Fluval Sea Evo XII • 13.5 Gallon

[Bob Wiley]

My kid wanted a tank for her room and the Fluval Evo 13.5 stuck out to me as a nice little AIO. She has never had saltwater fish before, but this is our return to the hobby after being out for over a decade.

We were eager to start this latest endeavor, so back in January we began purchasing everything we needed. The stock Fluval comes with a hood, light, pump and media basket. All we had to buy extra to get up and running was a heater.

We kickstarted the cycle with some Fritz9 live bacteria and ghost fed it. We were assured by the LFS guy that we could dose the tank and immediately drop fish in, which seemed really fishy to me. I at least wanted to run a proper cycle before adding fish. After a few weeks of ghost feeding and water testing we were getting ready to plan for fish when I came across the idea here of prophylactically quarantining, which we decided to do.

At that point we just let the display tank sit fallow, ghost feeding every now and then while we got everything ready to do proper QT. Diatoms eventually showed up, so we knew it was cycled and ready.

We currently have fish and inverts in QT, which still have some weeks left to go. But I guess the nice thing is that the DT will have had months to cycle before any fish are introduced. We actually have a peppermint shrimp in there right now. It molted after 6 days in QT, so any threat of it bringing in parasites went out with its molt. It has since molted in the DT as well. It has cleaned up a lot of the diatoms on the rock work.

Current Equipment

• Hood: yes, stock
• Lighting: stock
• Pump: stock
• Media basket: stock matrix; swapped out charcoal with Chemipure 6.5oz after a few months
• Heater: Eheim Jager 50w

What we brought in

• ~8-10lbs of dry rock
• 20lbs of Arag-Alive Fiji Pink sand
• Spongebob decor
• various shells she’s collected from beach trips

We are stocking it with

• 2x Mocha Clownfish
• 1x Purple Firefish
• 1x Yellow Watchman Goby
• 1x Barnacle Blenny
• 10x Snails
• 10x Blue Hermit Crabs
• 1x Peppermint Shrimp
• 1x Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

[Easy Reefing]

Looks great !

 

[Bob Wiley]

Stand
Kallax bookshelf (2x2) from IKEA

I was really dismayed with the tank stands that are out there, plus the fact that this cool little tank doesn’t have a companion stand. After looking around for ideas, I think I saw someone else have this tank/stand combo. So I went to IKEA and sat on their display to see how it held up. There wasn’t any bowing or sagging. It’s a perfectly nice looking stand. And it has plenty of inserts for those shelves so you can customize it any way you want. We went with open shelves on top and the door units on the bottom. This way we can put a lot of fish supplies behind closed doors, while the tops can hold more out-in-the-open appropriate stuff but still let light pass through the unit.

Atop the stand I laid down some shelf liner to protect against drips and spills. I have to say this is my favorite bit of the build so far. It has come in handy SO MANY TIMES. Any spill or drip is just wiped up without worry. I cut it to size, then adhered it on using sticky tack (like what teachers use to hang stuff in classrooms). The sticky tack performs double-duty because I put it over the metal bolts connecting the top to the stand. So it both holds the shelf liner on and also protects the metal bolts from getting wet should any water get underneath the liner.

I made sure the stand was level on all three axes before putting the tank on top. After adding the tank, I made sure it, too, was level before adding water. And then after adding water I took level measurements of the stand to make sure there was no bowing or sagging of any kind. (There wasn’t and hasn’t been).

My only regret is that after I had completed all this testing, I had moved the tank forward on the stand to clean up between it and the wall. And when we went to add all the rock, sand and water I neglected to move it back on-center. So now, as it stands, it sits off-center. I haven’t drained the tank down enough to move it back, but then again we haven’t had any problems with it off-center either. In fact, the extra spacing between the tank and the wall allows us to use that space while servicing the tank, which is nice. So I don’t know if I will move it back on-center.

