- Rather than spend hours researching,
getting the right gear
that may or may not fit your system,
debating amongst the myriad of lighting options,
or measuring your tiny rear filtration chamber
in the hopes of getting a protein skimmer
that works and that fits,
consider the Red Sea Max Nano instead.
Matthew here, your BRS beginner guru
and today we're gonna set up the Max Nano.
The Red Sea Max Nano comes in either
the traditional 20 gallon cube
or the slightly larger 26 gallon peninsula.
The tank comes with ultra clear, low iron glass
with a hidden rear filtration chamber
that comes with a filter sock,
a protein skimmer, an auto top off reservoir,
a place to put your media bags and a CHA return pump.
The reef LED 50 is one of the easiest LED lights
I've ever had to set up
and the included swivel arm makes it really easy
to move it out of the way
anytime you need to put your hands in the tank
or to do maintenance.
The built-in power center
makes feeding and maintenance convenient
with two switches to control your return pump
and your protein skimmer.
The marine spec cabinet is heavy
and it comes in either white or black
and is covered in a weather resistant, epoxy based paint.
Overall impressions, heavy duty, well thought out,
small and the closest thing I have ever seen
to an actual all in one system.
You just need salt water, reef rock and sand
to get the system up and running.
This is video one of four
where we're gonna build three different habitats
with the Max Nano
to give you inspiration for your own small systems.
If you've ever put together any sort of flat pack furniture
or really anything from Ikea for that matter,
then setup will be easy and should take you about an hour.
You will need a soft surface, like a rug,
a Phillips head screwdriver
and if you have a rubber tipped mallet,
that will help as well.
Rather than walk you through step by step
since you're gonna have the manual as well,
let me give you a few tips
that I learned along the way
so you don't make the same mistakes I did.
Tip number one, never slide the cabinet pieces
on a hard surface.
Really, don't slide them on any surface for that matter
because the smallest little pebble
or piece of grit can leave a huge scratch
in that epoxy based paint.
If you don't have a carpeted room or a large rug,
you can at least lay out the cardboard
that the cabinet came in for a little protection.
Tip number two, unpack everything all at once
and lay out all of your hardware
so you can easily access it when you need it.
Tip number three, don't over tighten the cam screws.
As soon as you start to feel
slightly greater resistance, stop.
Tip number four, be sure the cam screw is straight.
Because of how they work,
it's possible to install the cam screw at a slight angle
and that will really make it difficult
to line up the pre-drilled holes
when you put the pieces together.
So if you start screwing it in
and it's a little off kilter,
just unscrew it and start again.
Tip number five, don't over tighten the cam screws.
They will turn no more than 180 degrees.
So once it feels tight enough, just stop.
And tip number six, I have found
that a rubber tipped mallet can be really helpful,
especially when trying to insert the plastic dowels
or when trying to nudge two of the pieces together.
It's not necessary,
but it certainly helped me out quite a bit.
Now that you've completed your cabinet,
go ahead and remove the tank from the packaging,
place the black mat on top of the cabinet
and place the tank on top of that.
Snap the sump screen into place, and then fold it down.
Use the two large plastic screws
to install the pump switch box,
which also doubles as the light mount holder.
To set up the protein skimmer,
insert the pump with the two O-rings
into the base of the skimmer
with the intake facing away from the skimmer body.
Connect the black airline tubing
to the venturi inlet on the pump.
Then just place the skimmer
into the proper chamber and in the proper direction
which you can reference using the included manual.
The most confusing part of the entire setup for me
was installing the return pump
and the output nozzle.
Thread the bayonet connector over the flexible tubing
and then secure the tubing to the return pump.
Insert the eyeball seat into the outlet holder.
Then insert the eyeball outlet.
Then place the rubber O ring into the eyeball outlet.
Place the large sponge around the flexible tubing,
then lower the whole thing into place.
Then you just need to screw in the bayonet
into the outlet holder.
Installing the ATO reservoir is as simple
as placing it in the correct location.
To install the reef LED 50,
start by attaching the swivel connector to the light
using the two machine screws.
Place the arm extension over the arm
and use another machine screw to secure it into place.
Push the swivel connector into the arm
and insert the two connector pins.
Then attach the fixing screw to the top.
Thread the cable through the hole
and push the cable hole plug into position.
To insert the mounting arm into the switch box,
turn it to a 90 degree angle.
All that's left is to connect the protein skimmer
and the return pump to the switch box and you're done.
So we've set up the cabinet, the tank
and all of the accoutrements
and now we're gonna create
what we think is the perfect beginner tank.
That's next episode,
so subscribe so you don't miss a thing
and as always everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.