show your fluval evo 13.5

[Mfield16]

Pic of mine. Relaunched in August, aquascape is rough but it's more of a grow tank for future 90 gallon upgrade (planning stages).

Upgrades
Ai prime hd
Koralia nano
2x sicce 1.0 (one in aio chamber and one in sump as return)
Seapora nano overflow box
Eshopps rs-75 sump
Simplicity 120dc skimmer
Intank media basket chamber 2

Had the tank running for 8 months (without sump) crashed due to mass algae outbreak and time constraints. Swore to get the reboot right and adding the sump/testing params more often has helped alot.

Cheers!

How do you like the sump and is the skimmer pulling anything? Where'd you put the overflow box?

 

[Mfield16]

This is mine a few weeks ago.

Waiting on the tunze 1073 return pump and a nanobox tide mini to come in. Thinking of getting a Aqamai KPS wavemaker. $30 off at Petco ends today.

Intank media basket with chemipure and nothing else. Chamber two empty, considering a skimmer but I'm hearing mixed reviews.

 

[Leo.LA]

Hey guys,

New Fluval Evo 13.5 owner here! 1st week was cycling with 10lbs of live rock + bio-spira. It's now my 2nd week and added some livestock.

I don't see a lot of evap, how much water should I top off manually per day?

Here's the pic

mods:
added hydor koralia 240gph
changed default carbon to chemi-pure elite
added aquatic life protein skimmer

fish: 3
2 clownfish
1 firefish

cuc: 3
1 snail
2 hermit crabs

corals: (mostly frags beside 1 colony)
1 white hammer (colony)
1 ricordea mushroom
1 red and green war
1 zoa green
1 zoa red
1 kenya tree
1 gsp
1 duncan

I think overall I spent almost $820 for everything including test kits, etc. but I can't wait for frags to grow and mature!

 

[Shawn Waldon]

Hey guys,

New Fluval Evo 13.5 owner here! 1st week was cycling with 10lbs of live rock + bio-spira. It's now my 2nd week and added some livestock.

I don't see a lot of evap, how much water should I top off manually per day?

Here's the pic

mods:
added hydor koralia 240gph
changed default carbon to chemi-pure elite
added aquatic life protein skimmer

fish: 3
2 clownfish
1 firefish

cuc: 3
1 snail
2 hermit crabs

corals: (mostly frags beside 1 colony)
1 white hammer (colony)
1 ricordea mushroom
1 red and green war
1 zoa green
1 zoa red
1 kenya tree
1 gsp
1 duncan

I think overall I spent almost $820 for everything including test kits, etc. but I can't wait for frags to grow and mature!

If topping off manually just use the dots on the glass as a reference. Keep us posted on your progress especially how the protein skimmer does. Did you have to make any mods to the tank to use it? Are you using the stock hood and light?

 

[JoshO]

Hi all,
Read this thread start to finish, awesome to see all the different things people have tried. This is my first go at marine after keeping tropical for years.
I've attached my Scape in my new Evo (which has been sent back as the sump was siliconed in wonky, so the lid doesn't fit), new tank is on its way!
It's going to be Caribsea special grade arag-alive as the substrate, which will hopefully help the Eco reef rock pop out nicely!
Have people found any sump set ups to be particularly successful? Cheers!

 

[Leo.LA]

If topping off manually just use the dots on the glass as a reference. Keep us posted on your progress especially how the protein skimmer does. Did you have to make any mods to the tank to use it? Are you using the stock hood and light?

Which row of dots? My water in the display is actually closer to the lid (about 3 row dots before end of tank) but I noticed that the chamber is lower than the main display tank.

Yes, i am using the stock hood and light, but I found a white led strip from my old smaller freshwater tank laying around and I added it on the feeding hole. I don't know if it's gonna help but I am turning it on during the day.