These pics show the stand and the shelf liner—

 

[Deephouse_jedi]

I can't wait to do this with my daughter. She's only 3 so I have a few years to go. This post makes me happy though. I wish a wonderful journey through the hobby for you and your daughter. The tank looks great! Great choice on not cycling with fish too. Patience is virtue

 

[Bob Wiley]

Dislikes about this tank
The lid — It is not at all easy to work with when needing to get into the tank. First of all the sump cover interlocks on top of the tank lid. So if you want to take the lid off completely, you will need to take off the sump cover first. Same goes if you just want to lift one of the long sides of the lid. I find myself wanting to do this in lieu of taking the whole thing off because I just need to get in and out of there quick. The problem with this is the condensation that has built up on the underside of the lid. If you lift the lid by the short end, you can get away with not taking off the sump cover, but then the condensation drips all over the place. Down the sides of the tank and onto your stand. However, if you lift by one of the long sides, using the other side as the “hinge”, then you can manage to control all of the condensation drip back into the tank. But there again, you’re having to take the sump cover off first to lift the lid this way.

The light — I don’t understand why the light doesn’t lock into place. When you need to take the lid entirely off (e.g. for a cleaning/water change), you immediately want to flip it over to abate the condensation runoff from getting all over your setup and floor. However, if you flip the lid over the light falls right out. ((Yes I have dropped the light into the tank. No it wasn’t plugged in at that moment.)) So you might ask then why not take the light off the lid before taking the lid off the glass. Well, you can’t. The cord for the light gets fed through a hole. So the light does not come off without taking the lid with it. Taking the lid off now becomes a game of Twister where you have to hold the light in place, while lifting the lid off trying not to get water everywhere, all the while being limited to where you can go because the whole thing is tethered via the light’s power cord.

Feeding hole — Listen, Fluval, if Aqueon can include a trap-door feeding hole in their AIO tank lid so can you. Leaving this thing wide open scares me with the amount of carpet surfing stories I’ve come across. We are going to have to concoct a door for this hole when it comes time to add the fish.

Lack of heater — No heater included in an AIO package?! This is the only thing missing, unless I’m missing something myself!? Why? You’re going to have to buy one regardless, so why not just add it in and increase the cost of the tank?

 

[Bob Wiley]

I can't wait to do this with my daughter. She's only 3 so I have a few years to go. This post makes me happy though. I wish a wonderful journey through the hobby for you and your daughter. The tank looks great! Great choice on not cycling with fish too. Patience is virtue

Oh man, she is SO into this. I can't even tell you. We got the inverts a week before the fish and she had them all named within an hour. We joked that we didn't even need fish because she was so enthralled with all the snails, crabs and shrimps.

She does the feedings. She helps with the cleanings. She has no problem getting elbow deep in the tanks to readjust things or play around. She's always asking questions and curious about how and why we do things. It really has been a good engaging activity with her and I hope you get the same enjoyment with yours as I am with mine

 

[Bob Wiley]

Suggestions?

• starfish?
• urchin?
• big crabs?
• feather dusters?
• anemones?
• corals???
• something else?

I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that the stock light on this tank is good enough for basic corals. Is that right? If so, what kind? I am a complete noob when it comes to corals. They've never really done anything for me, but I might be inclined to get my feet wet with something simple to start. That would preferably mean sticking with something that can grow under the stock light.

 

[Bob Wiley]

Upgrades?
Do you have this tank? How did you set up your sump chambers? I currently have:

• Chamber 1 — the heater (the intake chamber),
• Chamber 2 — the media basket (with Chemipure and stock matrix in it)
• Chamber 3 — the pump

I’d like a to be able to put the heater and pump both in chamber 3, but I’d need a shorter heater and/or a smaller pump. A better pump would probably be wise anyway, so if you have suggestions for either/both the heater and pump I’ll gladly take them!

If I can do that it’d leave my chamber 1 open to put in more filter media like floss, pond matrix, pillow fluff or whatever else you crazy kids are filtering with these days.

