My new tank (I am also new to the hobby)

NotFishyFishGuy · Jan 12, 2019

I got a fluval sea evo 13.5 about a month and just got water in it 2 weeks ago. My LFS told me to bring back water to test and I did today. They said the water was good enough for a clown and gave me a clown to put in the tank. I just wanted some general advice and suggestions. I am thinking of making it into a nano reef tank. I also have a slight algae problem. Also what other fish could I get?

James M · Jan 12, 2019

Did up finish your cycle !?
Your max is 2 fish so a clown and goby would be good. Your going to get through an ugly stage with different types of algea .

tripdad · Jan 12, 2019

Yes, there are the uglies to get thru, thats normal. Welcome to the hobby and R2R

NotFishyFishGuy · Jan 12, 2019

James M said:
Did up finish your cycle !?
Your max is 2 fish so a clown and goby would be good. Your going to get through an ugly stage with different types of algea .

Yeah the guy at my LFS said I did and could have a clown in there so I got one. Do you think I could have 2 clowns and a goby and a couple of snails? If the clowns outgrow the tank, I might be getting a bigger tank (maybe 60 or 70 gallons) in December.

lapin · Jan 12, 2019

Howdy
'
If you want more fish look at some of the small nano fish. Your limit will be about 3. Take back the big clown and get maybe a pair of neon blue gobies and a shrimp goby. I would look at small shrimp too.

scott11106 · Jan 12, 2019

i dont really think the tank has cycled and the algae issue most like is just part of the cycle. I would not add anything to the tank yet.
what are your parameters and what are all of the details of your system?
also some pictures would be great, then we can really help you more

and by the way, welcome to the world of saltwater

James M · Jan 12, 2019

NotFishyFishGuy said:
Yeah the guy at my LFS said I did and could have a clown in there so I got one. Do you think I could have 2 clowns and a goby and a couple of snails? If the clowns outgrow the tank, I might be getting a bigger tank (maybe 60 or 70 gallons) in December.

IMO That’s a small tank for 2 clowns and a goby. Did you use live rock ?

NotFishyFishGuy · Jan 12, 2019

James M said:
IMO That’s a small tank for 2 clowns and a goby. Did you use live rock ?

Yeah I did

NotFishyFishGuy · Jan 12, 2019

lapin said:
Howdy
'
If you want more fish look at some of the small nano fish. Your limit will be about 3. Take back the big clown and get maybe a pair of neon blue gobies and a shrimp goby. I would look at small shrimp too.

What about the clown, a goby , and a small shrimp?

Crazeh · Jan 13, 2019

Not to self advertise but take a look at my build thread (link in signature).

I run the same tank (with clown and firefish) and you might like to read my progress as it will give you some idea of what's in store for you.

There's a Facebook group for this tank which is extremely active - it's good for seeing what mods people have made but so many overstock this tank, so I'd only follow advice you see here, generally speaking.

Make sure you start your own build thread if not already done

NotFishyFishGuy · Jan 13, 2019

Crazeh said:
Not to self advertise but take a look at my build thread (link in signature).

I run the same tank (with clown and firefish) and you might like to read my progress as it will give you some idea of what's in store for you.

There's a Facebook group for this tank which is extremely active - it's good for seeing what mods people have made but so many overstock this tank, so I'd only follow advice you see here, generally speaking.

Make sure you start your own build thread if not already done

Thks. How do I start a build thread and also, since you have the same tank can I ask you questions if I have any in the future? Also I m thinking of getting an icecap salinity/temp, any advice?

Crazeh · Jan 14, 2019

Yes of course, just sent me a message or post in the forums - lots of people have this tank

You can start a build thread in the members area here (mine is under nano reefs): https://www.reef2reef.com/categories/members-aquarium-discussion.321/

If you then go to this link and 'Join User Group' on the 'Build Thread Contributor' section, you will get a badge under your avatar: https://www.reef2reef.com/account/join-user-groups

I've never used one of those IceCap meters. They look great, but for the price you could get yourself a decent refractometer, temperature probe, and some to spare (in case budget is a concern). Research some reviews and see if you think it would be worth it. If you have bad eye-sight, then refractometers can be hard to use, but otherwise are easy, simple, accurate, and can be re-calibrated.