 

[Shawn Waldon]

[QUOTE="Leo.LA, post: 7040699, member: 141512



You actually want the level of the water to be at the bottom of the dots. if you look at it when it's at that level you'll notice that it's about a quarter of an inch from the bottom of the slots for the inlet. Also take that freshwater light off your tank. it is not the correct spectrum for a saltwater tank and because it is a freshwater light it can encourage algae growth. A common upgrade for lighting on these tanks is an AI prime. I have one on mine and I'm growing softies, LPS, and polyps in mine. I have noticed a dramatic difference in the growth with the new light compared to the stock setup. Just something to think about.
[/QUOTE]

 

[Wee Mad Arthur]

There’s not many using stock lighting but the ones I’ve seen have looked great. I wanted to stay stock but as soon as summer came around my temperature shot up and I was forced to remove the hood which in turn meant the stock light couldn’t be used. I tried a diy mount for the stock light but it just looked awful.

i was using a 30w Aquaknight which was growing softies just fine. I’ve recently swapped to 2x 20w Fluval Sea Marine Nano Bluetooth lights and I’m amazed at the difference in a little over a week, the leathers have expanded and I’ve got baby zoas showing on almost all of my plugs.

Everyone seems to run different things in the rear including some who run the stock sponge. I keep a softy only tank and rely on my large amount of rock to do the biological filtration. I don’t have any fish so my bio load won’t be anywhere near as high as others so all I am running in the back is the Fluval bagged carbon which I change out monthly in chamber 1 sat in an intank media basket. I also use the intank flow director and intank plug. Chamber 2 has a titanium heater and chamber 3 has an autoaqua smart ato and Sicce 0.5 return pump. Anything that settles in the back gets siphoned out during a weekly water change.

 

[JoshO]

There’s not many using stock lighting but the ones I’ve seen have looked great. I wanted to stay stock but as soon as summer came around my temperature shot up and I was forced to remove the hood which in turn meant the stock light couldn’t be used. I tried a diy mount for the stock light but it just looked awful.

i was using a 30w Aquaknight which was growing softies just fine. I’ve recently swapped to 2x 20w Fluval Sea Marine Nano Bluetooth lights and I’m amazed at the difference in a little over a week, the leathers have expanded and I’ve got baby zoas showing on almost all of my plugs.

Everyone seems to run different things in the rear including some who run the stock sponge. I keep a softy only tank and rely on my large amount of rock to do the biological filtration. I don’t have any fish so my bio load won’t be anywhere near as high as others so all I am running in the back is the Fluval bagged carbon which I change out monthly in chamber 1 sat in an intank media basket. I also use the intank flow director and intank plug. Chamber 2 has a titanium heater and chamber 3 has an autoaqua smart ato and Sicce 0.5 return pump. Anything that settles in the back gets siphoned out during a weekly water change.

I'm quite lucky that the temperature will struggle to hit high enough levels where I'm from that the lid will ever cause too many issues, even in summer.
I'd want to try and add light bars to the underside of the lid but I'm yet to find any of a good enough quality to sustain good coral growth.
I've had multiple ideas on how to modify the sump thanks to this thread but still totally undecided on what will work best, ideally I don't want to go down the intank route as their baskets are ££

 

[Leo.LA]

I know 3 small fish might be the maximum recommended load in this small tank, but anyone had any success with more than 3 fish? I don't know if I can add another one after my 2 clown and 1 firefish but if so, I am thinking of adding 1 royal gamma basslet

 

[Wee Mad Arthur]

I'm quite lucky that the temperature will struggle to hit high enough levels where I'm from that the lid will ever cause too many issues, even in summer.
I'd want to try and add light bars to the underside of the lid but I'm yet to find any of a good enough quality to sustain good coral growth.
I've had multiple ideas on how to modify the sump thanks to this thread but still totally undecided on what will work best, ideally I don't want to go down the intank route as their baskets are ££

It‘s easy enough to make a media basket out of egg crate and zip ties, that’s probably the most cost effective method. I do agree the intank baskets are very pricey for what they are.

If I were you I’d see what coral growth you get from just the stock lighting before spending more on additional lighting. The more leds you add under the hood, the more heat you will be creating and you may very well end up at a tipping point from heat generated + ambient temperatures. I didn’t think temperature would be an issue but last summer was probably the hottest I can remember indoors. I ended up adding fans to the tank in addition to removing the hood. Remember growth isn’t just dependant on light, getting nutrients and flow right are also factors.

