reef-rc Fluval Evo 13G

[Thadunc]

I have searched this thread for what you have for filtration in the back. What do you have in each chamber. Love your build! If you have already answered this im sorry.

 

[reef-rc]

I have searched this thread for what you have for filtration in the back. What do you have in each chamber. Love your build! If you have already answered this im sorry.

Thanks for the compliment. It's a great little tank.

Good timing on the filtration question. I was just changing the filters out earlier.

Basically I use inTank Media Basket for both chambers. Each only has 1-2 Brightwell Xport BIO Blocks and filter pads. I change filter pads on the 1st chamber every 2 days as needed. The 2nd chamber pads are changed out once a week.

hth

Pics of the media baskets as I was replacing the pads out.

 

[Thadunc]

Thanks for the compliment. It's a great little tank.

Good timing on the filtration question. I was just changing the filters out earlier.

Basically I use inTank Media Basket for both chambers. Each only has 1-2 Brightwell Xport BIO Blocks and filter pads. I change filter pads on the 1st chamber every 2 days as needed. The 2nd chamber pads are changed out once a week.

hth

Pics of the media baskets as I was replacing the pads out.

What is that in the bottom of chamber 1? You not run any carbon or anything?

 

[reef-rc]

What is that in the bottom of chamber 1? You not run any carbon or anything?

Nothing is at the bottom of any chambers. The 3rd chamber only has return pump, heater and ATO sensor.

I stopped using carbon across all my tanks about a year ago. I was one of those individual that could not grow zoas for the life of me. It was frustrating when i was able to grow LPS and most stuff except zoas. I may have been running it too clean and so I stopped carbon completely. Since I removed carbon, zoas are growing.

This tank only has 4 fish and mostly corals, so I keep it pretty simple and so it does not seem to need carbon.

• Weekly water change
• regular filter pads replacement
• daily fish feeding
• weekly spot corals feeding

 

[reef-rc]

First 2020 update

Minor update for the new year. Tank continues to be progress good. Space is at a premium and luckily the corals in this tank is not so aggressive toward each other and so close proximity to each other is not that much of an issue with a few exceptions (acans). Nothing new has been added for a while now. Will be looking to let this ride for the next 6 months until the move.

Video tour:


Front of the tank:

Back of the tank:

Almost a complete view:

 

[reef-rc]

Moved!

What a guy supposed to do with that extra time now that I don't have to drive to work and instead work remotely? Move the tank already of course .

The packing and unpacking was relatively typical. It was about a 4+ hours ordeal but everything looked good. Still need a little tidy up inside the tank and wire management but it's good enough for today.

Corals are opening back up and all fish are eating hours after the move.

I had 4 fish in here (yellow watchman goby, Yellow Banded Possum Wrasse and two bonded pair of clownfish). During the move, I took the opportunity to the remove the pair clownfish to their now home in the Waterbox 190.5.

 

[reef-rc]

With the tank being more visible in the living room, I had to make the filtration cover a little more eye pleasing than using aluminum foil (even thought it's heavy duty aluminum foil, i know) .

So with that I went from foil wrap to InTank filtration cover.

Before (i will miss the eye glaring bling):

After:

 

[Aquavaj]

Did you have any trouble keeping sps with the just the single a360? Also do you have par values for the height you have the light at?

I'm experimenting with 2 a360we over my evo at 3-4" but I think it's way overkill even at only 50% intensity. I'm going for mixed reef with mostly easy sps.

 

[reef-rc]

Did you have any trouble keeping sps with the just the single a360? Also do you have par values for the height you have the light at?

I'm experimenting with 2 a360we over my evo at 3-4" but I think it's way overkill even at only 50% intensity. I'm going for mixed reef with mostly easy sps.

For the Evo with just 1 a360, there are currently only LPS and softies. I do have 1 Cyphastrea (low light SPS) on the bottom and that has been doing well and growing.

SPS - I used to have monti with the a360 in here but no acro. The monti did good when I had it in here.

The light is currently 12" above the water and at max light intensity is @ 80%. The ramp-up and ramp-down is more of a round hill and not flat hill @ 80% for 8 hrs. for example. The light used to be around 9"-10" when I had monti.

I know you can keep simple SPS like monti with a single a360. The only challenged is to adjust your softies to the higher light intensity.

