Sea Evo - first attempt at marine

[Yamaha1634]

So on my first dabble into marine fish after keeping freshwater for years. I've had a thread in the "New to Saltwater and Reef" section and received some great advice! So below are my plans for the build updated as I go.

As of 22nd March 22.....

Hardware
Tank: Fluval Sea Evo
Filter compartment: D-Flow Media baskets both chamber 1 and 2, floss, Purigen, live rock frags, coarse sponge, marinepure gems, empty tray to add to as needed.
Return pump: Sicce Syncra 1.0 + standard duck bills (didn't like the rfg)
Heater: AquaEl Platinum 50w
Circulation pump: Fluval CP1
Light: AI Prime 16HD
Lid: D-D Jump Guard Pro
No skimmer
H2Ocean ATO in 5l container (lasts around 9 days)

In the tank
Sand: 4.5kg Caribsea Fiji Pink
Rock: 4kg RealReef

Current stocking
Clownfish
Pajama Cardinal
Brown leg hermit crabs

Stocking plan
Tailspot Blenny
2nd Pajama Cardinal
Scarlet Skunk shrimp
Snails of various forms

Current corals
Duncan (pink/green)
Frammer (green/purple)
Candy Cane
Red Monti Cap
Rhodactis Shroom
Lobophylia in QT


Future corals
Pretty full for now. the next tank will have more space............

Have the tank unboxed but not cleaned or filled yet, need to move the TV off the unit to make space.

I will then select the rocks and place in the tank, fill around with Fiji Pink sand and fill with salt water i intend to purchase from my LFS, not going to attempt mixing my own water yet, just one more thing to get wrong....

Once the tank is full, heater and circulation on, I will add a bottle of Dr Tims. I then intend to dose 2ppm of ammonia and test daily with an API test kit. Keep dosing ammonia back up to 2ppm until the tank can clear 2ppm ammonia to 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites in 24hrs. Then a 100% water change and add the fish. That's what I've always done with freshwater tanks in the past and from what i understand the marine cycle can be done the same way. Let me know if I'm wrong!

I intend to use this thread as a place to document my triumphs..... And my catastrophes! And hopefully receive a few words of wisdom from you all!

 

[Sean Clark]

 

[marcinpolak]

 

[Yamaha1634]

So my tank doesn't even have water in it and I'm considering an ATO. Will it be a worthwhile purchase for a tank this size baring in mind I'm keeping the stock plastic hood for now. I know the main thing with a tank this size is keeping the water parameters stable so an ATO would assist greatly?? What are your thoughts?

Thoughts on the Tunze nano ATO? For £70 it's not too expensive, and I can live with a small container of water behind the tank if it helps keep things stable!

3152 Osmolator Nano

tunze 3155, tunze 3152 vs 3155, tunze osmolator, tunze osmolator 3152, tunze system, tunze ato, tunze osmolator 2, tunze nano ato

coralpassion.co.uk

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

So my tank doesn't even have water in it and I'm considering an ATO. Will it be a worthwhile purchase for a tank this size baring in mind I'm keeping the stock plastic hood for now. I know the main thing with a tank this size is keeping the water parameters stable so an ATO would assist greatly?? What are your thoughts?

Thoughts on the Tunze nano ATO? For £70 it's not too expensive, and I can live with a small container of water behind the tank if it helps keep things stable!

3152 Osmolator Nano

tunze 3155, tunze 3152 vs 3155, tunze osmolator, tunze osmolator 3152, tunze system, tunze ato, tunze osmolator 2, tunze nano ato

coralpassion.co.uk

I would go with a gravity ATO ! They’re $14 on Amazon and a 2 liter will last you two days ! you could go with a the tunze, I’ve heard good stuff about but I have never owned one myself

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

As far is livestock a pair of clown are amazing !
I wouldn’t add any CUC until you begin to see any algae / diatoms. It’s important you add the right clean up crew for the right jobs !
for example, if you are battling green hair algae , you would want to purchase a sand sifting snail, you’d want a snail that tackles that exact algae you have. I love trochus snails. They’ve eaten nearly everything in my tank (GHA, Dino’s, Film algae, etc)

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

I wouldn’t cycle the tank that way, I honestly believe it’s overkill in many ways. In order to cycle ammonia from 2 ppm to 0 ppm , it will take quite the time and you will be facing high amounts of nitrates , from my experience 100+ ppm.
i would utilize a bottle bac to cycle the tank once.
don’t repeat until you go from 2 ppm to 0 in 24 hours. Cycle once, allow your ammonia to be converted to nitrite ( establishing nitrosoma bacteria) then your nitrate to nitrates. Once you’ve seen your ammonia and nitrite are at 0 ppm, and you are left with nitrates, then perform a water change or a few to bring it under 20 ppm. After 20 ppm, is usually where I’ve seen and experienced algae growth.

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

I’ve also used Bio-Spira and have thrown in my pair of clowns in my DT without any issues. That’s the bacteria I use to set up my QT. I have never had any readings of ammonia when utilizing Bio-Spira, however I have had some nitrite readings which isn’t a surprise as nitrosomona bacteria are being established. I’ve done this multiple times with no effects to my tank, fish, etc.

