Hey all, New to the hobby and plan to start the tank in the next few weeks, I picked up the Evo 13.5 second hand for £180 but it was one of those things someone bought during lockdown and never actually used so it’s safe to say it’s as new.
This is rundown of what I currently have and what I'm thinking of buying, I have some questions and it would be great to get some input on if I'm going about this the right way.
The idea was to start with a pair of Clownfish then maybe a Goby/Shrimp and the obligatory CUC.
LFS options aren't great up here but there is a shop an hour or so away that looks like it stocks frags so I'll probably go there for livestock/corals.
Current Equipment
Stock Return Pump
Stock Filter and Media
Stock Light
Fluval SEA PS2 Mini Protein Skimmer
Aquael Platinum 50w Heater
Jecod SW-2 Wavemaker with Wireless Controller
Salifert Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)
D-D True Seawater Refractometer
Evolution Aqua Pure Reef Balance
Seachem Matrix High Capacity Biofiltration
Ordered
D-FLOW Fluval EVO Filter Media Basket Chamber 2
D-FLOW Random Flow Nozzle 1/2" (D-FLOW suggest if you upgrade the return pump you should switch to 1 x 1/2"?)
Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Syphon
Shopping Basket
Osmotics Ultra-Pure 4 Stage 100 Gallon Per Day RODI System
D-D Inline TDS Meter
Aquael Ultra Heater 75w
Tropic Marin Pro-Reef Salt 25Kg Bucket (750L)
Flipper Float Cleaner - Nano
Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade Sand (15lb)
Sicce Syncra 1.0 Aquarium Pump
Aquascape construction Putty (Coralline Algae colour)
Maxspect Nano-Tech Bio-Spheres 1KG
Brightwell Microbacter Start XLM
I've acquired a ridiculous amount of rock because marketplace pictures don't do justice to the scale! I got a load of what I’ve been told is Marco Rock or something very similar which I picked up for £40 but this could fill the tank 4 times over so unless I start smashing it up, I may be better with the other rock I picked up for free.
The free rock was live when i got it but had been in a tank that was using water pumped from the North Sea for cheap water changes. As you can imagine it had some interesting wildlife attached most of which i couldn't identify as it's probably not something you'd keep in a home reef aquarium. I personally wouldn't swim in the North Sea, so I didn't want to take the risk with it. I've cleaned this rock up with an acid then bleach bath and many rinses/dry cycles.
The rock I’ve cleaned is much lighter and appears to be way more porous which if I understand correctly suggests it would be a better filter in a small tank.
Question Time!
Should I use the skimmer or buy the chamber one media basket?
What size RODI unit should i get, the 100 is only £30 more than the 50 (future proofing?)
Should I upgrade to the Sicce 0.5 or 1.0 pump?
What should I be putting in the media basket(s)?
Do I need to dose ammonia once I start the cycle with the XLM? I've seen people just sticking fish in to generate the ammonia, but I don't want to kill some innocent fish if I get this wrong.
Which rock should I use? I can either use the stuff I’ve cleaned which will fit or smash up some of the larger Marco type rock.
I've read I shouldn't really need an ATO if I’m starting with the stock lid/light since it stops a lot of the evaporation?
Is the Seachem Matrix basically the same as the Maxspect Bio-Spheres but in a different format?
Will I ever need the Evolution Aqua Pure Reef Balance?
Is there anything I've missed and should be looking to buy?
I know i should upgrade the light but that’s a few months down the line when I get to corals! However, I will take recommendations for when the time comes!
Thank you in advance!
This is rundown of what I currently have and what I'm thinking of buying, I have some questions and it would be great to get some input on if I'm going about this the right way.
The idea was to start with a pair of Clownfish then maybe a Goby/Shrimp and the obligatory CUC.
LFS options aren't great up here but there is a shop an hour or so away that looks like it stocks frags so I'll probably go there for livestock/corals.
Current Equipment
Stock Return Pump
Stock Filter and Media
Stock Light
Fluval SEA PS2 Mini Protein Skimmer
Aquael Platinum 50w Heater
Jecod SW-2 Wavemaker with Wireless Controller
Salifert Test Kits (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)
D-D True Seawater Refractometer
Evolution Aqua Pure Reef Balance
Seachem Matrix High Capacity Biofiltration
Ordered
D-FLOW Fluval EVO Filter Media Basket Chamber 2
D-FLOW Random Flow Nozzle 1/2" (D-FLOW suggest if you upgrade the return pump you should switch to 1 x 1/2"?)
Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Syphon
Shopping Basket
Osmotics Ultra-Pure 4 Stage 100 Gallon Per Day RODI System
D-D Inline TDS Meter
Aquael Ultra Heater 75w
Tropic Marin Pro-Reef Salt 25Kg Bucket (750L)
Flipper Float Cleaner - Nano
Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade Sand (15lb)
Sicce Syncra 1.0 Aquarium Pump
Aquascape construction Putty (Coralline Algae colour)
Maxspect Nano-Tech Bio-Spheres 1KG
Brightwell Microbacter Start XLM
I've acquired a ridiculous amount of rock because marketplace pictures don't do justice to the scale! I got a load of what I’ve been told is Marco Rock or something very similar which I picked up for £40 but this could fill the tank 4 times over so unless I start smashing it up, I may be better with the other rock I picked up for free.
The free rock was live when i got it but had been in a tank that was using water pumped from the North Sea for cheap water changes. As you can imagine it had some interesting wildlife attached most of which i couldn't identify as it's probably not something you'd keep in a home reef aquarium. I personally wouldn't swim in the North Sea, so I didn't want to take the risk with it. I've cleaned this rock up with an acid then bleach bath and many rinses/dry cycles.
The rock I’ve cleaned is much lighter and appears to be way more porous which if I understand correctly suggests it would be a better filter in a small tank.
Question Time!
Should I use the skimmer or buy the chamber one media basket?
What size RODI unit should i get, the 100 is only £30 more than the 50 (future proofing?)
Should I upgrade to the Sicce 0.5 or 1.0 pump?
What should I be putting in the media basket(s)?
Do I need to dose ammonia once I start the cycle with the XLM? I've seen people just sticking fish in to generate the ammonia, but I don't want to kill some innocent fish if I get this wrong.
Which rock should I use? I can either use the stuff I’ve cleaned which will fit or smash up some of the larger Marco type rock.
I've read I shouldn't really need an ATO if I’m starting with the stock lid/light since it stops a lot of the evaporation?
Is the Seachem Matrix basically the same as the Maxspect Bio-Spheres but in a different format?
Will I ever need the Evolution Aqua Pure Reef Balance?
Is there anything I've missed and should be looking to buy?
I know i should upgrade the light but that’s a few months down the line when I get to corals! However, I will take recommendations for when the time comes!
Thank you in advance!