Fluval evo sea new setup

[chrisgold]

Hello friends
Just set this fluval evo up 2 months ago.
I have made a few upgrades i will list
Ehiem 1000 pump
Ai prime hd in post
Jecod SOW-4
Custom made media basket( will put a picture of it on here not sure weather to upgrade)
Fluval PS2 mini skimmer ( not sure if its needed in this tank any advice welcome )
Was just wondering if any fellow evo owners had any good tips or tricks the can share.
Looking for Filter media tips and types of media used aswell.
Thanks

 

[Cole.mormon]

Piece of advice
Do nt need a siimmer in that small of a tank

 

[chrisgold]

Piece of advice
Do nt need a siimmer in that small of a tank

100% no? I was worried with the tank being so small it wpuld do more harm than good?

 

[Cole.mormon]

Dont need a slimmer

 

[Mike from TN]

Agreed! Skimmer is not needed.
Block off the hole in the false wall at chamber #2.

 

[chrisgold]

Agreed! Skimmer is not needed.
Block off the hole in the false wall at chamber #2.

Thanks for advice yeah I have glued a small price of plastic over the hole . Any tips for chamber one if i take the skimmer out?

 

[Cole.mormon]

Use an in tank media chamber
Two layers of filter floss
Then A LOT of flu Val biomax
Then carbon and purigen

 

[chrisgold]

Use an in tank media chamber
Two layers of filter floss
Then A LOT of flu Val biomax
Then carbon and purigen

And what would you do with chamber 2? I have a custom media basket with layer of floss purigen and 2 layers of floss on bottom

 

[Mike from TN]

Thanks for advice yeah I have glued a small price of plastic over the hole . Any tips for chamber one if i take the skimmer out?

Exactly what Cole described in the above post.

 

[chrisgold]

Exactly what Cole described in the above post.

Ah so thats the general setup isit

 

[Mike from TN]

And what would you do with chamber 2? I have a custom media basket with layer of floss purigen and 2 layers of floss on bottom

I use chamber #2 for the heater and a UV lamp to kill pathogens in the water column.

 

[chrisgold]

I use chamber #2 for the heater and a UV lamp to kill pathogens in the water column.

A uv lamp? Have you got any links to threads of this setup please?

 

[Mike from TN]

A uv lamp? Have you got any links to threads of this setup please?

There is some info on it in my build thread somewhere. I searched back through my old Amazon orders to link it but that particular model is no longer available. Kind of similar to running a UV sterilizer but much more low tech. The water passes around the light but, unlike a sterilizer, you cannot adjust the dwell time that the water is exposed to the light. The UV light kills free floating organisms in the water column. Good for preventing algae outbreaks, some fish disease, etc. It clears the water very well.
Ill try to dig up a link to one for you!

 

[Mike from TN]

Similar to this one. Mine is also a 7watt but is only 5.5” long. Fits perfectly in chamber #2 along with my heater.

 

[Mike from TN]

This is the post from my build thread. Unfortunately, it looks like that one is no longer available.

 

[chrisgold]

There is some info on it in my build thread somewhere. I searched back through my old Amazon orders to link it but that particular model is no longer available. Kind of similar to running a UV sterilizer but much more low tech. The water passes around the light but, unlike a sterilizer, you cannot adjust the dwell time that the water is exposed to the light. The UV light kills free floating organisms in the water column. Good for preventing algae outbreaks, some fish disease, etc. It clears the water very well.
Ill try to dig up a link to one for you!

Oh thanks alot for taking the time to explain as in just an amateur researching ill have a look seems like a good little upgrade to do do i put boi balls in the chamber wer the uv light is?

 

[Mike from TN]

Keep the bio balls in the same chamber as your other filtration. Floss=Mechanical, Carbon, Purigen (etc)= Chemical and Bio Balls ( spheres or whatever else you may use)= Biological. Three stages of filtration. Never change out all of your biological at the same time. That’s where the beneficial bacteria lives. Hope this helps!
Mike

 

[Ta2oodfreak]

I am just running purigen and chemipure with floss in the first chamber using a intank basket.
Chamber 2 is just my heater.
No skimmer needed with regular water changes.

 

[Reefing Reefer]

I've had my Fluval Evo for a little over a year, similar setup as you:
AI Prime 16HD; AI Nero 3; Ehiem Compacton 1000; Cobalt Heater; Tunze ATO

I was running two intank media baskets - filter floss, purigen, and phosguard in chamber one and matrix biomedia in chamber two.

I've since added a PS2 protein skimmer - I had high phosphates and this helped a lot! This also helps if you are feeding reef roids/frozen foods (in my opinion) - I ran without it for year a couple and wanted to see the benefits of adding a skimmer. Long story short, you can go a little longer w/ out a water change - this isn't the best protein skimmer on the market, you definitely won't get a dry skim, but it'll get the job done. You will need an ATO to keep the water level at the same level to get a consistent skim.

A couple of things that I believe are non-negotiable for a nano reef:

1. Weekly water changes and water testing - parameters in a nano tank fluctuate very easily, catch it before it becomes a problem.
2. Keep your livestock (fish) minimal and got heavy with a cleanup crew - all I had for the first year was a clownfish and fire shrimp, I just recently added a goby but I wouldn't do any more fish than that.
3. Control your feeding - I've gone down to 3 times per week and only feed reef roids once per week
4. Get a good clean up crew

Overall, it's a fun tank with a lot of add-on options, and great for a first reef! Hope this helped.

 

[chrisgold]

Similar to this one. Mine is also a 7watt but is only 5.5” long. Fits perfectly in chamber #2 along with my heater.

Thanks mate