Wavemaker/Pump upgrade for Fluval EVO V?

[Amandakayphoto]

Hello all! I recently rescued a saltwater setup that was about to be tossed and it's inhabitants flushed. I have been a freshwater gal for years and years, but this is my first salt tank. The tank is a Fluval EVO V and is setup as a reef with a few corals (I believe there are frogspawn and hammers and a few others I am still trying to ID) with what I believe is a Humbug Damsel, some assorted snails (turbo and nassarious) and a few blue hermits. The tank is in rough shape, green hair algea, etc. The previous owner said she had let the upkeep slide in recent months, which is why she was going to pitch and flush it all. I have been doing water changes to help bring the Nitrate and Phosphate levels down and get things better. I have read online that the flow with the stock pump is not sufficient, and that many upgrade the pump or add a wavemaker. Any suggestions? I placed a cheap wavemaker I have been using in one of my freshwater planted tanks in there and it created a sandstorm even though that one is also rated as "nano" and is 2000L/hr.

This weekend when I did the water change I pulled the pump put and made sure the power was at the highest setting- she had had it middle/low.

Should I consider upgrading the pump or are there better wavemaker options out there or should I just hold steady for now?

 

[JaaxReef]

Hello all! I recently rescued a saltwater setup that was about to be tossed and it's inhabitants flushed. I have been a freshwater gal for years and years, but this is my first salt tank. The tank is a Fluval EVO V and is setup as a reef with a few corals (I believe there are frogspawn and hammers and a few others I am still trying to ID) with what I believe is a Humbug Damsel, some assorted snails (turbo and nassarious) and a few blue hermits. The tank is in rough shape, green hair algea, etc. The previous owner said she had let the upkeep slide in recent months, which is why she was going to pitch and flush it all. I have been doing water changes to help bring the Nitrate and Phosphate levels down and get things better. I have read online that the flow with the stock pump is not sufficient, and that many upgrade the pump or add a wavemaker. Any suggestions? I placed a cheap wavemaker I have been using in one of my freshwater planted tanks in there and it created a sandstorm even though that one is also rated as "nano" and is 2000L/hr.

This weekend when I did the water change I pulled the pump put and made sure the power was at the highest setting- she had had it middle/low.

Should I consider upgrading the pump or are there better wavemaker options out there or should I just hold steady for now?

I have the same tank and love the Aqamai KPS. Gentle wide flow and programmable. Also quite small! I’ve heard the Hygger mini wave maker is another good choice for small tanks.

 

[Oldsman]

You could look into the hydor koralia nano wavemaker too, they're very small and work well. Plug and play . We had a 565 in our Biocube 32 till the urchin ate thru the wire ...lesson learned install the wrap

 

[elorablue]

For a Wavemaker it's hard to beat the AI Nero 3. Fully programmable and small. Then you can aim your return pump at the surface and use the Nero for the rest of the tank.

 

[JaaxReef]

For a Wavemaker it's hard to beat the AI Nero 3. Fully programmable and small. Then you can aim your return pump at the surface and use the Nero for the rest of the tank.

I have Nero 3’s and it was a bit too strong for the EVO 5 tank unless it was just sps. The KPS is cheaper and still has plenty of punch. You can just back it off more than the Nero 3 for a tank that small.

 

[Amandakayphoto]

I was able to upgrade the stock pump- came across the Cobalt MJ606 on the clearance table of my LFS! I also added in the VCA RFG, which I think is already making a big difference, so I will give that a couple weeks before deciding if I really need to boost flow by adding in the wavemaker. Thanks all for the input!

 

[chaostactics]

Hands down a RFG connected to a 606 pump paired with a Hugger DC propeller pump

See my build thread for info on both.

Nano Build - The "high tech" ultra compact Pico build. : Fluval V build (lots of pics)

I’d love to see how you mod the 606 to fit in the Evo 5. I tried and failed miserably. Lol. It fit just fine with a very slight Dremel trim and removed front plate.

www.reef2reef.com