Fluval Spec Owners Thread

[NanoReefFL]

[Gilligan]

Spec-tacular!

[ETucc]

My Fluval Spec V thread!

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/344939-etuccs-fluval-spec-v/

[ninjamyst]

Does anyone have issue with detritus not getting captured with filter floss? I have the inTank media basket with filter pad in the top chamber. The pad is toooooooo clean. In my other tank, I have to throw the pad away every week. In Fluval Spec, I dont see much stuff collected. But my rock is full of detritus. I turkey baster it every day and all the detritus just floats around in the tank and resettles on the rock.

[jestep]

Does anyone have issue with detritus not getting captured with filter floss? I have the inTank media basket with filter pad in the top chamber. The pad is toooooooo clean. In my other tank, I have to throw the pad away every week. In Fluval Spec, I dont see much stuff collected. But my rock is full of detritus. I turkey baster it every day and all the detritus just floats around in the tank and resettles on the rock.

Definitely don't have that problem. I don't blast or feed a whole lot, but it definitely needs replacing every few weeks.

[Gilligan]

Does anyone have issue with detritus not getting captured with filter floss? I have the inTank media basket with filter pad in the top chamber. The pad is toooooooo clean. In my other tank, I have to throw the pad away every week. In Fluval Spec, I dont see much stuff collected. But my rock is full of detritus. I turkey baster it every day and all the detritus just floats around in the tank and resettles on the rock.

Do you have the lower return slot blocked off?

[ninjamyst]

Do you have the lower return slot blocked off?

yup.

[2004jeeplaredo]

Does anyone have issue with detritus not getting captured with filter floss? I have the inTank media basket with filter pad in the top chamber. The pad is toooooooo clean. In my other tank, I have to throw the pad away every week. In Fluval Spec, I dont see much stuff collected. But my rock is full of detritus. I turkey baster it every day and all the detritus just floats around in the tank and resettles on the rock.

 

Whats the return pump? You just need enought flow to not let junk settle and to provide enough lift into the rear chamber.not so much thoguh that blows sand just a good current.

[airickj]

My newly setup spec 2! Don't get excited, it's horribly empty at the moment but I have some pics anyway

Desk Lamp lighting, only way to photograph clearly with iPhone camera

 

Par 30 LED lighting + Desk Lamp with iPhone

 

This Spec 2 is sadly devoid of coral except for the one blasto on the bottom right corner (coral is expensive!). The plan is to fill it with LPS that behave themselves in close quarters (i.e. no sweeper tentacles or stomach extrusions).

 

On the brighter side, I am pretty maxed out with critters:

-Pom Pom crab w/ both nems

-2x Sexy Shrimp

-Astrea "Ninja Star" snail

-Trochus snail

-Green Clown Goby

 

 

Existing Coral:

-Blasto Merletti

 

Planned Coral/Inverts:

-Another Blasto or Two, different color morphs

-Turbinaria

-Litophyllon

-Cyphastrea

-Micromussa

-Lepastrea

-Fungia

-Maxi Mini or Rock flower nem

-Maybe an interesting St. Thomas Mushroom or Ricordea

 

Equipment:

-Coral Compulsion 14W Par30 LED 22K Superblu Reef Light with a Boost LED black gooseneck clamped to the back of the tank (Thinking of getting something with a lower color temperature that's a little less blue. This light is super blue as the name implies)

-Hydor 25W submersible heater in the smaller back chamber sitting on top of the pump (there’s just barely enough room, a stronger pump seems to lower the water level in the small back compartment)

-inTank Media Rack with filter floss, Purigen, and Chemi-pure

-Hydor Smart Level Control ATO System w/ Tom Aquatics Aqua-Lifter Dosing Pump

-Reef Keeper Lite controlling temperature via the previously mentioned heater and a desk fan positioned to blow across the top of the tank when the temperature rises above 80F

-Mini-Jet 606 to replace stock pump

 

 

Mods:

-Covered up the slit in the back with clear silicone

-ATO sensor (no float switch) is superglued to the gooseneck clamp on top of the larger back chamber, (pictured above)

-Gooseneck for lamp is sandwiching the back of the tank and the back-side of the inTank media rack

 

Issues:

-Seems like the Mini-Jet 606 makes the water level lower in the smaller back chamber, this is problematic as my heater is back there. When tank water evaporates before the ATO kicks on, the heater will momentarily be a few centimeters above the recommended water level. I am also using the surface skimmer from inTank but it's at the lowest level.