3-4" above the water is seems a little too close imo. I do have 2 A360X on a Fusion 20 that has only SPS and a few LPS which has done very well. You can find that thread here - Reef-RC IM Fusion 20"v2" Nano . The light is at least 9" I think on that setup. I can confirm if you are interested.

 

[reef-rc]

Four weeks after the move, the tank is doing well and did not seem to miss a beat. Having it in the living room next to the couch where it's running so quietly seems to offer a great view and feel.

This is the designer clownfish I had removed from the WB10 and it's now here in it's new home. Look to like it's new home and have settled on using the the mushrooms as it's bed. Previously it was using rock flowers anemones as it's blanket while in the waterbox 10G.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Man, the colors are just rockin'! I feel like I may have been to a few Grateful Dead shows in your tank when I was younger.

 

[Robert Binz]

Day 10:

Thought I share a number of updates from the previous week.

Reef Mature Pro Kit + Cleaning Crew: According to the instructions it should be safe to add "cleaning crew". Since it's a relative 13.5G tank, I added a small crew based on BSR suggestions of 1 to 10 ratio. I decided not to go with hermit crab just because there currently isn't any shell in the tank yet and so will add 1-2 later if snail leaves it shell .

• 2 margarita snails
• 1 peppermint shrimp (sm)
• 1 emerald crab (sm)

Quarantine tank: This is currently running in the garage using the leftover live sand from the nano and old dry reef rocks. Not sure what I'll do from there for now given summer temperatures in houston is hot and humid.

Refugium: The Finnex external HOB refugium arrived yesterday and I have it setup and running with just water for now. The intent is for algae growth and control later on. I plan to add some Marine Pure Biofilter Media inside the refugium for extra bacteria growth. It's currently hanging from the back. Here are few pics.

In-Progress Items:

• ATO
  • Neptune Systems Apex PMUPT Standalone pump (on order)
  • Innovative Marine Hydrofill Ti Titanium ATO Acrylic Return Bracket for hanging on tank (on order)
  • Looking to leverage JBJ ATO controller. I am still on fence if this or IM HydroFill Ti ATO controller is better in the limited space on this tank. Will likely decide once I get the JBJ up and running.
• Better LED Lighting - Kessil Tuna Blue A80 (on order)
  • Question: Anyone using the Kessil A80 with Apex Jr? Like to know if Apex Jr + VDM would give me better controllability of lightling.

Overall tank is cycling through nicely. So hard and require so much "will power" to not get some fish in there yet ...That's it for now.

I’m also in Houston! Glad to have you back reefing!

 

[reef-rc]

Man, the colors are just rockin'! I feel like I may have been to a few Grateful Dead shows in your tank when I was younger.

ha..ha.. I too like how the colors in the tank have slowly matured. The tank definitely puts in a trance when every time I look at it took long .

 

[reef-rc]

I’m also in Houston! Glad to have you back reefing!

Big H. Awesome.

 

[Gotfrogs]

How is the tank doing? I am thinking of upgrading from an AI Prome HD to a a360x to get better light coverage on an LPS tank. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[reef-rc]

How is the tank doing? I am thinking of upgrading from an AI Prome HD to a a360x to get better light coverage on an LPS tank. What are your thoughts on this?

The tank is good. This tank get my least attention and is mostly on cruise mod. The tank has morph into mostly an softy tank. The change in the tank was due to the TX freeze earlier this year which wiped out a number of the corals as a result.

Having said all that, I do not have experience with AI Prime HD but I know of it. It would be a step up in terms of power and spread I would think from AI Prime HD to a360x.

What's your tank size? How has the AI Prime HD been doing for you and your LPS corals? Would another AI Prime HD be sufficient if you're looking just for more coverage and maybe not more PAR? Potentially cheaper too?

I ask these questions just to have a better understanding.

As for an LPS dominate tank, i do have a Fusion 20 with a Kessil 360. I included here in case it may help give you an idea.

This is doing good for me so far. This tank is basically a landing pad for my LPS corals from my WB190 SPS dominate tank. All these corals were getting too much light from the WB190. Since I have placed these LPS here, they have definitely appreciated the lower light intensity and are much more plump and happier.

I have the light intensity ranging from 80-100%. The Kessil Tuna Blue A80 was added because I had it laying around and is positioned at an angle toward the large duncan.