Fluval Sea EVO 5 Gallon AQUAFOREST Desktop Reef

[juanrmattos]

OVERKILL!!! ;Happy

No spin stream... “Logistical complications”

Getting closer guys.

 

[juanrmattos]

Cool!!! ;Stig

 

[juanrmattos]

>>> Sighs <<<

Just as I feared and expected, even though the tank is empty, it only took 5:40 to go past 79 degrees, so Im already thinking about installing the lights on a bracket in hopes the extra space will drop the few degrees needed to be within my desired parameters (Reducing the time span to less than 7 hours a day is just not an option and there is just no space left for a fan).

I know filtration and water movement will help a little and so, I may be able to get away with removing the top cover maybe?.

The pleasant challenges of reef keeping!!!... Carrying on...

 

[juanrmattos]

Aha!!!...

Is a temporary solution while I get the mesh top, but it worked!... Temp dropped from 81 to 78.6 within the hour and lights have been on since 0900, not so worried any longer.

Still going...

 

[juanrmattos]

Just could not resist!!!

Filled the reef tank with saltwater this morning, adjusted the flow and installed some mechanical media to collect whatever dust and debris that may come out from the rock... Will let it run dark until next Monday when I should have all the Aquaforest products at hand.

The light fixture works great (A little hard to program), once I start cycling I will adopt the 10 hour program with a 1 hour ramp up, 1 hour ramp down and 1 hour moonlight for a total of 7 hours of daylight...

The Turbelle Nano Stream also works excellent (The main power set on 2, Pulse interval set to 5 and Pulse power on 2), with these super low settings is going to last until the end of time.

Truly liking this little thing.

 

[juanrmattos]

Ah!, I’m at 4.7 gallons of water volume, expecting to drop to 4.5 once the Aragonite goes in... Sharpening my dosing skills

>>> shudders <<<

 

[juanrmattos]

F A I L ! ! !

My OCD took me for a ride today... Bought the light fixture bracket (Just because, you know, we all want to make our lives easier, right?); well, the thing fits, as a matter of fact makes the tank look much better, BUT, 1. With such a thin glass and being at over 3 lbs with the fixture mounted, is a sure crack waiting to happen sooner than later!; secondly, defeats the purpose of comfort as the screws would have to come off in order to be able to remove the media basket (Boink!!!).

Don’t miss out the following episode of Reefer Drama, coming soon to an R2R near you. ;Cyclops

 

[vetteguy53081]

Youre doing your homework and for that- you will be successful. Best of luck moving forward

 

[juanrmattos]

AF Cycling Gear...

“Cheers to a new adventure”

 

[juanrmattos]

Limping... Sort of!,

Eagerly waiting for the Aquaforest Perfect Water I ordered 10 days ago and all of the sudden I get a message followed by a refund from the seller (roll eyes), and then it hit me, how many distributors in the US would be willing to import 5 gallon, 45lbs water jugs into the US (This is just me knowing the regulations and agriculture processes for this sort of commodities and the cost involved with it)... Regardless, I spent some time browsing the web and the return was a big, bad, salty ZERO!!!, the couple places that advertise it have no stock, and the single hit that “supposedly” has more than 10 available is the guy that just cancelled on me.

So, l guess my plans to keep it comfortable are not happening any more, will have to either buy the Aquaforest Salt and have it mixed at my LFS, OR, simply use the Nature Ocean NutriSeawater that Im familiar with (At least until I have a true need of installing an RODI unit again).

Lastly, I decided to replace the Fiji Pink sand for Hawaiian Black aragonite (Mostly because of the grain size considering the additional flow in such a small space and for additional filtration, but also because having the reef saver rock will make the reef look a little pale); the bag is scheduled to arrive on Monday (Because believe it or not, no one has it in stock over here), so rain or hail, I WILL BE CYCLING ON TUESDAY, or else!

Have a great weekend everyone...

 

[juanrmattos]

Picked up seawater on my way back from work this morning and the substrate arrived later during the day...

 

[juanrmattos]

What follows bellow is the specific instruction to a 30 day cycle for a Fluval Evo 5 based on a water volume of 4 gallons using the Aquaforest program

Please keep in mind that the AF Perfect Water is unobtainable in the US so I will cycle it with the Nature’s Ocean instead and switch to AF Reef Salt on the second month; the AF Probiotic salt will be used only once the bio load calls for it).

For those of you reading and following this thread, Thank you!

 

[juanrmattos]

PRE CYCLE DAY:

Syphoned out the seawater that had been running with lights off in the tank since last week, helped me to adjust the flow and was able to remove all the rock discharge that had already deposited at the bottom.