 

[Easy Reefing]

Upgrades?
Do you have this tank? How did you set up your sump chambers? I currently have:

• Chamber 1 — the heater (the intake chamber),
• Chamber 2 — the media basket (with Chemipure and stock matrix in it)
• Chamber 3 — the pump

I’d like a to be able to put the heater and pump both in chamber 3, but I’d need a shorter heater and/or a smaller pump. A better pump would probably be wise anyway, so if you have suggestions for either/both the heater and pump I’ll gladly take them!

If I can do that it’d leave my chamber 1 open to put in more filter media like floss, pond matrix, pillow fluff or whatever else you crazy kids are filtering with these days.

For mine , I got the intank chamber 1 and 2 media baskets . Chamber 1 has filter floss , activated carbon and biomedia . Chamber 2 has chemipure blue and more biomedia. In chamber 3 , i upgraded the return pump to a sicce snycra 1.0 and have my heater there . I also have the auto top off pump water to chamber 3 . I also plugged the hole in chamber 2 that leads to the display to allow all the water to go through the filter floss. I upgraded the return nozzles to two vca 1/4 inch RFG . For more flow , I also got a Jabeo SW2 wave maker . Made a mesh lid and upgraded my light to the ai prime 16 HD . For the stock light , I recommend low light corals like zoas , mushrooms , green star polyps , acans and other soft corals .

 

[Easy Reefing]

Forgot to mention I have a Bayite temperature controller that controls my heater and fan to keep the water temp stable

 

[Easy Reefing]

I have a aqueon glass 100 watt heater

 

[najer]

Nice start, enjoy the journey with your daughter.
A tuxedo urchin will make her laugh as it carries things around.
The stock light will support most soft corals, I still use it on mine.

 

[Bob Wiley]

For mine , I got the intank chamber 1 and 2 media baskets . Chamber 1 has filter floss , activated carbon and biomedia . Chamber 2 has chemipure blue and more biomedia. In chamber 3 , i upgraded the return pump to a sicce snycra 1.0 and have my heater there . I also have the auto top off pump water to chamber 3 . I also plugged the hole in chamber 2 that leads to the display to allow all the water to go through the filter floss. I upgraded the return nozzles to two vca 1/4 inch RFG . For more flow , I also got a Jabeo SW2 wave maker . Made a mesh lid and upgraded my light to the ai prime 16 HD . For the stock light , I recommend low light corals like zoas , mushrooms , green star polyps , acans and other soft corals .

Nice! Taking notes...
Your tank looks really nice and thriving. I can't even wrap my head around being at that level.

I've thought about plugging that hole too, but wasn't sure of its purpose. An ATO would be nice as well, but I don't have as much evaporation as you since I'm still lidded up. Did you have to make any modifications to the media basket in chamber 2 in order to mount that light bar?

And how does the fan keep the water temp stable? Does the light introduce a lot of heat to the water surface?

Wait, is that an LED strip you have affixed under the tank overhang?

 

[Bob Wiley]

Added 2 capfuls of MicroBacter Clean to the tank tonight.

While we currently don't have any algae/slime problems, I want to take the lack of those problems as an opportunity to promote more, positive bacterial growth on the rock and sand.

We DO have diatoms, but the peppermint shrimp has done a good job grazing on them. So while it has those cut back, it might be a good chance to slip in some good bacs that will combat it from inside the rock. But like I said, the diatoms we do have are not at problem levels. They currently look like brown accents on the rock work only. At their worst looking, before the shrimp went in, they covered the rock pretty well (but only the rock) and were producing some mighty gas bubbles.

I am also thinking of getting some coralline algae to help the rock move even further along. Looking at Algae Barn's product, here—

Coralline Algae

Coralline Algae in a Bottle excelerates growth of colorful coralline algal crusts over your live rock. Choose between pinks with Pink Fusion®, purples with Purple Helix®, or get 2 bottles, one of each, with Pink and Purple! Unlike coralline "accelerators," Coralline Algae in a Bottle is a live...

www.algaebarn.com

So if anyone has any experience with that stuff, and any advice on when/whether we should use it, feel free to chime in. We currently don't have any plans for corals, but something basic like green star polyps or xenia might be fun down the road. I've read we'd have to have coralline algae present in the tank first.

