Fluval Evo 5 reviews!

ichthyogeek · Dec 5, 2020

For those of y'all who have a Fluval Evo 5, how do you like it? Is it a good tank for macroalgae, LPS, and mushroom anemones? Or is it too bright for them? There's one being sold barely used for half price near me, and I really need to talk myself down from buying it, but I'd like to know if this is a tank I should buy in the future.

Does it come with a heater? What about a protein skimmer?

michaelmessinaglass · Dec 5, 2020

I had one as my starter tank into reefing. Its not the worst but it certainly isnt very good. The back chamber is tiny so your super limited on what pumps you can use and it pretty much requires that you keep the heater in the display(I didnt and the heater would cause significant evap). There wasnt enough space for my ato sensor to work properly and nearly over flowed my tank a few times, so I went without and dealt with salinity swings while I was at work. My wave maker had to be turned all way down or it would splash water out. The width of the display also makes rock scaping a pain. I still have it and will set it up in the future but only as a quarantine tank. It takes too much to make it look nice. I now have a waterbox pensinula mini 15 and its so much better. And it only cost me 110 with some nice extras. Even a waterbox cube 10 would be vastly superior to the fluval.

Sharkbait19 · Jan 8, 2021

I tossed around the idea of getting a Fluval 5 when I first came into the hobby a few months back, but wound up getting the 13.5 instead, because the 5 just looks to small, inconvenient, and probably just not worth setting up compared to the 13.5, which is essentially the same but larger.

justdeb1107 · Mar 3, 2024

I think the pump that comes with one of these is crap, but I haven't had any success finding a replacement small enough to put in its place. I added a power head, which seems a bit strong for the tank, but better than the super weak flow provided with the stock pump (which barely puts out a trickle). I bought this thing used as a QT tank, but it's adorable so it ended up on our bar as a mini reef. (P.S. Don't judge my fake plants...I want it fully cycled before I add real coral.) I also added an ATO I found for $59 on Amazon, as evaporation would cause major salinity issues in a tank this size. It has its drawbacks, but it is stylish. Would definitely go for one of their 16 gallon tanks if I was buying new. The good news is it's super affordable and easy to maintain. Even doing a 50% water change is less than 3 gallons.