Rotifer cultures crash during heat waves. This is aquaculture reality – documented honestly.
Connect with Austin’s Reef Community
Join the local reef keeping community through online consultations, pickup/delivery services, and connections to fellow hobbyists across Central Texas. Real guidance without the perfect tank fantasy.
- Remote consultation and troubleshooting
- Local delivery of copepods and fish
- Austin-specific water parameter guidance
- Connect through local Facebook groups
- Texas coral show meetups and events
