Video by BRStv - Saltwater Aquariums & Reef Tanks · Specs extracted by AllCorals · Watch on YouTube ↗

BRStv - Saltwater Aquariums & Reef Tanks

Is This the BEST Reef Tank for Beginners?

1

Tank Featured

16

Minutes

2022

Released

This video guides viewers through setting up a Red Sea MAX Nano as an ideal beginner reef tank, emphasizing ease of setup, low maintenance, and careful stocking. It covers aquascaping, equipment choices, instant cycling techniques, coral and fish selection, and detailed husbandry routines for a successful mixed reef.

⏭ Skip to a moment

00:00:17Introducing the Red Sea MAX Nano and tank goals 00:01:02Sand bed selection and depth 00:01:47Aquascaping philosophy and rock choice 00:03:51ATO setup and equipment mounting 00:04:40Heating and redundancy 00:05:08Filtration and instant cycling with established media 00:05:30Filling the tank with frag system water and initial parameters 00:06:50Coral selection and placement 00:10:28Fish selection and stocking philosophy 00:11:18Adding copepods and phytoplankton 00:12:04Lighting programming and PAR levels 00:13:30Feeding routine for fish and corals 00:14:53Testing routine and parameter adjustments 00:15:29Cleanup crew addition strategy

The Build

Tank Specs

Every spec, brand, and livestock mention pulled from the host's narration. Click any tank tour above to compare.

Tank 01

The Perfect Beginner Tank

20

Gallons

mixed reef

Style

Red Sea MAX Nano

Brand

This video details the setup of a Red Sea MAX Nano as a 'perfect beginner tank,' focusing on ease of use and low maintenance. The tank is insta-cycled using established media and water, lightly stocked with hardy mixed reef corals and two water-column fish, and features a minimalist aquascape. Husbandry emphasizes careful feeding, consistent water changes, and a robust ATO system to maintain stability in a small volume.

Lighting

Red Sea ReefLED ×1 $87.99in stock

Return Pump

Red Sea $87.99in stock

Controller

ATO

Reef Breeders Prism

Dosing

two-part

Filtration

biological filtration, mechanical filtration

Salt

Tropic Marin Pro Reef $23.99in stock

Water Changes

Weekly after target feeding corals

Feeding

Fish fed small amount twice daily (frozen then pellets). Corals target fed weekly with BRS Reef Chili and Brightwell Aquatics Coral Amino. Copepods and livestock dosed 5-10ml Algae Barn Ocean Magic daily. Corals dosed 5-10ml Red Sea AB+ daily.

Husbandry & Practices 11

Used previously rinsed sand, less than one inch deep, to keep bio load low and allow for easy cleaning.
Aquascape built with Aquaforest reef rock, secured with super glue and Coraline colored epoxy, kept low to allow space for coral placement.
Used a 5-gallon bucket with RO/DI water and a Reef Breeders ATO for daily top-off, replacing the included Red Sea gravity-fed ATO.
All gear controlled by Wi-Fi strips, mounted with velcro for easy setup and water changes.
Heated with a Phoenix titanium heater set to 80 degrees, with a Bayite temperature controller set to 78 degrees for redundancy.
Insta-cycled the tank using ceramic media from an established frag system and Fritz Turbo Start.
Filled the tank with water directly from an established frag system to match parameters and reduce stress for transferred livestock.
Lighting schedule set to 7 AM sunrise, full intensity 11 AM-4 PM, ramp down to off at 8 PM, with 35% intensity.
Underfeeds fish initially, focusing on nutrient-dense frozen food, then slowly introducing pellets.
Tests ammonia daily for the first couple of weeks, then nitrate, phosphate, and alkalinity every 2-3 days.
Delays adding cleanup crew (snails, hermit crabs, conchs) for 1-2 weeks until algae starts to grow.

Target Parameters

Alk

8.6dKH

NO₃

7.5

PO₄

0.04

Temp

80°F

Corals

9

ZoasHammer coralsFrogspawnOctospawnPhotosynthetic gorgonians (Lace or Ribbon gorgonians)Fluorescent orange mushroomsAcroporaGreen MontiporaBlastomuces

Fish

2

Pajama Cardinal fishBiting clown fish

Inverts

7

Algae Barn Galaxy pods (copepods)Algae eating snailsCerith snailsNassarius snailsHermit crabsConchsSymbiotic sea stars (on gorgonians)

Shop the build

Featured products from our catalogue

Equipment mentioned in this tour that we cover in our gear catalog. Click through for full specs, retailer comparison, and where-to-buy.

Reef Breeders Prism Auto Top-Off

Prism Auto Top-Off

Mentioned as: Reef Breeders Prism

Red Sea ReefLED 50

Mentioned as: Red Sea ReefLED

Tropic Marin All-For-Reef

Mentioned as: Tropic Marin All-For-Reef

Red Sea ReefWave 45

Mentioned as: Red Sea

Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt Mix (55 lb)

Pro Reef Salt Mix (55 lb)

Mentioned as: Tropic Marin Pro Reef

In their own words

Notable Quotes

There's no such thing as a perfect beginner tank, but the one I'm about to show you is pretty dang good.

Less is more here because the goal isn't to stare at the aquascape itself, but to all of the coral that are attached to it.

I always follow the rule of thirds when building my aquascapes and try to place the rock at the proper intersection so that it pops as much as possible.

The trick for small systems is to stay on top of everything, especially in the first couple months. Don't overfeed; in fact, I would err on the side of underfeeding.

I will also target feed my corals once a week with BRS Reef chili mixed with Brightwell Aquatics Coral Amino, and I'll do this right before a water change.