Fluval EVO 13.5 Mini Reef

[Flake]

Hi Everyone!

After a long hiatus, I realized how much I was missing the fish and came back with a small desktop aquarium that I could enjoy on my WFH days. We're definitely in the ugly phase, but I have a bunch of small frags I can't wait to see grow out and take over. It's already making me want a bigger tank again.

The Equipment:
Fluval Evo 13.5
AI Prime HD
Hygger Nano

The Inhabitants:
2x Ocellaris clowns
1 Turbo snail
1 Nassarius snail
3 Blue leg hermits
5 Sexy Shrimp

The Corals:
Hammer Coral
Rainbow Acans
Green Acans
TSA Fire Favia
Space Invader Chalice
TSA Sugar High Montipora
Orange Leptoseris
Red Blastos
Yuma Mushrooms
Rambler Bounce Mushrooms
Unnamed Blue/Purpley Zoas
Unnamed Pink/Green Zoas
Mystery Frag Zoas
Utter Chaos Zoas
Blue Eyed Blondie Zoas
Halle Berry Zoas
Rasta Zoas
TSA Florida Oranges Zoas
Incinerator Zoas
Grandmaster Krak Zoas
Gold Maul Zoas
Acid Rainbow Zoas
Mango Blaster Zoas
Halloween Hornet Zoas

Pink Palys
Plate coral

FTS April 25

 

[PPBlimpy]

Looks good. I am pulling my 13.5 from the closet here next week and setting it back up. i miss having the small tank.

 

[Flake]

Looks good. I am pulling my 13.5 from the closet here next week and setting it back up. i miss having the small tank.

Awesome! It really is a great sized tank.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hi Everyone!

After a long hiatus, I realized how much I was missing the fish and came back with a small desktop aquarium that I could enjoy on my WFH days. We're definitely in the ugly phase, but I have a bunch of small frags I can't wait to see grow out and take over. It's already making me want a bigger tank again.

The Equipment:
Fluval Evo 13.5
AI Prime HD
Hygger Nano

The Inhabitants:
2x Ocellaris clowns
1 Turbo snail
1 Nassarius snail
3 Blue leg hermits

The Corals:
Hammer Coral
Rainbow Acans
TSA Fire Favia Coral
Space Invader Chalice Coral
TSA Sugar High Montipora Coral
Unnamed Blue/Purpley Zoas
Unnamed Pink/Green Zoas
Utter Chaos Zoas
Blue Eyed Blondie Zoas
Halle Berry Zoas
Rasta Zoas
TSA Florida Oranges Zoas

FTS April 25

How long have you had the tank? It is looking great so far!

 

[Flake]

How long have you had the tank? It is looking great so far!

Hey Neighbor!

The tank has only been stocked for a few weeks. Most of the coral came from one order and with a tank this size, now there's only a few things left I want to add on order and then we just maintain and let it grow out. :smiling-face-with-sunglasses:

 

[Flake]

Copepod explosion! When cleaning the glass this morning, I noticed about a billion new friends. Clearly the clowns haven't decided to eat these new friends. We had the last few corals I missed from before - a plate, some very tiny yuma mushrooms, and some impulse acans. I have an acan problem.





The plate came in looking a little sad, but he's puffed up and got fat and happy when I fed this morning. I need to get a filter for my "real" camera but i've been playing with the orphek lens kit and trying to get anything decent with it. It's a place I need improvement.

 

[Flake]

I found them! And I found a LFS I REALLY like. All in all a successful weekend.

The last thing I really wanted for the tank were sexy shrimp. The clowns are small enough I thought I would be safe from an expensive snack if introduced properly. So far so good! I’ve been hunting all over town and checking out new to me stores in the process.

The one I found is only a few minutes from my new job and is amazing. Great selection of fish and corals, they do a brief QT before the fish hit the tanks, and the prices were really reasonable. I will be back.

I picked up the shrimp and some other fun things. Some bright red blastos. More mushrooms. Some big pink palys. And a verrrrry tiny frag of incinerator zoas. They’re so bright and I’m in love.

So far on average I see 3-4 of the 5 shrimp at a time which is pretty decent odds and the clowns are leaving them be. Now we just sit back. Maintain. And let everything grow in.

 

[dexsreeftank]

Your tank looks great, gives me hope for building on mine

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Really nice setup. Keep an eye on those sexys, they can nip at corals lol. But usually not a problem. One fish that could be great to add after clowns are trimma gobies or flaming prawn goby. I have had both.

 

[Flake]

Your tank looks great, gives me hope for building on mine

You've got this! I can't wait to see it

 

[Flake]

Really nice setup. Keep an eye on those sexys, they can nip at corals lol. But usually not a problem. One fish that could be great to add after clowns are trimma gobies or flaming prawn goby. I have had both.

Yeah, I'm watching them like crazy and keeping them well fed. They seem to have taken to the hammer more than anything else so hopefully they'll behave.

Good call on the gobies! I had to look up the trimma, what fun little guys!

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Yeah, I'm watching them like crazy and keeping them well fed. They seem to have taken to the hammer more than anything else so hopefully they'll behave.

Good call on the gobies! I had to look up the trimma, what fun little guys!

There is different ones. My dream ones are the pink eyed gobies. Probably will never get here in US unless specially ordered.

 

[Flake]

There is different ones. My dream ones are the pink eyed gobies. Probably will never get here in US unless specially ordered.

And now i'm in love with a fish I'll never see. :) Those are amazing looking.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

And now i'm in love with a fish I'll never see. :) Those are amazing looking.

The flaming prawn you can get just a little harder. Another is Catalina goby. While they live in colder waters off California, some have been tank raised and adjusted. I have had them a few times. One stolen/sold years ago from me. Had lfs watching my pico when I went out of town. The owner then sold my goby and swapped out my clam. Then said it must have jumped. It was in a 3rd gallon tank inside a large biocube. Not going to jump out of that lol. I did have another jump out, and got out for a bit and had given to current lfs store. They are beautiful but are a bit territorial. Will come out to great you and watch.

 

[Flake]

I am willing to admit, I *might* have a problem. I stuffed more zoas in the tank. Everything is looking fat and happy and I keep finding pretty ones. Luckily we already have a larger tank in the works again so this will serve as my little desk tank and some of these onesie twosie polyp frags can grow out here and then move.

We added:
Grandmaster Krak Zoas
Gold Maul Zoas
Acid Rainbow Zoas
Mango Blaster Zoas
Halloween Hornet Zoas
and a mystery frag.

I was super happy with the shipment. It was my first time ordering from Low Country Coral Boys and I would happily order again. Everything was healthy and happy and opened up almost immediately.

I also ordered my first bounce mushroom. It's a tiny little guy but it'll grow. I am excited to see it as it gets larger and you can see the bigger bubbly bits.

This tank is the perfect size for the sexies. I see them all day. They come hang out on the desk side of the tank while I work and dance for me. It's a perfect destress.

Some FTSs before I crammed in another 7 frags.


And bad photos of my two unnamed zoas coloring up:

 

[dexsreeftank]

You've got this! I can't wait to see it

Thank you! So nerve racking trying to get everything right. I have set up a new build thread (I think!) new to forums too

 

[zerozero]

Always nice to see another Fluval 13.5.

How's it coming along? You have some interesting coral choices there.