- One of my all-time favorite Plug & Play reefs
for both new and seasoned reefers.
Just got an awesome new peninsula form factor,
and I am stoked.
Whether you're just after a pair of clownfish
and a few bubble-tip anemones
or a small, mixed reef,
Red Sea's, MAX NANO Aquarium System is a fantastic fit
and by far, one of the best-looking
and most complete reef systems currently available.
The tank and stand take a clean,
minimalistic approach that looks fantastic.
All of the mechanical
and chemical filtration your reef needs,
including a protein skimmer,
are built into the rear sump.
You'll already have a great app-controlled light
that can easily grow a wide variety of corals.
The MAX NANO is just a really manageable size,
and can make starting and maintaining a reef aquarium
really quick and simple,
and also more affordable.
I get it. Not everybody is into a cube-type shape,
and for those who want it a slightly larger
and more interesting form factor,
Red Sea has just released the MAX NANO Peninsula,
increasing the depth of the aquarium front to back
by six inches
and increasing the volume from 20 gallons to 26 gallons.
The Peninsula has a more rectangular shape
and more space for aquascaping,
while still keeping the filtration on one
of the shorter panels of the aquarium.
So you end up with two larger, unobstructed panels
for a three-sided view.
Before I get into all of the cool features
and reasons that I really love these aquarium systems,
let's take a look at everything you get in the box.
Of course, you're gonna get
the MAX NANO Peninsula Aquarium itself,
along with a protein skimmer,
a circulation pump,
a ReefLED 50 lighting system,
including a mount with integrated power management
for that protein skimmer and circulation pump.
You'll also get filter media in the form of sponges,
a filter sock and carbon,
as well as a gravity-fed, auto top-off,
the owner's manual and set up guide,
and also the flat-packed aquarium stand.
Getting the tank
and its components assembled is easy enough.
The manual lays everything out in detail
with simple diagrams to follow along with.
The stand is also really easy to put together
like any other piece of flat-packed furniture.
The quality of this aquarium stand is fantastic.
It has a very easy-to-clean finish.
Plus, Red Sea includes little rubber plugs
that go over all of the exposed peg locks,
so they're protected from any humidity or splashing,
which is excellent.
It also has a push-to-open door
with soft-closing hinges and a nice, wide opening
in the back if you decide
to hide any external equipment underneath
and need to run tubing or power
from inside the stand up to the filter chamber.
The tank itself is beautiful.
It has thick,
high-clarity glass with beveled edges,
pin-straight black silicone,
armored edges on the bottom and the front vertical corners,
glass filtration panel,
overflow with removable weir for maintenance,
ball socket-style return nozzle,
glass shroud to hide the filtration elements
that also drops out of the way for maintenance.
It's really nice to look at even empty,
and paired with the stand,
it's just a really nice piece of furniture all on its own.
But it's not just the looks.
The MAX NANO tanks also have plenty of filtration.
You're not gonna struggle to figure out what kind of gear
or equipment you're gonna need or what's gonna fit.
Right outta the box,
save for a heater, rock, sand, fish, and corals,
you have just about everything ready to go
for a thriving reef tank.
Behind that decorative shroud,
you've got a coarse foam pre-filter sitting on top
of a mesh filter sock for removing physical debris
and waste,
a capable protein skimmer with two points of tuning
for removing microscopic and liquid waste,
while also providing ample gas exchange,
a media tray for a mesh bag of chemical media
like the included carbon,
plus a coarse foam block pre-filter just
above the return pump to send water back to the tank
through that ball socket-style return nozzle.
The filtration suction also includes a simple
but very effective gravity-fed auto top-off
to keep the return section at the correct depth,
so you don't have to top it off by hand every day.
On the back of the aquarium,
there's that power center that's built right
into the light mount,
with on-off switches for both the protein skimmer pump
and the circulation pump,
which makes turning them off while feeding
or doing maintenance super convenient.
Plus, it also means you only have a single power cord
for both of those pumps,
saving you an outlet on your power bar for other gear,
like a heater or small, controllable wave pump.
Speaking of that light mount,
Red Sea includes a very capable, app-controlled
ReefLED 50 light fixture with this aquarium system.
It provides the tank with plenty of light
for sustaining a wide variety of corals,
from simple softies and LPS,
up to more light-demanding SPS and anemones.
It has a fantastic shimmer,
and it definitely makes coral colors pop and fluoresce.
The app makes setting it up very easy.
You can choose how white or blue you'd like it to look,
what time you'd like it to start,
and it'll automatically set up a light schedule for you
with a gradual sunrise and sunset.
You can always adjust it
or create your own custom schedule whenever you like,
but not having to worry about that is fantastic
for a newer reefer.
But what ultimately sets the Peninsula apart
from the standard MAX NANO are the dimensions.
That extra six inches of depth,
front to back,
adds a lot of usable real estate for aquascaping,
not just because you have more space,
but also because you can create a reef
that can be viewed easily from three panels
rather than primarily head-on.
Meaning, you could place it between two chairs
or between two rooms,
so it can be enjoyed from either side,
which is one of my favorite aspects
of peninsula-style tanks.
For those who would rather it be flat against the wall
like a standard aquarium,
you still can absolutely do that,
and having a clear back panel with the filtration
on the side means you could set up an LED backlight
behind the tank for some really cool lighting effects.
I really do think these MAX NANO reef-cut frames
are especially fantastic for beginners.
I go over all the reasons why in this video right here
on the original MAX NANO Cube,
which might also help you pick between the two sizes,
so check it out.
(upbeat music)