Fluval Flex 32.5 - First Marine Aquarium

[SparSandbar]

Hi all! Been wanting a marine aquarium for a while and finally jumped on board.

I got a Fluval Flex 32.5, I wanted the Evo 13.5 originally but decided it might be too small.
RODI water.
Dry rocks (CaribSea Life rock).
CaribSea Arag-Alive.
Intank baskets.
125W Eheim heater
and SLW-10/20 currently off.

It’s currently cycling (or so I hope!). I plan on being patient, but eventually would want may be 5 or so fish habitants plus the cleaning crew. I’d love a few easy for beginners corals and may be an anemone! I’ve watched a lot of videos and read many threads here. It’s definitely overwhelming but I am hoping to be successful. Turned on the light to take this photo but plan on keeping that off for a while too.

 

[Peace River]

Looks good so far! Good luck and congratulations on the new adventure!

 

[LegalReefer]

Good luck! Welcome to the hobby, you're going to be successful if you put time, effort, and care into your your tank. Learn what works and what doesn't for you. This hobby has some universal truths, but at the end of the day I truly believe each tank is a special and unique micro-ecosystem specially created by you. You'll find what works, and you'll find success!

 

[John Bolden]

Welcome!! Remember nothing happens fast in this hobby so take it slow and enjoy the process!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Love the aqua scape design!!

 

[SparSandbar]

Added a pair of clownfish yesterday! They are not eating yet but hoping they‘ll be hungry soon!

 

[K2739]

I like your aquascape. I need to take some pics of mine and add them to my build thread.

 

[SparSandbar]

Quick update 4 months in. Went thru a few weeks of brown algae but 10 turbo snails cleaned that up in no time. Pretty impressive. Gave 3 of them away today so the rest don’t starve.

Livestock:
2x Clowns
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Royal Gramma
3 Hermit crabs
1 Fire Shrimp
1 Emerald Crab
Mixed snails

-1 Fire Fish. Not sure why he died, he was always super shy and rarely came out. Never found him and I looked hard. No one else got sick. Water was fine. I did an extra 20% change when I couldn’t find it.

I have a GSP on the back wall that looks healthy and slowly growing, looks like it’s finally growing off the plug it came on.

I recently added an Orange Ricordea and a Duncan Polyp Neon. They both look happy, the Duncan is somewhat pale but not sure if it’s my light yet… (Anyone has advice for the Fluval light settings?).

The Clowns are definitely kings and not shy. I love the shrimp, I think it’s my favorite.

Can this handle an other fish ?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Quick update 4 months in. Went thru a few weeks of brown algae but 10 turbo snails cleaned that up in no time. Pretty impressive. Gave 3 of them away today so the rest don’t starve.

Livestock:
2x Clowns
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Royal Gramma
3 Hermit crabs
1 Fire Shrimp
1 Emerald Crab
Mixed snails

-1 Fire Fish. Not sure why he died, he was always super shy and rarely came out. Never found him and I looked hard. No one else got sick. Water was fine. I did an extra 20% change when I couldn’t find it.

I have a GSP on the back wall that looks healthy and slowly growing, looks like it’s finally growing off the plug it came on.

I recently added an Orange Ricordea and a Duncan Polyp Neon. They both look happy, the Duncan is somewhat pale but not sure if it’s my light yet… (Anyone has advice for the Fluval light settings?).

The Clowns are definitely kings and not shy. I love the shrimp, I think it’s my favorite.

Can this handle an other fish ?

Tank is doing well!

 

[JReef3]

You asked if your tank can handle another fish and, in my opinion, it could depending on your maintenance and how stable your tank is. The slower you go adding fish the better and the lower your bio load, the lower chance you’ll have of getting algae issues. For the first year, I ran conservative lighting, kept a fairly low bioload, and I do weekly 5 gal water changes and I haven’t had any significant algae issues. Your fish so far are not huge so I think you’d be safe with another. You’re tank is looking great, nicely done!

 

[SparSandbar]

You asked if your tank can handle another fish and, in my opinion, it could depending on your maintenance and how stable your tank is. The slower you go adding fish the better and the lower your bio load, the lower chance you’ll have of getting algae issues. For the first year, I ran conservative lighting, kept a fairly low bioload, and I do weekly 5 gal water changes and I haven’t had any significant algae issues. Your fish so far are not huge so I think you’d be safe with another. You’re tank is looking great, nicely done!

Thanks. Yes I am going slow and still doing weekly 10% WC.