★ Mr Saltwater Tank Planet 120 Gallon (Youtube Series - Budget Reef Upgrade) ★

[SaltwaterAq]

As you may or may not know SaltwaterAquarium.com started building out our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/SaltwaterAquariumCom?sub_confirmation=1) in February as a way to connect with hobbyists, to promote education and to help our customers have a good experience when starting/keeping a saltwater tank. We brought in Mark Callahan aka Mr Saltwater Tank to run this project.

Our first series was Getting Started with a Saltwater Tank on a Budget


after that we rolled into taking that same 20 gallon tank with a HOB filter and making it a Budget Reef Tank


The idea behind both video series was to help beginners out with a proven strategy to get started in the hobby and be successful. If you can be successful at the 20 gallon level, and upgrade is in your future.

That being said we felt that at this point the next video series should be Your First Saltwater Tank Upgrade. This series will be rolling out in about a month. After you feel comfortable with a smaller saltwater tank or budget reef, what would a first upgrade look like and all the topics that follow that thought. Doing these video series we thought, hey why not create a build thread on Reef2Reef to get some input as we build out these tanks and video series? We decided a natural progression from the 20 gallon budget tank would be a 90 - 120 gallon 4 foot tank. From there we wanted to do something different. Most of our competitors are doing builds with the standard rimless tanks, radions, etc. In this build/YouTube series we will be building out a Planet Aquariums 120 w/ Canopy.

We decided on a few things for the build to this point, the rest is up for debate.

Tank - Planted Aquariums 120 Gallon Mega Matrix in Grey with Matching Canopy
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/48-mega-matrix-black-120-gallon-aquarium-planet-aquariums/

Lights - Orphek V4 Atlantic Panel and OR2 Bars if needed
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/lighting/orphek/
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/48-mega-matrix-black-120-gallon-aquarium-planet-aquariums/

Pumps - Return Pump will be the Sicce SDC 9.0 and Wave pumps will be thew New XStream SDC pumps.
https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/search.php?search_query=sdc

The rest had not yet been planned. Please let us know what you think and what you would like to see in this Video Series / Build!

 

[SaltwaterAq]

Tank is Here! Big Pallet!!

 

[NanoMike]

Tank is Here! Big Pallet!!

Imagine getting one of those delivered to an apartment . I ordered a reefer 170 from you guys and that pallet was a challenge getting it to my apartment, this thing though............ looking forward to seeing how it turns out

 

[JasonK84]

I love my Planet Aquariums 120 4x2x2. I’ll follow

 

[jschultzbass]

Very nice! love your choice of light

 

[coral-boss]

awesome. I have the same tank but rimless from planet. will be following this for sure

 

[SaltwaterAq]

Very nice! love your choice of light

Thanks! It might be a challenge mounting it inside the canopy, we will see.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

Always inspect your freight for damages before signing. Looks good

 

[clark griswold]

When will the videos be posted to YouTube? I’ve been considering this tank. Very curious to follow.

I’d really like to see the external tideline overflow and how it’s setup. How noisy etc.

 

[infinite0180]

Following along

 

[KLaRue]

I'm considering this tank size so will be following along.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - NEW SERIES! - Budget Reef Upgrade
In this new series we dive into everyone's favorite topic - Upgrades! Now that you've gotten your feet wet with the help of our Budget Build Series, we move forward by upgrading our second saltwater tank. We'll take what we learned from the first and apply it to the Mega Matrix 120 from Planet Aquariums, explaining why a tank six times larger than our first is what we went for and which features helped us make our choice.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Choosing NEW GEAR for Your Saltwater Tank Upgrade
We've chosen our tank, now we need to pick our gear! In this episode, we review our choices for which gear we'll be using for this build. And the twist? From the lights, to the pump, to the return pump, to the sump, we're trying brands we've never used before! We'll use this series to test out products we've always wanted to try and weigh the pro's and con's along the way!

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Choosing the Best OVERFLOW Box for Your Tank
In this episode, we discuss choosing an Overflow Box for your reef ready tank. Which type do you choose? What are the differences between an internal box vs. an external box vs. a hang-on the back box? We'll review the in's and out's of overflow boxes, why we choose different boxes for different builds, and which type of box we avoid at all costs!

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Choosing A SUMP For Your Aquarium - Mega Matrix 120
How much do we love Sumps? We count all the ways in this episode, sharing why this extension of your tank has equal parts beauty and utility. We review the Trigger TideLine Sump, our choice for this build, and discuss the best size sump for your tank. We also discuss sumps with refugiums and roller mats - do we like them? Find out!

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Choosing The Right RETURN PUMP for Your Tank
We've chosen our tank and sump, now it's time to talk return pumps! In this episode, we discuss how to calculate head pressure to you determine the right return pump for your tank. We'll also review how plumbing design enters into your head pressure calculation, as well as our thoughts on internal vs external pumps.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Episode 6 - Soft PLUMBING Your Aquarium
Getting water from your sump to display tank isn’t hard, especially when using soft plumbing. In this episode, we discuss how to use flexible tubing to connect the various pieces of your plumbing design. We’ll review the pros and cons of silicone and vinyl tubing as well as tips to avoid soft plumbing disasters. We’ll also share our plans for our Mega Matrix 120 build.
If you enjoyed this video make sure to: (SUBSCRIBE) (LIKE) (COMMENT)!

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Episode 7 - SALTWATER AQUARIUM Hard Plumbing Your Tank with PVC & Fittings (Part 1) Mega Matrix 120
In the is MM120 Episode we cover hard plumbing, in Part 1 specifically PVC. What are the different PVC options and how do make all these pieces work together as easily as possible and still make it look good. Hard plumbing consists of PVC pipe and Fittings. 200 PSI, Schedule 40, Schedule 80 do you know the difference? Upcoming Next Week Part 2 - Fittings.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Episode 8 - Hard PLUMBING Your Aquarium - Part 2
In this MM120 Episode we continue to cover hard plumbing, in Part 2, specifically connecting with fittings. We'll discuss how connections are made and explain the difference between slip or threaded fittings. We'll also review how your choice in fittings can impact head pressure, which type of elbow angle is bet, and the best places to use union fittings.

 

[SaltwaterAq]

[VIDEO] - Episode 9 - Hard PLUMBING Design
In this MM120 Episode we continue to cover hard plumbing, in Part 3 specifically address Plumbing Design and Cutting PVC. We cover using PVC shears, pipe reamers, pvc primer vs pvc clear cleaner, drying time frames, pressure testing your plumbing & the actual plumbing design on the Mega Matrix 120 build and why we did it this way!