Help! (fluval evo 13.5) New Reefer here :)

[victoriaxoxo]

Hello everyone! im new to R2R!
A few years ago i had a nano 10 gal reef with a few coral, a pair of clowns who i LOVED, tiny panther grouper & a tiny emperor angel whom i was completely obsessed with.. i had it running with a HOB aquaclear and honestly it was all going great! until... my cat decided to jump on my hood.... killing everything by electrocution i was heartbroken to say the least.. it made me so depressed that i decided to completely shut it all down and get out of the hobby even though i had just bought a 100 gallon tank for those guys to go into once they were a little bigger litterally a week prior to this all happening....

Fast forward to three years and im finding myself really wanting to get back into the hobby but this time i want to go all out lol! i decided to order a fluval 13.5 off of ebay which i got for a great price with a coupon! below i will list the mods i want to make to the system along with a few questions i have, i'm sorry that they might be a little obvious to more advanced reefers but its been quite some time for me. Please tell me your thought or any recomendations you might have for me!

this is what ive mapped out for this build:
Cycling:
Macrobacter 7/ dr.tims one and only

Display:
10lbs 'real reef' rock (chose to go with these for the first time to test them out!)
10lbs caribsea special grade reef sand (about a 1 inch sand bed, ive heard deep sand beds in nano tanks could cause an issues later on but correct me if im wrong! i need all the help i can get!)
Hydor coralia 240

Back chambers:
first chamber : intank media basket running with poly filter, purigen and chemipure blue
second chamber: Chaeto -will use innovative marine chaetomax light
third chamber: Heater- Cobalt 50watts / Pump: Eheim 600

Lighting:
as for lighting i do not plan on upgrading as i mainly have chose out lowlight beginner friendly corals

do you guys have a favorite salt? i was thinking of just using reef crystals instead of fritz or coral pro? id reall like an option that is beginner friendly as i have never mixed salt on my own, id usually go pick up my water every week from the petstore! i also ordered this exact RODI system off of amazon! its called Liquagen 4 stage portable :
As for water changes should i wait until my cycling is complete before starting? i plan to do a water change of about a gallon every week!

any advice is very appreciated! thankyou! ;Happy

 

[Sumbub]

One thing I realized after getting the intank media basket for the first chamber is it raises the water level in the main tank space. You could have salt creep if you use the tank cover.

 

[JC Reef]

Hi! Welcome back to this amazing hobby

You made some solid choices but I will give you a few suggestions.

For Salt
I would go wit ESV. I love their salt because it's fast and each batch is accurate, it's also a very clean product. They are the first salt to score 10/10 per @Bulk Reef Supply. ESV is a 4 part mixing process so don't be intimidated. Two salt and 2 liquid. I suggest you get a scale.

Pumps
For all my nano build all I ever ran were Sicce pumps. Reliable and extremely quiet. Sicce also has the SDC XStream Wifi powerhead, you should check it out.

Heater
Cobalt Neotherm are my preferred choice.

 

[victoriaxoxo]

Hi! Welcome back to this amazing hobby

You made some solid choices but I will give you a few suggestions.

For Salt
I would go wit ESV. I love their salt because it's fast and each batch is accurate, it's also a very clean product. They are the first salt to score 10/10 per @Bulk Reef Supply. ESV is a 4 part mixing process so don't be intimidated. Two salt and 2 liquid. I suggest you get a scale.

Pumps
For all my nano build all I ever ran were Sicce pumps. Reliable and extremely quiet. Sicce also has the SDC XStream Wifi powerhead, you should check it out.

Heater
Cobalt Neotherm are my preferred choice.

Wow! Thanks i actually havent heard of that salt!! i still have my refractometer saved from my last tank and that was the exact heater ive used for my old tank aswell! the Neotherm!! i loved it!! im thinking of maybe doing a bit of a splurge... buying a controller such as an apex because im out of town for atleast 1 week almost every month (except now since my dog had 8 puppies last friday so im held hostage here LOL) i just want whats best for my future clowns and their tank but maybe im going over board haha! im really going to take my time purchasing all the equipment this time,maybe by next year ill have the tank set!

 

[victoriaxoxo]

One thing I realized after getting the intank media basket for the first chamber is it raises the water level in the main tank space. You could have salt creep if you use the tank cover.

could the amount of salt creep be toned down in any way if i use an ATO? (plan on using a Smart ato)

 

[victoriaxoxo]

Hi! Welcome back to this amazing hobby

You made some solid choices but I will give you a few suggestions.

For Salt
I would go wit ESV. I love their salt because it's fast and each batch is accurate, it's also a very clean product. They are the first salt to score 10/10 per @Bulk Reef Supply. ESV is a 4 part mixing process so don't be intimidated. Two salt and 2 liquid. I suggest you get a scale.

