My first ever tank- Fluval EVO 13.5

[NeonRabbit221B]

UPDATE

Well unfortunately, my two clownfish died within a day of another after about two weeks. I'm not sure of the cause, I believe it may have been ICH.

I did have a bit of an algae problem which I did a two day blackout and it completely fixed it. I've been able to clean up the sand with my weekly water changes.

Since then I focused mostly on corals for two weeks and just got another clownfish in the tank. Right now everything appears to be doing good.

I'm not sure if I will need to feed the corals independently or if they will be able to survive off the waste of the livestock (I'm hoping that's the case).

Fingers crossed this clown does better than the last.

Keep in mind that if your clowns died and you have a live host then the disease which killed them is still alive. Most would recommend a fallow and QT to get rid of the disease.

I would look into media baskets

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks. I am done stocking this for awhile. The only other thing I plan on adding is a royal gamma a couple weeks down the line. After that, I'd love to just sit back and watch this tank grow. I'm keeping up on my water changes and plan to do so every week, hoping it all works out, I know I need to be a bit more patient

Gramma can be feisty but deep colors and I believe you can sneak in a couple of firefish gobies

 

[kiteski14]

Keep in mind that if your clowns died and you have a live host then the disease which killed them is still alive. Most would recommend a fallow and QT to get rid of the disease.

I would look into media baskets

Thanks for the advice. I had spoke to a couple people about ICH and they made it seem like almost every tank at some point has had ICH and that most fish have ICH. It just comes out when they're over stressed, so as long as the levels and temperature and everything else is in check the ICH is much less likely to be an issue. I'm hoping thats the case. I don't have a QT, as I only have this tank. I also had the Goby which has been fine the whole time, so I'm not sure if it was ICH.

When you say look into media baskets, do you think the current filtration isn't sufficient? What would you put in the media baskets that is different from the stock filtration? Just curious, as I've considered it but I'm not sure it's completely necessary.

 

[najer]

Thanks. I am done stocking this for awhile. The only other thing I plan on adding is a royal gamma a couple weeks down the line. After that, I'd love to just sit back and watch this tank grow. I'm keeping up on my water changes and plan to do so every week, hoping it all works out, I know I need to be a bit more patient

As he said, you need to slow down, the whole tank needs to mature and if it was ich with the clowns them fish are not going to do well.
Your corals look happy, keep the water changes up.
Yes I have an Evo 13.5 as well as my big tank and run an Eheim 600 as the only upgrade, let it settle and evolve.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Thanks for the advice. I had spoke to a couple people about ICH and they made it seem like almost every tank at some point has had ICH and that most fish have ICH. It just comes out when they're over stressed, so as long as the levels and temperature and everything else is in check the ICH is much less likely to be an issue. I'm hoping thats the case. I don't have a QT, as I only have this tank. I also had the Goby which has been fine the whole time, so I'm not sure if it was ICH.

When you say look into media baskets, do you think the current filtration isn't sufficient? What would you put in the media baskets that is different from the stock filtration? Just curious, as I've considered it but I'm not sure it's completely necessary.

Unpopular opinion ahead!

Ich is an annoying thing to deal with. Velvet (which is often misdiagnosed as ich) is a quick killer and similar in may ways to ich. Both can live in a tank indefinitely and can present itself almost randomly due to any stressors. The only way to eliminate these is to pull all fish out of the tank into a QT setup and go fallow for 76 days. Any new additions would also need to be treated for 76 days. Corals, inverts and macro algae should be QT.

Seems like a lot of effort but this is the answer that almost everyone here on R2R will give you. These disease can lie in wait and knock out an entire tank and for the success of the tank as a whole should be eliminated. NOW. There are other theories (PaulB is one of the head believers in this) that Ich is nothing to worry about. It exists and should be kepts in check by proper nutrition, diatom/UV filters and... again good nutrition. Which ever path you choose just keep in mind that any new additions are susceptible to drop dead if you don't QT.

Media baskets have worked wonders for me in my Evo. I 3D printed (Intank makes premade) baskets to hold filter floss (2 layers) and Chemi-pure. I wasn't a fan of the stock filtration but I also had access to a 3D printer and have always been drawn to continuous improvement and design.

 

[kiteski14]

Unpopular opinion ahead!

