BlueFish1
New Member
Didn't see a whole lot posted about people's experience with the Fluval 32.5 Marine Tank, so I figured I'd share my own setup and open myself up to advice/comments/questions!
This tank has been up and running for a couple months now. I've added a picture (sorry for the blue, that just how my phone takes the photo with the lights, and the floaty stuff is all microbubbles my skimmer pukes out). I went for a more concentrated reef look with lots of nooks and cranny's to hide in. Plus fun to watch the crabs climb the walls.
As far as parts and stock:
Equipment:
Fluval 32.5 gal Marine
30lbs - Carribsea Live Sand with Arag-Alive
40lbs - Carribsea Life Rock
2x Hydor Koralia Circulation Pumps ( 425 gph ) + Hydor Wave controller
2nd Fluval Marine 3.0 Light - Just ordered as part became available (Link to the Light)
Fluval PS1 Protein Skimmer
Fluval 150 watt heater ( tank temp fluctuates between 75 and 78 with lights on)
Live Things:
3 Firefish - They're all buddies and like to hide in the same spot
Bunch of snails and hermits to keep the algae at bay.
Food:
Right now, just feeding the Firefish TDO chroma boost daily. I'll probably add some frozen food to feed a couple times a week when I add the clowns in. Open to other suggestions as well.
Will be using Marine Snow when I add corals/dusters
Dosing/Treatments:
Not doing any type of dosing right now. Not sure of what I should be adding, if anything, to be honest. I do add some bio-spora after I do a water change.
Ongoing Issues and how I've been addressing them:
Temp Fluctuations: This has been the biggest pain point for me. Given that this system is hooded (and a narrow hood at that), the tank doesn't have a very good system for dispersing that heat. The heater is set to around 76, but on hot days the room the tank is in (despite the fans) can climb to almost 80. To help, I keep the lid off the filter compartment and take the entire hood and slide it back about an inch (not enough for the firefish to jump out because they're known to carpet surf). While this has helped a bit, still worried about maintaining temps. The fish at this point don't seem to be happy in the last few days. They're normally out and curious, but due to the heat, have been hiding together in their cave. I would hope its to conserve energy, but they still come out and eat. I've also been turning the lights down earlier to keep the temps under wraps. I don't want to invest in a chiller as they're all super expensive to a nano build. I'm trying to figure out some AC for this room as an alternative. I have seen some DIY posts about adding a fan to the lid, but I don't want to break the lid trying to cut a hole for a fan. So if anyone has any advice about fitting a fan/cooling system to the lid of this tank, please share! I had to bribe the lads with some food to coax them out for pictures.
Diatom blooms: After the cycle completed in a few weeks (thanks LIfeRock!), diatoms started showing up. Snails, crabs, and sand turning during water changes help control it.
Skimmer - Had microbubbles for about 4 weeks before they started to calm down. Fluval support has been less than helpful. Tried fully closing the air tube to the collection cup, nothing. I've gotten them to reduce a bit, but still have them. I wish I could figure out how to eliminate them completely. Water level is right between the lines.
Future Plans:
Fish: Along with the 3 firefish I have now, I plan to add a pair of clowns (thinking snowflake. I like the white!), maybe some sort of sand dweller (like a blenny or goby), and either a dwarf angel or reef safe wrasse (like a small fairy wrasse). I think even then it might be too much, but will have to see how the tank params play out after slow additions.
Corals: I won't be doing any corals until the second light shows up. Haven't figured out what types I'll go for. Mostly looking to improve the aesthetics of the tank. Maybe some star polyps and mushrooms, maybe some easy SPS as well
Inverts: Other than keeping the cleaning crew going, Will probably add a couple featherdusters, and maybe some coral banded shrimp or sexy shrimp
Overall, my plan to stock comes with making sure all the tank params are OK to add. As far as equipment, I can't really think of anything else that is needed (other than something to help control temp with the closed lid). Any suggestions/comments/questions are greatly welcome! Been away from the hobby for a while now, so guidance is always appreciated.
As it grows and I add more, I'll be sure to add more pictures!
