Fluval Evo 13.5

[Adam_1992]

Hi there,
I’m thinking of purchasing the Fluval Evo 13.5 to get back in the reef game - my LFS has it on sale so thinking why not.
As it’s a small tank, I’m thinking to get the skimmer that’s made for that tank. But I want to find a way to use a filter sock in there. Is this possible or does the skimmer block that?
Also wanting to swap the middle sponge for an in tank canister and add sponge to the top only - would you recommend?

Unsure what fish to get yet, but thinking a couple clowns, maybe a smaller third & a cleanup shrimp maybe.

Thanks,

 

[Fish Fan]

I think that's a good kit to start with, lot's of members here run those tanks.

In my opinion, a skimmer is entirely unneccesary on a tank this size, you can maintain water quality just by doing regular, partial water changes.

I'm not a big fan of the gigantic foam block I believe this tank comes with, I would remove that and get some kind of media caddy. InTank is very good, but a touch spendy. You can also find media baskets on Etsy.com, here's one example:

Fluval Sea Evo 13.5 Media Baskets - Etsy

This Aquariums & Tank Decor item by PrettyPrintShopCA has 36 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Canada. Listed on Aug 22, 2025

www.etsy.com

Personally, I don't care for filter socks, I would prefer to use a media caddy and something like filter floss or what I use is Poly-Fil, which is found at craft stores and the craft department of big box stores. It's used to stuff pillows and things, but it's exactly the same as aquarium filer floss, but much, much cheaper.

The Original Poly-fil® Premium Fiber Fill Bag, 20oz. | Michaels

Buy the The Original Poly-fil® Premium Fiber Fill Bag, 20oz. at Michaels.com. Crafters have made Poly-Fil the best selling polyester fiberfill in America.

www.michaels.com

I hope that helps, please post back if you have any more questions!

Good luck with your build!

 

[EastonsReef]

I run a Fluval 13.5 and enjoy it. From talking with others, the protein skimmer doesn't seem to be worth it. Common upgrades I'm seeing are pump, lights, media baskets, and random flow nozzles.

The advice I can pass on from my experience so far is to stay current on your water changes. With 10% being roughly a gallon of water there's no reason not to. The stock light has no built in timer so, if you stay with it, I recommend a smart plug for it. It will default to the white light setting when power is reset so I have mine to turn on 3 hours before I get home where I manually swap it to blue light.