HiBRiD's Fluval Evo 13.5

[flchamp89]

Super nice. Really coming along.

 

[Devaji]

yeah looking great! thanks for the thread I enjoyed reading though.

how much better if any do you like the prime over the stock lights?

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

Lovely looking tank! When you bolted those strip lights on before you got your Prime, did you have to drill the hood?

 

[HiBRiD109]

Lovely looking tank! When you bolted those strip lights on before you got your Prime, did you have to drill the hood?

Yeah I drilled them large enough for the bolts to fit through.

 

[jguerin88]

Do you like the rfg

 

[HiBRiD109]

Do you like the rfg

I do, it breaks up the flow a little bit. I am thinking of upgrading to a bigger pump, putting in a Y and running 2 RFG to see if that will be better with my scape.

 

[jguerin88]

Have you used a spin stream before ?

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

Yeah I drilled them large enough for the bolts to fit through.

Sounds a good option, is it easy to drill neatly? It's aluminium isn't it?

 

[HiBRiD109]

Have you used a spin stream before ?

No I havent, it was an option I looked at when I was planning my setup but I heard that sometimes they can be noisy or can get stuck. I liked the VCA RFG because there are no moving parts and its more random then the Spin Stream which just seems like a oscillation like for a fan but with flow.

 

[HiBRiD109]

Sounds a good option, is it easy to drill neatly? It's aluminium isn't it?

Nope, its plastic. Just make sure you have it where you want the lights, notch where the bolts will go, and drill. You may want to make a notch or just go slow as the drill bit may walk (i'm not sure on your drill experience/handiness level).

 

[waterwatereverywhere]

Nope, its plastic. Just make sure you have it where you want the lights, notch where the bolts will go, and drill. You may want to make a notch or just go slow as the drill bit may walk (i'm not sure on your drill experience/handiness level).

Great, thanks

 

[HiBRiD109]

7 month update

Added a Rainbow Monti and an Acro. I'm letting them acclimate and will move them up after some time.

I noticed my corals are still pretty faded even with the AI Prime. I'm going to try feeding once a day to see if I can get some nitrates. I still register no trace for PO4 and NO3. Im sure there is some in there but the algae is taking it up. Im going to shoot for 2-5ppm for nitrates. I'm sure my clown will be much happier. I only feed frozen ( LRS nano frenzy) with Reef Chili every other day.

I started dosing kalkwasser (1/2 tsp per gallon) in my ATO to try to get more stability as i was losing .2 dkh a day and with weekly water changes it was fluctuating 1.5 dkh.

The acro I got a few months ago is slowly recovering. Its still white but there are polys extending. Hopefully with my alk at 9 dkh and maybe a little bit of nitrates it will recover a little faster.

 

[HiBRiD109]

8 Month update

I unfortunately lost my frostbite clown, he jumped through my 1/2" netting and was found the next morning. Really sucks as he was my favorite fish I had, full of personality and my first sw fish. I ordered some BRS 1/4" netting for my next clown I will get in the future. There is a swap coming here in Iowa in 2 weeks so maybe i'll find another frostbite or maybe even a pair. My blenny will have to just be ok with the cleaner shrimp for now.

I moved some coral around to make some room and get some better lighting. The sps are doing well. My zoas are not thriving so I will continue to do more research and observe. They are open but just not growing new heads.

Added the smallest emerald crab the lfs had on hand. I am really glad I did as he's been destroying all my hair algae. I will swap him out once he larger as it seems once they get so big they may eat coral, fish, and my cleaner.

Started feeding more often and now i'm getting nitrates of about 5ppm and the hammers have colored up nicely. Hopefully the goniopora does as well as I moved it up some.

 

[reef-rc]

looks like your tank is coming along nicely. sorry to hear ur about your frostbite clown. i keep my netting on all the time on this particular tank except during feeding and water change. I noticed your water level is high as mine which I assumed is due to the Intank 1st filter basket. This makes jumping fish just more likely imo.