This tank has been up and running for a couple months now. I've added a picture (sorry for the blue, that just how my phone takes the photo with the lights, and the floaty stuff is all microbubbles my skimmer pukes out). I went for a more concentrated reef look with lots of nooks and cranny's to hide in. Plus fun to watch the crabs climb the walls.
As far as parts and stock:
Equipment:
Fluval 32.5 gal Marine
30lbs - Carribsea Live Sand with Arag-Alive
40lbs - Carribsea Life Rock
2x Hydor Koralia Circulation Pumps ( 425 gph ) + Hydor Wave controller
2nd Fluval Marine 3.0 Light - Just ordered as part became available (Link to the Light)
Fluval PS1 Protein Skimmer
Fluval 150 watt heater ( tank temp fluctuates between 75 and 78 with lights on)
Live Things:
3 Firefish - They're all buddies and like to hide in the same spot
Bunch of snails and hermits to keep the algae at bay.
Food:
Right now, just feeding the Firefish TDO chroma boost daily. I'll probably add some frozen food to feed a couple times a week when I add the clowns in. Open to other suggestions as well.
Will be using Marine Snow when I add corals/dusters
Dosing/Treatments:
Not doing any type of dosing right now. Not sure of what I should be adding, if anything, to be honest. I do add some bio-spora after I do a water change.
Ongoing Issues and how I've been addressing them:
Temp Fluctuations: This has been the biggest pain point for me. Given that this system is hooded (and a narrow hood at that), the tank doesn't have a very good system for dispersing that heat. The heater is set to around 76, but on hot days the room the tank is in (despite the fans) can climb to almost 80. To help, I keep the lid off the filter compartment and take the entire hood and slide it back about an inch (not enough for the firefish to jump out because they're known to carpet surf). While this has helped a bit, still worried about maintaining temps. The fish at this point don't seem to be happy in the last few days. They're normally out and curious, but due to the heat, have been hiding together in their cave. I would hope its to conserve energy, but they still come out and eat. I've also been turning the lights down earlier to keep the temps under wraps. I don't want to invest in a chiller as they're all super expensive to a nano build. I'm trying to figure out some AC for this room as an alternative. I have seen some DIY posts about adding a fan to the lid, but I don't want to break the lid trying to cut a hole for a fan. So if anyone has any advice about fitting a fan/cooling system to the lid of this tank, please share! I had to bribe the lads with some food to coax them out for pictures.
Diatom blooms: After the cycle completed in a few weeks (thanks LIfeRock!), diatoms started showing up. Snails, crabs, and sand turning during water changes help control it.
Skimmer - Had microbubbles for about 4 weeks before they started to calm down. Fluval support has been less than helpful. Tried fully closing the air tube to the collection cup, nothing. I've gotten them to reduce a bit, but still have them. I wish I could figure out how to eliminate them completely. Water level is right between the lines.
Future Plans:
Fish: Along with the 3 firefish I have now, I plan to add a pair of clowns (thinking snowflake. I like the white!), maybe some sort of sand dweller (like a blenny or goby), and either a dwarf angel or reef safe wrasse (like a small fairy wrasse). I think even then it might be too much, but will have to see how the tank params play out after slow additions.
Corals: I won't be doing any corals until the second light shows up. Haven't figured out what types I'll go for. Mostly looking to improve the aesthetics of the tank. Maybe some star polyps and mushrooms, maybe some easy SPS as well
Inverts: Other than keeping the cleaning crew going, Will probably add a couple featherdusters, and maybe some coral banded shrimp or sexy shrimp
Overall, my plan to stock comes with making sure all the tank params are OK to add. As far as equipment, I can't really think of anything else that is needed (other than something to help control temp with the closed lid). Any suggestions/comments/questions are greatly welcome! Been away from the hobby for a while now, so guidance is always appreciated.
As it grows and I add more, I'll be sure to add more pictures!
I purchased the InTank baskets hoping this will help reduce the temp 1-2 degrees. I will setup this weekend. And I do not want to add an expensive chiller or invasive fan either.
