3 months into my 13.5 Fluval.

[Gunzen]

I built the stand, and sump. Added small Wavemaker, upgraded the stock pump to an eheim 1000. Upgraded the light with a 30 watt Sanrise Aqua Night. I moved the stock light to the sump.

I do not use a sock and run 2 small packets of Chemipure Blue Nano, and a piece of poly filter over the top of a small handful of filter wool in a DIY plastic cup in chamber 1. I do not use any other media in other chambers. I just leave it empty.

I have a bubble magnus skimmer in the 10 gallon sump and keep a few pounds of live rock in the sump along with 2 large turbo snails and 4 narsus snails and the chaeto of course.

I use the tunze nano ATO. Love it. I keep the pump in a five gallon bucket.

Found a DJ table surge protector with toggle switches on sale on amazon for 29.99. It is a great addition. I can turn off all my pumps/skimmer/ATO for water changes easily. I use Alexa and WiFi plugs for all my lighting.

Livestock:

-green chromis

-true percula

-black sailfin algae blennie

-yellow watchman goby

-tiger snapping shrimp

-12-15 narsus snails

-2 astrea snails

- 1 large turbo snail

You can see my corals in the pics.

Seems as though my bubble tip has finally found a permanent home ( for now ) and the clown being hosted by him.

Parameters are all good, my nitrate is a bit too low. Might try feeding more. I assume it is the HUGE chaeto ball, but I love that because of all the cop/ampipids and have a hard time trimming it.

Messed up my first sump with wrong glue, and lost a few animals but besides that all is well.

Less filter media more is my motto.

Thanks for all of your help you guys. This site has been an integral part of my success.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Looking very nice!

 

[dbl]

Congrats...that looks great. Signing up to watch it grow out.

 

[Gunzen]

Added a Frogspawn and the corals are growing. I am going to supplement the tank with pods once a month, and use reef nutrition tigger feast and try to finally get the Mandarin. Pods are everywhere. If I can’t keep her fat I will return/rehome her.

 

[dhof]

Added a Frogspawn and the corals are growing. I am going to supplement the tank with pods once a month, and use reef nutrition tigger feast and try to finally get the Mandarin. Pods are everywhere. If I can’t keep her fat I will return/rehome her.

Interested in how you did the overflow on the 13.5. Did you drill it or did you find a hang on back that fit well?

 

[Gunzen]

Interested in how you did the overflow on the 13.5. Did you drill it or did you find a hang on back that fit well?

Eshops nano. Works great and not too loud.

 

[dhof]

It looks like you have the eshopps nano mounted on the other side of the tank (opposite of where the fluval 13.5 sump is at). Did you remove the fluval sump altogether, or do you just live with the wasted space that it occupies?

 

[Gunzen]

It looks like you have the eshopps nano mounted on the other side of the tank (opposite of where the fluval 13.5 sump is at). Did you remove the fluval sump altogether, or do you just live with the wasted space that it occupies?

I put a polyfilter in chamber 1 on top of some wool and change it ever few days I made a little clip on holder out of a coffee filter holder. On top of that I run Chemipure blue (2 little packets)

I run carbon in second chamber occasionally to polish.

Third chamber is heater and return.

Not wasted space lol. But I don’t use e socks and I don’t use the sponge or even a lot of wool just about the size of my fist. And the poly is about the size of a business card.

 

[dhof]

I think I understand, thanks.

I have been thinking about trying to get a sump setup on my 13.5, but I have it setup as a peninsula and I don't want the overflow taking up the precious tank space inside the tank, unless it is somehow worked into the side where the Fluval AIO sump is already located at. I've been looking for a HOB overflow that might fit inside one of the fluval chambers, but I think everything is to big to fit naturally (even the the eshopps nano). I'd have to remove one of the dividers in the Fluval AIO sump to make it work.

I've tossed around the idea of removing the entire fluval AIO sump altogether and just run a HOB on the glass where the Fluval AIO sump used to be. Then I could run the filtration stuff, heater, etc down in the sump and gain a few more inches of display as well as all the other benefits of the larger water volume. Not sure how hard it would be to remove all that acrylic of the Fluval AIO sump, but it seems like it'd be quite a task.

It looks like you have a return pump from your sump, and then you must also have a pump in Chamber 3 to draw all the water through the Fluval AIO sump. That's alot of flow going on in that small of a tank

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[Gunzen]

I think I understand, thanks.

I have been thinking about trying to get a sump setup on my 13.5, but I have it setup as a peninsula and I don't want the overflow taking up the precious tank space inside the tank, unless it is somehow worked into the side where the Fluval AIO sump is already located at. I've been looking for a HOB overflow that might fit inside one of the fluval chambers, but I think everything is to big to fit naturally (even the the eshopps nano). I'd have to remove one of the dividers in the Fluval AIO sump to make it work.

I've tossed around the idea of removing the entire fluval AIO sump altogether and just run a HOB on the glass where the Fluval AIO sump used to be. Then I could run the filtration stuff, heater, etc down in the sump and gain a few more inches of display as well as all the other benefits of the larger water volume. Not sure how hard it would be to remove all that acrylic of the Fluval AIO sump, but it seems like it'd be quite a task.

It looks like you have a return pump from your sump, and then you must also have a pump in Chamber 3 to draw all the water through the Fluval AIO sump. That's alot of flow going on in that small of a tank

Thanks for the ideas.

That space needed for the nano is literally one inch by 4. You could fit it in chamber 2 and three with a small notch cut out. I don’t suggest it. I think if you want a sump might wanna set it up may way, or get a Nuvo 20 if you want more space.

As far as flow, the sump return is barely anything. I like to run my sump SLOWLY so my chaeto can consume nitrates and the skimmer gets a good pull.

The return for the AIO is set toward the top, and my Wavemaker is set on the lowest setting. Really isn’t too much at all.

The added stability with the sump as well as the ATO really makes this tank a breeze to take care of.

A ten gallon sump makes a world of difference. You may lose 4 inches of space but you can add many more corals and 2 more fish because of the sump.

In the long run, you will have more in your tank. Much more. And you can do water changes in your sump and have an good skimmer.

If I had to do it again, I would get the 15 tall for the sump