Is Upgrading Pump on Fluvel Evo 5 Required for Soft Corals

[TheNative192]

Hello Guys!

I have a Fluval Evo V and I was thinking of trying to add GSP and Pulsing Xenia to my tank. I have the stock pump and light and one small clown fish (only fish Im getting) in the tank. I was likely going to start with GSP as I hear it is hardy and grows like weeds (which would be great since I only want the two corals for such a small tank).

I did order something to increase the flow from amazon: Hydor Koralia Nano Aquarium Circulation Pump, Includes Built-In Cable Protector, 240 GPH, Measures 2.4-Inches & is Ideal for Fresh or Salt Water Use. I have seen other threads where people say they upgrade the pump for the filter but I am not sure why they do that.

I know corals seem to be very sensitive to water parameter changes so I was also looking at getting an ATO which I could really use a recommendation! I am trying to avoid one that's over $60 dollars since its such a small tank and I am worried about it overflowing the tank. Anyone on Amazon people can recommend?

Also for those two corals do I have to do anything special to add to the water. I have the saltwater API test kit with always 0.25 ammonia which decreased from 2. No Nitrite and very low Nitrate. Do these corals use Nitrate for food or is it just photosynthesis. At some point I plan to get a larger tank. I got this tank for $40 not used in box and thought it was a good deal to try out salt water with it. I know since its so small its hard to stock.

Also if anyone has some recommended brands that are more economical for fish tanks I would appreciate that. I was looking to try and get a 20 gallon maybe for my office or for at home. I just feel like if I buy one I spend 500 or 600 for the tank and then end up spending another 500 or 600 for everything else (upgrades etc) not sure if there are good glass tanks that are not all in ones that work well. I have lots of experience with freshwater.

 

[Formulator]

Welcome to the hobby! I started my journey on a tight budget many years ago and it is certainly possible.

The koralia pump you bought should be enough for soft corals.

Here is a cheap ATO solution that works fine for small tanks: IceCap Gravity ATO

Watch some YouTube videos on drilling and fabricating your own overflow instead of buying a fancy reef-ready tank. With a drill, a saw, and a sheet of acrylic from Home Depot you can turn a $100 Aqueon tank from PetCo into a beautiful reef tank. My 120g in the photo was done this way about 10 years ago and still going strong.