Pumps
For all my nano build all I ever ran were Sicce pumps. Reliable and extremely quiet. Sicce also has the SDC XStream Wifi powerhead, you should check it out.

Heater
Cobalt Neotherm are my preferred choice.

btw just checked out the sicce pumps! they have amazing reviews!!

 

[flchamp89]

Sounds like a good plan. The evo is a nice tank. Will be following.

 

[Sumbub]

could the amount of salt creep be toned down in any way if i use an ATO? (plan on using a Smart ato)

As long as the cover isn't touching the water when it's on, it shouldn't have salt creep. You may need to play around with the plastic piece that goes over the surface skimmer to alter the level.

 

[TheHarold]

I would suggest getting a Jebao PP4 wavemaker. Has some great pulsing modes and more than enough power for you! In my personal opinion, there is no reason to spend $200 on a fancy WiFi pump. I prefer to spend $50 on one with a controller .(And spend the other $150 on livestock!)

 

[Robg139]

You’ll be running the exact setup as me, with all the same mods in the back chambers. Yes definitely get an ato it made my tank so much more stable. Nano can really fluctuate without one.

 

[JC Reef]

btw just checked out the sicce pumps! they have amazing reviews!!

Sicce are great pumps and come with a 5 year warranty

 

[victoriaxoxo]

You’ll be running the exact setup as me, with all the same mods in the back chambers. Yes definitely get an ato it made my tank so much more stable. Nano can really fluctuate without one.

your tanks looking good!!! how long have you had it up and running for?! and hahah thats crazy, ive actually carefully chosen out all the mods and its good to hear someone is running the same equipment as me lol. I'm definitely getting an ato! I ;Dead wouldn't be comfortable just throwing water in there myself

 

[Robg139]

your tanks looking good!!! how long have you had it up and running for?! and hahah thats crazy, ive actually carefully chosen out all the mods and its good to hear someone is running the same equipment as me lol. I'm definitely getting an ato! I ;Dead wouldn't be comfortable just throwing water in there myself

Yea I’ve had it up running about 6 or 7 months now. This was my first saltwater tank ever. Yea I did it manually for about 5 months or prolly woulda had way better growth. But now everything is finally looking good. Yea If you look at my build page you can see all the mods and how my tank looks.

 

[victoriaxoxo]

update: just found an auto aqua smart ATO for $90 bucks on eBay! checked the seller's reviews ofc and everything seems great! was wondering what would you guys use to make this thing ''sterile''? the seller mentioned that through out his use he made sure it was throughly cleaned and looks brand new basically. would you guys recommened letting it sit in some vinegar before use?

 

[victoriaxoxo]

Yea I’ve had it up running about 6 or 7 months now. This was my first saltwater tank ever. Yea I did it manually for about 5 months or prolly woulda had way better growth. But now everything is finally looking good. Yea If you look at my build page you can see all the mods and how my tank looks.

would you mind sending me the link?

 

[Sumbub]

would you mind sending me the link?

Click his Build Contributor badge and it will direct you to his build. ;Shamefullyembarrased

 

[JC Reef]

update: just found an auto aqua smart ATO for $90 bucks on eBay! checked the seller's reviews ofc and everything seems great! was wondering what would you guys use to make this thing ''sterile''? the seller mentioned that through out his use he made sure it was throughly cleaned and looks brand new basically. would you guys recommened letting it sit in some vinegar before use?

If I were you I would buy the XP Aqua Duetto Dual-Sensor Complete Aquarium Auto Top Off ATO. I have the ultimate ATO by them. But you should be okay with the duetto.

 

[motortrendz]

Welcome and following your build. Sorry to hear about your cat-astorphy‍lol, but glad you got back in.

 

[Robg139]

would you mind sending me the link?

Nano Build - Robs Fluval Evo 13.5G.

Hello reefers, I have a Fluval Evo 13.5g mixed reef tank. It is my first saltwater reef tank. My tank is now 6 months old and has undergone a lot of upgrades and changes along the way. It’s a mixed reef so I have softies, lps, and sps. So Fluval is an AIO so it has 3 chambers in the back. The...

www.reef2reef.com

there you go, reach out if any questions.

 

[victoriaxoxo]

Nano Build - Robs Fluval Evo 13.5G.

Hello reefers, I have a Fluval Evo 13.5g mixed reef tank. It is my first saltwater reef tank. My tank is now 6 months old and has undergone a lot of upgrades and changes along the way. It’s a mixed reef so I have softies, lps, and sps. So Fluval is an AIO so it has 3 chambers in the back. The...

www.reef2reef.com

there you go, reach out if any questions.

Thanks! What test kit do you use?