Fluval evo 13.5 (first reef tank)

[Lou's Reef]

This is my first reef tank and I have just began my cycle. The setup is fully stock but I plan on getting a i tank filter basket, and a power head in the near future. Do any other evo owners have stocking recommendations for my set up. Preferably beginner level fish and I am steering clear of clowns and damsels for now. I am also lookin for invert and CUC recommendations as well. Looking forward to updating this thread as I progress and happy reefing!

 

[reaper93]

Looking good! I have the 5g version and stock a pistol shrimp and goby pair.

 

[Lou's Reef]

Looking good! I have the 5g version and stock a pistol shrimp and goby pair.

Is it necessary to let the tank mature before adding the pair? I have seen conflicting info online around the topic. Really cool critters though and definitely on my list.

 

[reaper93]

Is it necessary to let the tank mature before adding the pair? I have seen conflicting info online around the topic. Really cool critters though and definitely on my list.

I added them early on as my only livestock besides a few snails and an emerald crab later on and they are still doing fine over 1.5 years later

 

[Lou's Reef]

I added them early on as my only livestock besides a few snails and an emerald crab later on and they are still doing fine over 1.5 years later

My ideal stocking for the tank is either a cardinalfish or firefish to start, then a goby and pistol pair. Then once I can afford it either a pygmy hawkfish or a pygmy wrasse, or a different more high end flashy fish.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Congrats on your new tank!! I've had this tank for almost 2 years and I love it. There are a lot of fun nano fish you can put in a tank like this without needing to add any damsels or clowns.
I personally love Firefish - they're gorgeous no matter which type you get, which can range from very inexpensive (Red Firefish) to very expensive (Helfrichi Firefish). I have red, purple & Helfrichi and all 3 types have been very easy. Also, Royal Grammas are very pretty fish which tend to be pretty active. I have a couple of Blue Neon Gobys as well & they're cute, small and like to clean larger fish.
While I have never bought from them, Live Aquaria has a pretty good list of Nano compatible fish & they're all pretty interesting.
I have a High Fin Red Banded Goby and a Tiger Pistol Shrimp in my Evo right now. They're a fun pair to watch & if that's something you're interested in, a smaller tank is a great option. You run the risk of not seeing them much in a larger tank but in an Evo, you'll definitely get to see their fun relationship.

 

[Lou's Reef]

Congrats on your new tank!! I've had this tank for almost 2 years and I love it. There are a lot of fun nano fish you can put in a tank like this without needing to add any damsels or clowns.
I personally love Firefish - they're gorgeous no matter which type you get, which can range from very inexpensive (Red Firefish) to very expensive (Helfrichi Firefish). I have red, purple & Helfrichi and all 3 types have been very easy. Also, Royal Grammas are very pretty fish which tend to be pretty active. I have a couple of Blue Neon Gobys as well & they're cute, small and like to clean larger fish.
While I have never bought from them, Live Aquaria has a pretty good list of Nano compatible fish & they're all pretty interesting.
I have a High Fin Red Banded Goby and a Tiger Pistol Shrimp in my Evo right now. They're a fun pair to watch & if that's something you're interested in, a smaller tank is a great option. You run the risk of not seeing them much in a larger tank but in an Evo, you'll definitely get to see their fun relationship.

All of your suggestions sound amazing for the evo build and are good for my budget! However my LFS is quite small and the supply is limited as they are moving locations and are only available for pickup or shipping currently. In the mean time my main options at the store are a purple fire fish, or a yellow watchman goby.

 

[Calvin]

Is it necessary to let the tank mature before adding the pair? I have seen conflicting info online around the topic. Really cool critters though and definitely on my list.

I wouldn't necessarily say the tank need to be mature, but definitely cycled. And even then go with the hardier fish first and do maybe one at a time so the bacteria can handle the bio load and the population can grow. Last thing you want is to add 3 or 4 fish in that small of a tank and the bacteria population isn't ready for it and start having a mini cycle.

 

[Lou's Reef]

I wouldn't necessarily say the tank need to be mature, but definitely cycled. And even then go with the hardier fish first and do maybe one at a time so the bacteria and bio load can handle it. Last thing you want is to add 3 or 4 fish in that small of a tank and the bacteria population isn't ready for it and start having a mini cycle.

Thank you for the advice, I am doing a fishless cycle and I am currently two days in and testing daily. My ammonia dropped all the way down and nitrites and nitrates are high. Would you consider a yellow watchman goby to be a suitable first fish for a fully cycled tank? I am also wondering if a YWG is too large for the evo?

 

[Derrick0580]

Look into yasha gobies or smaller prawn type gobies. I wish I had gotten a geometric pygmy hawkfish for mine but both of my evos are stocked how I want them and don’t want to risk adding one now!

 

[Lou's Reef]

Look into yasha gobies or smaller prawn type gobies. I wish I had gotten a geometric pygmy hawkfish for mine but both of my evos are stocked how I want them and don’t want to risk adding one now!

My LFS has an orange spotted prawn goby that looks very tempting, almost looks like the yasha but more budget friendly. And I think my more highend fish will have to be the pygmy hawkfish, such a stunning little fish. Just hard to find in stock even online.

 

[Calvin]

Thank you for the advice, I am doing a fishless cycle and I am currently two days in and testing daily. My ammonia dropped all the way down and nitrites and nitrates are high. Would you consider a yellow watchman goby to be a suitable first fish for a fully cycled tank? I am also wondering if a YWG is too large for the evo?

If you got a small enough size you could get away with it for a while but once it got bigger it would definitely benefit from a bigger tank.

 

[Derrick0580]

My LFS has an orange spotted prawn goby that looks very tempting, almost looks like the yasha but more budget friendly. And I think my more highend fish will have to be the pygmy hawkfish, such a stunning little fish. Just hard to find in stock even online.

Have you asked your lfs if they are able to order you one?

 

[Calvin]

The prawn goby could live in there forever. And also keep in mind hawkfish can be pretty dang aggressive if they want to be. They are part of the grouper family.

 

[Derrick0580]

The geometric pygmy hawk is actually not a hawkfish at all but a member of the anthias family.

 

[Derrick0580]

Double post

 

[Lou's Reef]

Have you asked your lfs if they are able to order you one?

On the website it says they can make orders which I plan on doing for a smaller shrimp goby of some sort. I am unsure if they can order the pygmy hawk, they seem pretty rare. I'll call in tomorrow when they open, might as well try! By the time the fish is ordered and quarantined at my LFS the tank should be ready.

 

[Lou's Reef]

The geometric pygmy hawk is actually not a hawkfish at all but a member of the anthias family.

Interesting, it's behavior is like a hawkfish, but I have seen it under many names on different sites.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

All of your suggestions sound amazing for the evo build and are good for my budget! However my LFS is quite small and the supply is limited as they are moving locations and are only available for pickup or shipping currently. In the mean time my main options at the store are a purple fire fish, or a yellow watchman goby.

Either of those would be great! I also have a YWG paired with a Tiger Pistol Shrimp in another one of my tanks and they're just as much fun to watch. Purple Firefish are also my long time favorites, so I'd say the two options you have are really good ones! The one thing that firefish really love is a little cave they can dart into if they get startled, so as long as that is available, I'd say you're good to go on choosing either fish to start with.

 

[Lou's Reef]

I am starting to look into my clean up crew stocking! I am unsure of how many and what members I need. I am really interested in an emerald crab, is the evo suitable for one size wise?