 

[midgaar]

Bob,

The In-Tank media basket for chamber 1 is a good upgrade. It comes with a plug for the small hole in chamber 2. That hole is there so you don't run your return pump dry when you remove water from the main display. It's like a safety, if you plug it you will get better filtration but you have to remember to turn the pump off when doing a water change. In chamber 1 with the In-Tank media basket you can run filter floss, then chem-pure/carbon, then a hand full of bio media. You can also ditch your stock "media basket" foam block and run whatever you want in the second chamber. I ended up putting a small 3 watt Green Killing machine UV filter, it fit in there really nice. That will take care of a lot of algae problems. I had the chamber 2 In-Tank basket but didn't like it and ended up taking it out.

As for corals, just do a google search for good beginner corals. Duncans are lower light lower flow corals and I've seen clown fish host them. Green Star Polys grow like weeds and can look really cool.

 

[Bob Wiley]

Bob,

The In-Tank media basket for chamber 1 is a good upgrade. It comes with a plug for the small hole in chamber 2. That hole is there so you don't run your return pump dry when you remove water from the main display. It's like a safety, if you plug it you will get better filtration but you have to remember to turn the pump off when doing a water change. In chamber 1 with the In-Tank media basket you can run filter floss, then chem-pure/carbon, then a hand full of bio media. You can also ditch your stock "media basket" foam block and run whatever you want in the second chamber. I ended up putting a small 3 watt Green Killing machine UV filter, it fit in there really nice. That will take care of a lot of algae problems. I had the chamber 2 In-Tank basket but didn't like it and ended up taking it out.

Here's what I don't get with the inTank basket 1, and maybe you can help clarify this for me—
Basket 1 looks like this, right?

And in their press video, they show that basket 1 blocks off the Fluval chamber 1's upper flow slots between chambers 1 and 2, only allowing water throw the bottom 3 slots.

However, they then claim that water can still flow through all of Fluval's intended flow slots, upper and lower, between chambers 1 and 2???

Now unless I'm missing something, I think their diagram may just be in error. However the question I'm getting at is, if basket 1 does indeed block off all but the lower 3 flow slots, then how does water ever hit anything high up in chamber 2?

Wouldn't it just flow from the bottom of chamber 1 to the bottom of chamber 2 to the bottom of chamber 3, bypassing any media/filtration that you've placed in the upper reaches of chamber 2?

 

[midgaar]

The diagram is wrong but you are correct in your thinking. The chamber 1 basket forces water through the first two shelves (floss and chemical) and just the movement of the water will force it into the bio media at the bottom. As for chamber two, the water does mix...it could have been designed better but it is what it is. I've seen videos where someone had a refugium in chamber 2 and the cheato ball was tumbling pretty good.

If you want to get fancy, there are other custom baskets that add baffles to force water down chamber 1, then up the baffle and into the top of chamber two. These were made by a guy called 3dreefer I believe, his website is down but his Facebook is still up and running if you're interested.

Another option would be the chamber 2 basket from d-flow designs. That forces the water up a baffle and to the top of chamber 2. This basket sits in chamber 2 though and they ship from the UK.

 

[midgaar]

After thinking about this a bit longer, there is a gap between the Evo’s divider and the inTank basket’s wall so water could be forced all the way to the top of chamber 2. I dunno how much though.

 

[Bob Wiley]

Interesting, thanks for the feedback!
I guess it'll come down to what I want to put where.

 

[Bob Wiley]

Tonight we added the first fish to make the DT their home, the Mocha Clowns—

We will be adding inverts (hermits and a pistol shrimp) on Sunday (2 days from now) as they will be coming out of their 11 weeks of quarantine then.

From there we'll see how the tank reacts with all of these new inhabitants. I will probably dump in some Bio-Spira tomorrow to help with any increased load due to the fish and more feeding. If we're still doing okay in a week then we'll add another fish (the Barnacle Blenny). And then we'll repeat that weekly cycle as we add the rest of the fish.

Its nice getting fish in there. Starting to shift focus now towards upgrading the tank itself.