 

[Shawn Waldon]

I know 3 small fish might be the maximum recommended load in this small tank, but anyone had any success with more than 3 fish? I don't know if I can add another one after my 2 clown and 1 firefish but if so, I am thinking of adding 1 royal gamma basslet

I have 4 damsels a blue tang, 3 dnails, 3 hermit crabs, and a cleaner shrimp in mine. It took me six months to get to that of course. I am just really faithful on doing a 2 gallon water change weekly and I have a lot of corals in mine. There is a picture of my tank in this thread.

 

[CavamaroZ28]

This is a fluval evo I set up for my girlfriend

 

[tstar]

Is that a Humu Humu Trigger?

Tim

 

[tstar]

I have 4 damsels a blue tang, 3 dnails, 3 hermit crabs, and a cleaner shrimp in mine. It took me six months to get to that of course. I am just really faithful on doing a 2 gallon water change weekly and I have a lot of corals in mine. There is a picture of my tank in this thread.

Your Hippo Tang (I assume you meant that for a Blue Tang) is happy in a 13.5 gallon tank??

Man... I never would've thought to put in a Hippo or a Humu!!

Tim

 

[Shawn Waldon]

Your Hippo Tang (I assume you meant that for a Blue Tang) is happy in a 13.5 gallon tank??

Man... I never would've thought to put in a Hippo or a Humu!!

Tim

It's a blue tang according to live aquariua. According to my friend it's Dori from Nemo lol. Drives me crazy . It's only about 2 inches and is doing fine but this is just a temporary place for it while my 135 gallon cycles.

 

[JoshO]

Has anyone tried modding the standard light with lighting gels to add in more blue?

 

[Mfield16]

I know 3 small fish might be the maximum recommended load in this small tank, but anyone had any success with more than 3 fish? I don't know if I can add another one after my 2 clown and 1 firefish but if so, I am thinking of adding 1 royal gamma basslet

I got my tank from a local reefer who had this exact same stock list, PLUS a purple firefish and a chocolatechip star. The tank was covered in hair algae top to bottom. Aiptasia everywhere.

Once I got it home, both firefish and the star were rehomed. While I think it's possible, you have to be diligent with water changes and probably run a skimmer. It will just be harder to keep nutrients in check.

There's someone on nano-reef with an IM10 that has a few green banded goby, a pink line wrasse, 2 clowns, and a goby. All but the clowns have a small bioload, so he has no issues with nutrients.

 

[Leo.LA]

3rd week update

Currently have ocellaris clownfish and firefish and some corals but mostly frag
Torch (colony)
White hammer (colony)
3 Zoa - red, green, and yellow (frag)
GSP (frag)
Red War Green (frag)
Kenya Tree (frag)
Red Scoly (medium)
Ricordea mushroom (frag)
Duncan (frag)

CUC:
1 margarita snail
2 hermit crab
and planning to add maybe 1 nassarius snail

Customization from Fluval evo 13.5
Added protein skimmer
Changed carbon to chemi-pure elite

Here's the pic:

Both fish are adults and pretty happy. The clownfish I think are hosting multiple corals but sleeping in the bigger Zoa but also play with Torch colony during the day. The firefish found a home inside of live rock, kinda shy during the night. Both like and peaceful with each other.

I started feeding reef roids to my coral. Corals are growing but it's still early to tell. I also see copepod bloom yesterday and there is a lot and I can see them in the glass and water. I've read it's a good thing but it looks annoying. I also see some light green algae which I think turns to coralline?

Water parameters are good. RO/DI water with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. Doing 20% water change weekly.
dKH 11-12 but I'd say it's more like 10.5-11.5
Ammonia 0ppm
pH 8.4
salinity 1.025 to 1.026

I noticed the light makes the tank hotter during the day so I adjusted my temp to 77. Hottest is around 79 during the afternoon, and it goes back to like 77 to 77.5 when light is off during the night.

I added a small Azure damsel and clown was aggressive to it so I returned it. I added an adult bicolor dottyback but it was too aggressive so I returned it then I added another clown but the ocellaris clownfish was aggressive so I also returned it. So looks like my clown is a female and does not like another damsel or clown.

I want a 3rd and final fish. Which 3rd tank mate do you recommend where it would not attack my firefish and my clown would be peaceful to?

Any other advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Mfield16]

Mine with the new light and corals, a week ago. My previous post looks like crap.


FTS Feb 12 2020