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The Toolbox

Tank Planner

Plan a saltwater build end-to-end — tank size, goals, equipment, aquascape and timeline — before a single dollar leaves your wallet.

ReefDudes Tank Planner

Pick a tank

Choose a popular reef tank, or enter your own dimensions. Beginner tip

Popular reef tanks

Brand Model

Custom dimensions

Tank inside (required)

Length (in) Width (in) Height (in)

Volumes what's this? (optional — auto-calculated if blank)

Display volume (gal) Sump volume (gal)

Stand cabinet under the tank (optional — defaults to tank footprint × 32" tall)

Stand length (in) Stand width (in) Stand height (in)

What kind of reef?

Your goal tunes flow and light recommendations. Pick the one closest to what you want — you can change it later.

Add equipment

Start with a recommended kit, or browse every category yourself.

Visual layout

Labels Light coverage PAR tool ↗ Flow arrows dead zones?

Tap a piece of gear to select it, then tap the tank to move it. Or drag.

Drag items, or tap-and-tap. Visual aid only

Review & recommendations

Live calculations from your selected gear. Click any “Fix this” button to jump back to the right category.

System totals

Warnings & suggestions

Save & shopping list

Save your reef plan as an image, print a build sheet, or shop the parts list at BRS, SaltwaterAquarium.com, or Amazon. how the image works

Shopping list

Shop the gear in your build at BRS, SaltwaterAquarium.com, or Amazon.

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More options

Help & glossary

Keyboard shortcuts

1–6: Jump to step
?: Toggle this help panel
Esc: Close panels & clear selection
Delete / Backspace: Remove selected item from canvas
R: Reset layout (auto-arrange) on the layout step
Ctrl+Z / ⌘+Z: Undo last remove

FAQ

The starter kit picked the wrong gear

Click Browse all at the top of Step 3, then add or swap individual pieces. The kit is a curated baseline matched to your tank size + reef goal — not a fixed bundle.

How accurate is the PAR overlay?

It's a planning aid, not a measurement. The cones approximate manufacturer-quoted spread at typical mounting heights. Always verify with a real PAR meter once the tank is wet — link the sister tool from the canvas tools row to pre-fill your build into the estimator.

Why two heaters?

One heater is one point of failure. A stuck-on can cook the tank in hours; a dead one can drop temp overnight. Two heaters at half-wattage each means a single failure can't crash the system. The starter kit applies this automatically.

Why does the kit warn my pump is "max 30×"?

That's the rated maximum, not the running flow. Every return pump in the catalog is DC-controllable — dial it down to 5–8× display turnover once installed. The warning is just confirming you have headroom.

How do I save my build?

Three options on Step 6 (Save): Save as image renders a PNG poster with your tank, gear, stats, and a shopping list footer. Print build sheet opens the browser print dialog. Copy share link generates a URL that loads the same build on any device.