 

[Angel_V_the_reefer]

I’ve also used Bio-Spira and have thrown in my pair of clowns in my DT without any issues. That’s the bacteria I use to set up my QT. I have never had any readings of ammonia when utilizing Bio-Spira, however I have had some nitrite readings which isn’t a surprise as nitrosomona bacteria are being established. I’ve done this multiple times with no effects to my tank, fish, etc.
Also, it’s important you understand and learn to mix your own salt. You don’t know what are in the LFS saltwater. Some LFS will sell you products to sell you products, not because they care about their customers tank.
it’s not difficult what do ever. Grab a 5 gallon bucket, add a power head and a heater. Por in your RODI water. Add salt. Test SG using a refractometer (make sure to calibrate it using refracto Juice before every use to ensure you’re on the right calibration ). Once you’ve reached you desired salinity ( most reefs stay between 1.024 - 1.026 SG, it’s also dependent on what you plan on keeping). From personal experience , Zoas carry lots of algaes that will cause problems to your tanks. Lots of these algaes will not be created in your tank unless you introduce them. I would steer away from them and advise you to set up a QT tank, I believe it is critical for beginners who still do not understand Algaes, root causes, stability , etc. (QT for coral in order to prevent pest infestation and algae introduction to your tank).

 

[Yamaha1634]

Wow, loads of advice there!! Thanks so much, i will read over it a few times to digest it all!

 

[DeniableArc]

So my tank doesn't even have water in it and I'm considering an ATO. Will it be a worthwhile purchase for a tank this size baring in mind I'm keeping the stock plastic hood for now. I know the main thing with a tank this size is keeping the water parameters stable so an ATO would assist greatly?? What are your thoughts?

Thoughts on the Tunze nano ATO? For £70 it's not too expensive, and I can live with a small container of water behind the tank if it helps keep things stable!

3152 Osmolator Nano

tunze 3155, tunze 3152 vs 3155, tunze osmolator, tunze osmolator 3152, tunze system, tunze ato, tunze osmolator 2, tunze nano ato

coralpassion.co.uk

I would highly suggest an ato I have been using that model for 3 years and it’s flawless! I have my pump in a 30l water container in a box with the same look as my cabinet and last me 2 weeks in a 55g. Salinity is one of those overlooked parameters that is crucial to a stable aquarium.

 

[Yamaha1634]

I would highly suggest an ato I have been using that model for 3 years and it’s flawless! I have my pump in a 30l water container in a box with the same look as my cabinet and last me 2 weeks in a 55g. Salinity is one of those overlooked parameters that is crucial to a stable aquarium.

30l in 2 weeks?! That's a lot of evaporation! I was thinking of a 10l container next to my 13g Evo. How long do you think that would last me? I'm planning to keep the plastic lid on for the time being which should help! Obviously open top would evaporate much faster.

 

[DeniableArc]

30l in 2 weeks?! That's a lot of evaporation! I was thinking of a 10l container next to my 13g Evo. How long do you think that would last me? I'm planning to keep the plastic lid on for the time being which should help! Obviously open top would evaporate much faster.

I can’t say for sure as room temperature and surface agitation plays a big part. 10l in your 13g will last you some time. Some larger tanks can go through enormous amounts of top off.

 

[Yamaha1634]

So big day today, I went shopping...

10lb bag of Fiji Pink
9lb of Real Reef rock and some coraline purple epoxy
50w heater
H2Ocean ATO
Plenty of RO water and salt water

Came home, rinsed the rock off in some clean water and epoxy'd the 3 piecea of rock into the form i wanted, added the sand around the rock to stabilise them and then filled her up!

Heater is on, filter return pump and the circulation pump both on and circulation looks good so far, can't see any dead spots. Will wait and see what happens to the sand and if any craters start to appear!

Happy with my scape too, a nice little bridge to keep the fish occupied and (hard to see in the pictures) a small canyon type cave on the left hand side for hiding. A few obvious flat spots to sit corals on when we get to that part

Haven't set up the ATO yet but as there's nothing live in the tank i think that can wait a day or two!

Will leave it running for a few days and then head back for a couple of clowns!

Let me know what you think!

 

[Sean Clark]

I like what you did with your scape. It looks nice and balanced. Lots of interesting spaces while being simple at the same time. Good job.

 

[marcinpolak]

Love the Aquascape!

 

[Yamaha1634]

Installed the ATO today temporarily. Have it in a large vase of water that I've added measurements to... Did this after discovering that the pump supplied doesn't fit into a 10l water container.... Not ideal! So I've set it up in a 1.4l vase and I'll watch it for a day or two to see how much evaporation I actually get, then choose a suitable container to house it permanently. Ideally I want 2 weeks of run before I have to top up, I'm expecting 8-10l in 2 weeks but then I've hardly noticed any drop in level over the past 2 days since I filled the tank. Time will tell!

 

[Yamaha1634]

Finished work early today so I'm now acclimating these guys! Welcome home boys!

 

[Yamaha1634]

Tank still looking good, 3 days with fish in and they're happy and eating well.
Tested this morning:
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0

Need to keep an eye on that ammonia, maybe add a bottle of Dr Tims if it rises further tomorrow, i was hoping the Fiji Pink and the Real Reef rock would be enough to support the two baby clowns but possibly not! Will test again tomorrow. No water changes yet though.

Lights are on a super short cycle to try and avoid the worst of the ugly phase, currently on 1hr per day to give us a small chance to enjoy the fish!

Also trimmed the filter compartment lid to give more room for the cables etc but keep the lid on to keep evaporation to a minimum. And bought a slim 5l container for the ATO pump, currently looking like 5litres will last me around 14-15 days so can just top it up with my bi-weekly water changes. Finally, added some stick on cable tidy clips to keep all the cables out of view when looking at the tank

 

[Yamaha1634]

So looks like I'm not going as slowly as I thought! This afternoon a good friend of mine brought me a Yellow Watchman Goby as a gift! Super generous gift! Now I really need to keep an eye on those ammonia levels! Will be testing twice a day for the next few days just incase!

No pictures of him in the tank yet, he's found himself a nice hole to hide in under an overhanging rock and has been there in the dark for the past few hours. Hopefully he settles in and I start seeing him a little more over the next few days...