The Waterbox Crystal Peninsula aquariums are part of the new line of tanks announced by the company recently. There are three styles available in the line ranging from 130 to around 170 gallons and come plumbed, have a dedicated sump and automatic top-off reservoir, cabinet and more.
Picking up on the growing trend of a different viewpoint, the peninsula style aquarium is a nice option for a room divider or different look where you get viewing on the two biggest sides.
I used to have a 75 gallon aquarium as a peninsula reef tank earlier and while it was cool, there were definitely more challenges from a plumbing and access point-of-view that created more headaches than it was work.
One of the downsides to this style is losing all the real estate to conduct a big enough overflow and flow needed for reef aquariums. But the nice thing about using a tank like this one from Waterbox is the pre-fab overflow and plumbing is stock and tuned for use as a reefing tank.
With the Crystal Peninsula tanks you get all the things you need to be successful — just add your lights, returns/flow pumps, skimmer and other reactors and you’ll be ready to rock and roll.
Let’s take a look at the tank first. Like all their tanks, they use Starfire Ultra-Clear beveled glass — not a low-iron alternative its the real deal — for superb clarity. Depending on the size of the tank, its going to be anywhere from 15-19mm thick.
As mentioned above, they are plumbed with an overflow box they note is whisper quiet and dual return nozzles. Instead of hiding everything behind a large compartment, Waterbox went with a minimal design with the overflow and plumbing coming from a bump-out on the back side to preserve as much viewing space as possible. An initial reaction might be that its too little to handle a tank this size, but we’re sure Waterbox but a lot of thought and testing behind the tank before releasing it.
But the plumbing is also thoughtfully designed without the need to really adjust or glue things. Each return is adjustable to fine tune the system and the overflow is controlled by a precision gate valve, there is a safety drain, and there is a dual manifold that lets you add two reactors without having to replumb or use additional pumps.
The cabinets, available in either white or black, are stylish and modern looking and have access doors on both sides making it easy to get in and adjust things. This also gives you access to a sump and ATO reservoir designed for the system.
Overall a nice job taking things into consideration for a nice looking and functional aquarium. You will pay a premium for a system this robust with top-end finishes, the smallest of the three — a 130 gallon tank that is 55 in. long, 26 in. wide and 24 in. tall — will set you back $2,499. The middle tank retails for $2,999 (140G, 60 x 26 x 24 in.) and the biggest retails for $3,499 (just under 170G, 72 x 26 x 24 in.).
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