First Saltwater Tank, Mixed Reef Fluval EVO 13.5

[Blukraken]

Hey all! This is my first time with saltwater tanks and reefing in general. I've always wanted one, and the stars aligned for me to have the time to put in the effort.

I started with Dry Marco Rock from BRS roughly 12 lbs worth, CaribSea Fiji Pink sand, Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Salt, Microbacter StartXLM. Took roughly 20 days to cycle the tank completely.

Equipment List:
Sicce 1.0 (replaced stock return pump)
InTank Media Basket in chamber 1 with filter floss, chemi pure elite, biomax
Fluval P50 heater in chamber 2
VCA RFG nozzles on stock Y junction
Hygger Mini WaveMaker
AutoAqua SmartATO Lite
Fluval Sea Marine 3.0 Nano (replaced stock light)

After all upgrades so far and the DIY shelf I built for all the equipment. Next on the list for upgrades is a Kraken Lid I have ordered to get rid of the shoddy mesh lid job I did and 3D printed covers for the filter compartments on the left. ATO and water jug are on the bottom right, dips, test kits, and the powerstrip are the next shelf up. Lots of hidden extra cords in the skinny space above the tank and shelf. Drawers on the left are filled with random office stuff. If I find a place for it, I'll probably move the drawers and put the salt there in its place.

Coral:
Jason Fox Lethal Leptoseris

Orange Rainbow Ricordea Mushroom

Turquoise Candy Cane

Coppertone Branching Hammer

Livestock:
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Snails are next and then 2 clowns in a couple of months to not overload the bioload of the tank due to being new.

Light settings for those interested

 

[juanrmattos]

Very nice!; I actually just restarted my EVO 13.5 project; these are truly fun to mantain.

Can I suggest moving your ChemiPure to the pump chamber?, a lot more effective this way (Mechanical, Biological and Chemical as it should be); this arises the question: How much BioMax are you able to keep?

Best of luck, will keep an eye out

 

[Blukraken]

Very nice!; I actually just restarted my EVO 13.5 project; these are truly fun to mantain.

Can I suggest moving your ChemiPure to the pump chamber?, a lot more effective this way (Mechanical, Biological and Chemical as it should be); this arises the question: How much BioMax are you able to keep?

Best of luck, will keep an eye out

Interesting, any reason why it's more effective to keep them separate like that? Here in a picture of the InTank media basket I have in chamber 1. From top down: Filter floss, Chemi-pure Elite, BioMax. Each of these are separated from each other.

 

[juanrmattos]

Interesting, any reason why it's more effective to keep them separate like that? Here in a picture of the InTank media basket I have in chamber 1. From top down: Filter floss, Chemi-pure Elite, BioMax. Each of these are separated from each other.

Just based on the fact that the correct filtration order is as mentioned in my comment (Mechanical: Floss, Skimmer; Biological: BioMax; and Chemical: ChemiPure, Carbon etc), this way all the residues will be processed and the chemicals will last longer and be more effective. I also like to do a quick flush with a product called ChemiClean when hair algae is present (This is a one day treatment).

 

[juanrmattos]

This are all suggestions based on my experience with the EVO 5.

 

[sleepy.sunny]

hi! i just started mine too! so excited/nervous! good luck on your adventure

 

[Blukraken]

Received my new Kraken Reef Lid fitted for the Fluval Sea Marine 3.0 Nano, but recently came into possession of an AI Prime 16HD and mount. Hopefully it will fit in the slot, otherwise I'll have to figure something out. The AI Prime mount will either be skinnier and fit, or too deep towards the front of the tank. If that's the case then I may have to sand away/cut away a portion to allow for the mount to fit. Maybe @Kraken Reef can shed some light for me? I am extremely happy with the lid and how snug it fits on the tank though. Just need to figure out the mounting situation.

The mount in question:

 

[juanrmattos]

Nice!!!
The light will make a huge difference; looking good.

 

[ajm123]

Hey all! This is my first time with saltwater tanks and reefing in general. I've always wanted one, and the stars aligned for me to have the time to put in the effort.

I started with Dry Marco Rock from BRS roughly 12 lbs worth, CaribSea Fiji Pink sand, Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Salt, Microbacter StartXLM. Took roughly 20 days to cycle the tank completely.

Equipment List:
Sicce 1.0 (replaced stock return pump)
InTank Media Basket in chamber 1 with filter floss, chemi pure elite, biomax
Fluval P50 heater in chamber 2
VCA RFG nozzles on stock Y junction
Hygger Mini WaveMaker
AutoAqua SmartATO Lite
Fluval Sea Marine 3.0 Nano (replaced stock light)

After all upgrades so far and the DIY shelf I built for all the equipment. Next on the list for upgrades is a Kraken Lid I have ordered to get rid of the shoddy mesh lid job I did and 3D printed covers for the filter compartments on the left. ATO and water jug are on the bottom right, dips, test kits, and the powerstrip are the next shelf up. Lots of hidden extra cords in the skinny space above the tank and shelf. Drawers on the left are filled with random office stuff. If I find a place for it, I'll probably move the drawers and put the salt there in its place.

Coral:
Jason Fox Lethal Leptoseris

Orange Rainbow Ricordea Mushroom

Turquoise Candy Cane

Coppertone Branching Hammer

Livestock:
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Snails are next and then 2 clowns in a couple of months to not overload the bioload of the tank due to being new.

Light settings for those interested

How have these light settings been doing?