Ich is an annoying thing to deal with. Velvet (which is often misdiagnosed as ich) is a quick killer and similar in may ways to ich. Both can live in a tank indefinitely and can present itself almost randomly due to any stressors. The only way to eliminate these is to pull all fish out of the tank into a QT setup and go fallow for 76 days. Any new additions would also need to be treated for 76 days. Corals, inverts and macro algae should be QT.

Seems like a lot of effort but this is the answer that almost everyone here on R2R will give you. These disease can lie in wait and knock out an entire tank and for the success of the tank as a whole should be eliminated. NOW. There are other theories (PaulB is one of the head believers in this) that Ich is nothing to worry about. It exists and should be kepts in check by proper nutrition, diatom/UV filters and... again good nutrition. Which ever path you choose just keep in mind that any new additions are susceptible to drop dead if you don't QT.

Media baskets have worked wonders for me in my Evo. I 3D printed (Intank makes premade) baskets to hold filter floss (2 layers) and Chemi-pure. I wasn't a fan of the stock filtration but I also had access to a 3D printer and have always been drawn to continuous improvement and design.

thanks. When you say they've worked wonders, what exactly do you mean? What did it do that the stock filtration failed to do? I have a hard time justifying 60$ for a piece of plastic

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

thanks. When you say they've worked wonders, what exactly do you mean? What did it do that the stock filtration failed to do? I have a hard time justifying 60$ for a piece of plastic

For me it was just not polishing the water or helping keep nutrients down... I guess its also fair to add that I ran the stock filter for about a month before printing a media basket. Saw several builds who have zip tied plastic egg crate together to build a media basket.

Overall my nitrates dropped once I added a flow director and floss (in my basket) in the first chamber. There are 1000 ways to run this tank and you should try and find what works best for you!

 

[kiteski14]

Tank update

This is a bit overdue, but very happy with how my tank is coming along. I upgraded to the non AI Prime. The stock light drove me crazy that I couldn't set it to a schedule that would change from whites to blues. I'm loving the AI Prime so far. I also bought the BRS Lid Kit, which I'm happy with as well. I also bought the intank media baskets for one and two and am now running filter floss, carbon media, and biomax in the first chamber, and more biomax in the second. Does this sound like good filtration for those that have been in the lobby for awhile?

I bought Chemipure blue, but it seems quite large for the size of the tank (5.5oz). Next month when I change out the carbon, do I keep the fluval carbon and add the Chemipure Blue, or does the chemipure replace the carbon?

Besides that I picked up a Royal Gamma a couple weeks ago and the tank is still very peaceful, I had reservations about picking up this fish but it gets along with the clown very well. The yellow watchman goby is still doing well.

I added a temperature controller (Inkbird) which gives me peace of mind and so far I'm very happy with that purchase.

I do see signs of Ich occasionally, but it usually subsides within a day. The royal gamma had a couple of white spots a few days ago but seems fine now. The clownfish looks very healthy but I have seen a few white stringy things from it's waste that stay attached to him, which I fear is parasites (what happened to my last clowns), I'm trying to avoid using anything to get rid of it, I'm hoping this problem takes care of itself over time, but I'm open to suggestions.

As for maintenance, other than weekly (1-2 gallon) water changes, I clean the tank with the magnetic scrubber, and replace the filter floss about once a week or twice if it appears to be dirty.

Any recommendations is always welcome. Now that I have a better light I am hoping to add some more soft flowy corals soon.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Yeah it’s likely worms. Focus and metro can clear that up quickly. Epson salt can help expel the worms. Not a disease expert though.

do you have a flow director? Helped me a huge amount to get the water to go straight onto the floss. Looks nice!

 

[kiteski14]

Yeah it’s likely worms. Focus and metro can clear that up quickly. Epson salt can help expel the worms. Not a disease expert though.

do you have a flow director? Helped me a huge amount to get the water to go straight onto the floss. Looks nice!

Yes I do have the flow director which helped alot! Could you link me to the focus and metro and tell me how I would go about getting rid of the worms? Thanks

 

[kiteski14]

Longtime overdue tank update:

Tank is doing very well, I try not to touch it much. The royal gamma and clown are both doing great, no issues at all with the tank in the past few months. Looks to be maturing as a tank and I'm actually surprised by the lack of maintenance needed.

I was doing weekly water changes for awhile, but have no switched to large (5 gallon) water changes every couple weeks. It does not seem to be an issue so far.