I use a refractometer and have a line marked on chamber 3 of the tank (this is where water loss through evaporation shows first). As the water drops, I top it back up to the line manually with RODI water. Only need to do this every 2-3 days, and my salinity has been stable at 1.025 +/- 0.001 since I started (so over 9 months). Despite being a nano it's quite easy to maintain the salinity, but keep in mind I'm in the UK where the climate helps me out. You could also implement an auto top off in the future.

As for temperature I like to have a constant LCD display near the tank, with a probe sitting in the water. It allows me to easily check the tank temperature without any effort.

NotFishyFishGuy · Nov 21, 2019

Crazeh said:
Yes of course, just sent me a message or post in the forums - lots of people have this tank

You can start a build thread in the members area here (mine is under nano reefs): https://www.reef2reef.com/categories/members-aquarium-discussion.321/

If you then go to this link and 'Join User Group' on the 'Build Thread Contributor' section, you will get a badge under your avatar: https://www.reef2reef.com/account/join-user-groups

I've never used one of those IceCap meters. They look great, but for the price you could get yourself a decent refractometer, temperature probe, and some to spare (in case budget is a concern). Research some reviews and see if you think it would be worth it. If you have bad eye-sight, then refractometers can be hard to use, but otherwise are easy, simple, accurate, and can be re-calibrated.

I use a refractometer and have a line marked on chamber 3 of the tank (this is where water loss through evaporation shows first). As the water drops, I top it back up to the line manually with RODI water. Only need to do this every 2-3 days, and my salinity has been stable at 1.025 +/- 0.001 since I started (so over 9 months). Despite being a nano it's quite easy to maintain the salinity, but keep in mind I'm in the UK where the climate helps me out. You could also implement an auto top off in the future.

As for temperature I like to have a constant LCD display near the tank, with a probe sitting in the water. It allows me to easily check the tank temperature without any effort.

i never said thanks so here it is: thanks. even Though this thread is from almost a year ago and I don’t even have the tank anymore...

El_Guapo13 · Nov 21, 2019

scott11106 said:
i dont really think the tank has cycled and the algae issue most like is just part of the cycle. I would not add anything to the tank yet.
what are your parameters and what are all of the details of your system?
also some pictures would be great, then we can really help you more

and by the way, welcome to the world of saltwater

+1 on this. Cycling takes at least 1 month, preferably longer. The algae is definitely part of the cycling process.

It might not be too big of an issue right now. But do not go addind more fish or any corals for at least another month or two.

Because at this point, you are still cycling, with the Clown being used in place of a damsel, which is what a lot of people would do before to get the cycling started as damsels are hardy and (at times) appear to be nearly impossible to kill.

But definitely wait to add more fish, corals, and any "large" invertebrates, as the bioload increase really needs the tank to be cycled in order to not cause a crash. If you were to get impatient and add more fish and corals now, then you would just be causing an increase your overall expenses in the long run as you will most likely lose all the fish and corals, and then have to replace them later. So save time, worry, and money....by being patient and waiting another month or two before adding more "large" livestock.

NotFishyFishGuy · Nov 21, 2019

El_Guapo13 said:
+1 on this. Cycling takes at least 1 month, preferably longer. The algae is definitely part of the cycling process.

It might not be too big of an issue right now. But do not go addind more fish or any corals for at least another month or two.

Because at this point, you are still cycling, with the Clown being used in place of a damsel, which is what a lot of people would do before to get the cycling started as damsels are hardy and (at times) appear to be nearly impossible to kill.

But definitely wait to add more fish, corals, and any "large" invertebrates, as the bioload increase really needs the tank to be cycled in order to not cause a crash. If you were to get impatient and add more fish and corals now, then you would just be causing an increase your overall expenses in the long run as you will most likely lose all the fish and corals, and then have to replace them later. So save time, worry, and money....by being patient and waiting another month or two before adding more "large" livestock.

Uhh thanks but I actually done have this tank anymore lol