Enough Filtration For Bioload? Or Mod Suggestions?

[Crested]

Hey guys (sorry I've been posting a lot, I just really enjoy learning all this new information) I am currently planning a fluval evo 13.5 and have decided to go with a firefish goby (my favorite fish of all time) and a yellow watchman goby/pistol shrimp pair, along with a cleanup crew that is still undecided. I was just wondering if the stock filtration is enough for this bioload. I am very good about scheduled maintenance and plan to do weekly water changes and general cleaning. If more filtration is needed, what kind of modifications do you recommend? I already plan to make modifications to it after a few paychecks (initial costs are a little high lol) so what do you recommend me doing in the near future?

 

[Old Fritz]

I love fluval tanks, they look so nice yet are so expensive. I believe it should be more than enough for what you plan to stock in there, your bioload will be pretty small as none of the fish produce much waste. Fire gobies are my favorite too. However if you plan on getting corals I highly recommend a protein skimmer, especially in such a small system, maybe even a sump to increase water volume however the sump isnt necessary

 

[Old Fritz]

Also you could probably keep a pair of clowns in there, some would argue you need at least a 20 gallon, however im on the edge for that. It's up to you personally

 

[jtietz]

Here is what i would do.

- In the first bay id run gfo and carbon in a media bag

-the next would have some kind of media basket with a few marine pure bio balls

-the last bay would include the Fluval sea ps2 mini protein skimmer

Side note. Absolutly do a pair of fire fish not just one

 

[Crested]

Here is what i would do.

- In the first bay id run gfo and carbon in a media bag

-the next would have some kind of media basket with a few marine pure bio balls

-the last bay would include the Fluval sea ps2 mini protein skimmer

Side note. Absolutly do a pair of fire fish not just one

Awesome! Thank you for the advice. Just wondering why I should get a pair? Are they more comfortable in pairs? And would they be fine in that small of a tank?

 

[jtietz]

Awesome! Thank you for the advice. Just wondering why I should get a pair? Are they more comfortable in pairs? And would they be fine in that small of a tank?

Yeah fire fish like to be in pairs. Unless its a purple fire fish, they have to be solo.

 

[Captain Quint]

Sounds like a nice peaceful system and +1 with the other comments. Smart folks here.

BTW welcome to R2R Crested

 

[Captain Quint]

Here is what i would do.

- In the first bay id run gfo and carbon in a media bag

-the next would have some kind of media basket with a few marine pure bio balls

-the last bay would include the Fluval sea ps2 mini protein skimmer

Side note. Absolutly do a pair of fire fish not just one

+1and good thinking ahead jtietz. Also, some LR rubble would do a great job in place of BioBalls long term, but with such a low LS list I'm sure BioBalls would be just fine too or perhaps a small amount of each. It wouldn't take but a few bio balls. I just favor the rubble in most cases.

 

[mta_morrow]

Yeah fire fish like to be in pairs. Unless its a purple fire fish, they have to be solo.

firefish of any kind are not tolerant of each other unless they are a bonded pair.

I like rubble because you can use it to glue frags to.

Prior to running any media, let you tank mature a bit. Your water changes will be fine as you start up. once you have an actual bioload and beging testing, you will see where your nitrates and phosphates settle in.

You do not want to start out stripping nutrients as that leads to dino's, which is far worse than any algae that is easy to control

 

[cracker]

Hey Crested ! It's " good " to see you asking questions. That's how we all learned . I'd think the filtraion would be fine with the number of fishes You want .Also simple small water changes will help a lot.
I personally would avoid the clowns . they can get big & territorial. These clowns might very well leave the other fish alone but they will attack your hand if you reach in there ! Wait until Ya get a bigger tank for these guys. It won't be long before You want a bigger one !

 

[Tamberav]

Personally, I wouldn't bother with a skimmer. I would just stock slow and keep up on water changes. I always run some carbon but I never use PO4 remover unless it is needed. You can always add stuff later if it is needed. You can cause a lot of issues by stripping the tank too, need to find that happy medium and every tank is different.