Removed the mechanical media (Manufacturer’s sponge) from the overflow.

Introduced the InTank Media basket using 1.5oz of Aquagorest Life Bio Fil with only a 2” filtration sponge as mechanical media (With the sole purpose of helping clear the water overnight, it will be removed in the morning as the aquarium will cycle bio-chemically).

Added a 1.5” sand bed (5.5 Lbs wet) using CaribSea Live Hawaiian Black Aragonite.

Filled the tank with 4.0 gallons of Natures Own NutriSea Water that tested as follows before introducing it: Salinity 1.025 / PH 8.2 / Alk 9.5 / Cal 420 / No ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates / Phosphate 0.08.

Let the tank rest in “All Off Mode” for a total of 5 hours to allow the bacteria from the media and sand to settle in.

Turned on the circulation pump only.

The Nitrifying Bacteria (Aquaforest Bio F), the Culture Medium (Aquaforest Bio F), and the light schedule will begin on day 1.

Moving along, so happy right now!.

 

[Ernie E]

Nice build. Following.

 

[juanrmattos]

A few things that we all need to keep very present when dealing with a reef this small always!!!

Salinity is key to everything!, make sure to maintain it and never ever measure or dose anything until you compensate for it. If you let 1/2 cup of water evaporate and do your tests before replenishing it with RODI water, your readings wont be accurate (Not for your parameters or your trace elements)... REMEMBER 1ml in this volume of water is A LOT!

Whatever you do, KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT, try to introduce your new corals on water change days when possible.

Speaking of water changes, try to stay inside the weekly 10%, even more, split that 10 in two third days if you can... Balance is king on any reef tank and crucial in such a small size.

Lastly, familiarize with the products you are using and make sure you know exactly what effect will have in your tank, always start at a 1/4 of the dose recommended.

There are many other things, but these few are crucial for Nano and Pico size reefs... I hope they make sense to you

 

[Ernie E]

Have any auto top off plans?

 

[juanrmattos]

Have any auto top off plans?

Hey Ernie,

I’m still debating how to use those 2” I have left on the back glass; the ATO would be nice, even though water evap is minimal, but what about a reactor?, or probes?...

I guess it will all come down to the stock, which Im still not totally sure about yet.

 

[btmedic04]

Hey Ernie,

I’m still debating how to use those 2” I have left on the back glass; the ATO would be nice, even though water evap is minimal, but what about a reactor?, or probes?...

I guess it will all come down to the stock, which Im still not totally sure about yet.

I feel an ato would be the best option given your limited space and small water volume. The autoaqua smart ato micro would fit perfectly. Any carbon or gfo can go in a media bag on a tank this small and as far as probes, I tend to want to have a more hands on approach with my nanos. It's easy to catch problems early if you have to have hands on every day or so

 

[juanrmattos]

I feel an ato would be the best option given your limited space and small water volume. The autoaqua smart ato micro would fit perfectly. Any carbon or gfo can go in a media bag on a tank this small and as far as probes, I tend to want to have a more hands on approach with my nanos. It's easy to catch problems early if you have to have hands on every day or so

I’m with you on this one btmedic04, full control is key for this size reef... But then again, the evaporation is so minimal!.

My debate comes from the power and intensity Im getting from the light fixture and the possibility to go into more advanced corals (Believe me when I tell you, this thing is a coral melting unit... I have to get down to 45% intensity to get a small disco effect); so with that in mind, something in the sort of a reactor feels more attractive for the remaining space. In any case, Im keeping an eye for some kind of desktop decoration with Motorsports or Reef related theme that could hold some water and could be concealed and used as ATO reservoir.

 

[juanrmattos]

Day One through Fourteen

Reef is running with recirculating pump only, the Turbelle Nano Stream will remain off to give better chances of bacterial development.

Introduced AquaForest Bio S
Nitrifying Bacteria for startup and ammonia reduction, The Bio S contains Nitrospirae and Nitrobacter strains that will accelerate the removal of toxic organisms creating a microbiological environment.
One drop diluted in 100ml and dosed 18ml (Required once a day for 15 days and after water changes).

Introduced Aquaforest Bio F
Probiotic bacteria and medium for them, is recommended for small tanks with no polymer filtration and stimulates the development of Bacterioplankton.
One measuring spoon diluted in 100ml and dosed 18ml (Required once a day every day).

Light schedule of 8 hours a day (One hour ramp up, one hour ramp down, six hours of light), unit is set at 45% white light, 75% Blue light.

Apologies for such poor photography guys, I guess us time to get some filters uh?

Moving along... Happily