How To Take Great Photos of Your Reef Aquarium & Corals
Reef aquariums are living art pieces, filled with vibrant corals, shimmering fish, and mesmerizing movement. But if you’ve ever tried taking a photo of your saltwater aquarium, you know how challenging it can be. The blues are overpowering, the colors don’t look right, and everything turns out blurry!
The good news? You don’t need to be a professional photographer to take stunning pictures of your reef. Whether you’re using a smartphone or a DSLR camera, there are some simple tricks that can dramatically improve your results.
Understanding the Challenges of Aquarium Photography
Before we get into solutions, let’s quickly cover the common problems with reef tank photography:
- Blue Light Overload – Reef tanks often use strong blue lighting to promote coral growth, but this can cause photos to look unnatural.
- Glare & Reflections – Light from the tank or room can create annoying reflections.
- Motion Blur – Fish and corals are always moving, making them tricky to capture.
- Focus Issues – Water distortion and glass thickness can make it difficult to get a sharp image.
Now, let’s look at how to solve these issues, whether you’re using a smartphone or a DSLR camera.
Smartphone Photography Tips
Most reef keepers use their phones to take pictures, and modern smartphones can do a fantastic job with a few adjustments.
1. Use an Orange Filter (or Adjust White Balance)
The biggest problem with reef photography is the blue light. An orange filter lens (widely available online) helps neutralize the blue, bringing out the natural colors of your corals.
If you don’t have a filter, try adjusting the white balance in your camera settings. Some phones allow manual control in "Pro Mode," or you can use apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile to correct colors afterward.
2. Turn Off Tank Flow for Better Sharpness
Corals move with the current, making them hard to photograph. Try turning off powerheads and wavemakers for a few minutes while you snap your shots. This prevents motion blur and helps capture fine details. It will also reduce the amount of particles floating in the water column for sharper images.
3. Get Close & Shoot Through Clean Glass
The closer you are, the more detail you capture. But be careful—shooting at an angle can cause distortion. Try to take photos straight through the glass with the camera lens perpendicular to the aquarium glass, keeping it clean to avoid smudges and algae affecting the clarity. You can use a magnifying lens to help get that "macro" effect when using your smartphone.
4. Avoid Reflections by Controlling Light
To reduce reflections, turn off ALL of the lights around the aquarium and block the windows using curtains to reduce natural light in the room. The most ideal scenario is photographing the aquarium in a dark room where there are no external sources of light causing a reflection. You can also place the phone’s camera right up against the glass to block unwanted reflections.
5. Use Burst Mode for Moving Fish
Fish are fast which means getting clear, focused fish pictures is a challenge with your smartphone. Since you can't adjust the shutter speed of your phone's camera, try using burst mode (holding down the shutter button) instead. This will take a quick series of photos and you can then pick the sharpest image. Even when using a digital camera and adjusting the shutter speed, the burst mode trick can be incredibly useful for capturing fish fully in focus.
6. Consider a Top Down Viewer
Acrylic top-down viewers are a great way to capture images from a unique angle. You can place your entire phone face-down into the top-down viewer and capture interesting video. If you wish to take photos, just be sure to turn off the flow and experiment with your phone settings to get the best results.
DSLR & Mirrorless Camera Tips
You have even more control over your shots if you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera and to make the most of it, you’ll need to adjust some settings. The same advice of reducing external light sources and keeping the camera lens perpendicular to the aquarium glass applies to cameras.
1. Adjust White Balance for Accurate Colors
Instead of relying on filters, DSLR users can manually set the white balance. Look for a Kelvin (K) setting and adjust it to 10,000K–20,000K to compensate for the blue light. Alternatively, take a photo of something white inside your tank (like a frag plug) and use it as a custom white balance reference. Do some research about setting a custom white balance on your particular camera.
2. Use a Macro Lens for Coral Close-Ups
Coral details are best captured with a macro lens (like a 100mm for Canon/Nikon or a 90mm for Sony). This allows you to get extreme close-ups while keeping the image sharp. The downside is the depth of field can be very shallow making it difficult to get a full frame in focus.
3. Shoot in Manual Mode for Better Control
Here’s a simple starting point for your camera settings:
- ISO: 100–400 (lower ISO reduces noise)
- Aperture (f/stop): f/8–f/11 for sharpness
- Shutter Speed: 1/125s or faster (to prevent motion blur)
If your photo looks too dark, slightly increase the ISO or slow down the shutter speed while keeping an eye on motion blur.
4. Use a Tripod for Stability
A tripod helps eliminate camera shake, especially in low light. If you don’t have one, try resting your camera on something stable to keep it steady.
5. Shoot in RAW for Easier Editing
RAW images store more data than JPEGs, making it easier to correct colors and exposure in post-processing software like Adobe Lightroom. If your DSLR supports RAW, it’s worth using!
Bonus: Editing Tips for Better Photos
Even with the best camera settings, some minor editing can make a huge difference.
✔️ White Balance – Adjust to remove blue tint and reveal true colors.
✔️ Contrast & Clarity – Enhance coral details and textures.
✔️ Sharpening – Make edges crisp, especially on macro shots.
✔️ Exposure & Highlights – Balance brightness for a natural look.
Editing apps like Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed (for phones), or Photoshop (for DSLR users) can help refine your shots effortlessly.
Aquarium photography takes patience and practice, but with these tips, you’ll be able to capture stunning images of your reef tank! Whether you’re using a smartphone or a DSLR, the key is controlling blue light, ensuring stability, and taking your time to find the best angles.
Try experimenting with different techniques, and most importantly—have fun showcasing the beauty of your reef!
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