-Due to the small size of this tank and the ATO I purchased (Hydor Smart Level Control), the water level must drop a lot before the ATO kicks on. This may be causing a slight swing in salinity from 1.024-1.025 or even 1.026 through the period of 24-36 hours.

-I wanted to use the AutoAqua Smart ATO in the back chamber but the frosted glass in the back of the spec 2 is incompatible with the AutoAqua Smart ATO

-Very hard to place corals and retrieve things from the middle or bottom of the tank without long tweezers/forceps

-If water level is high, tank over-flows when you stick your hand inside

-Salt creep coming from black top-front plastic corners

 

Overall this is a very cool tank and it's quite capable of serving as the foundation for an elegant pico reef tank.

[Gilligan]

Ideally, the ATO is in the chamber with the pump/heater.

 

If you ditch the media rack, put the pump in there.

I used a piece of egg-crate ziptied to the top of a Eheim compact pump.

You can drill a hole for a low return this way.

Cover up the bottom slit.

 

This now leaves all kinds of room in the last chamber for the heater and ATO. A tunze nano ATO barely fits in that compartment.

I used a heater with an seperate probe, but if I did it again I would just use one of those preset 78 degree heaters. They are nice and compact, cheap too. I have had two "better" brand heaters fail recently, so no sense in me flagging the little Tetra heater.

 

Drill a few largish holes in the dividing wall. This at first appearance creates one chamber instead of two, but once you fill it with media and floss, the small heater/ATO chamber will be the one that drops the fastest.

 

You may not be able to, or want to return your ATO, just giving you some ideas. There is not much use in a ATO that takes that long to react.

 

The system I described, the ATO only runs for a couple of quick bursts four or five times a day, usually triggered by a peak of the reef crest mode on the MP10. Stable.

 

As far as salt creep goes, at least with these little AIO's, it's limited to those corners and maybe a bit on your cords. Easy enough to deal with.

 

Keep a small jug around you can scoop a bit of water out and set it aside while you work on your tank. Pump and heater off of course.

[2004jeeplaredo]

Heres a quick mock up for a light bracket to get my LED light higher off the tank to allow better access and to reduce the intensity to my corals. Im really happy so far. Now just need to do something other than rubber bands. Total cost around 20 dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[airickj]

Ideally, the ATO is in the chamber with the pump/heater.

 

If you ditch the media rack, put the pump in there.

I used a piece of egg-crate ziptied to the top of a Eheim compact pump.

You can drill a hole for a low return this way.

Cover up the bottom slit.

 

This now leaves all kinds of room in the last chamber for the heater and ATO. A tunze nano ATO barely fits in that compartment.

I used a heater with an seperate probe, but if I did it again I would just use one of those preset 78 degree heaters. They are nice and compact, cheap too. I have had two "better" brand heaters fail recently, so no sense in me flagging the little Tetra heater.

 

Drill a few largish holes in the dividing wall. This at first appearance creates one chamber instead of two, but once you fill it with media and floss, the small heater/ATO chamber will be the one that drops the fastest.

 

You may not be able to, or want to return your ATO, just giving you some ideas. There is not much use in a ATO that takes that long to react.

 

The system I described, the ATO only runs for a couple of quick bursts four or five times a day, usually triggered by a peak of the reef crest mode on the MP10. Stable.

 

As far as salt creep goes, at least with these little AIO's, it's limited to those corners and maybe a bit on your cords. Easy enough to deal with.

 

Keep a small jug around you can scoop a bit of water out and set it aside while you work on your tank. Pump and heater off of course.

Thanks very much for the advice! I'll see what I can do and report back.

[Little Square Fish]

[NanoClown]

With the recent emergence of a ton of Spec V's here on Nano-Reef. I demand this thread be updated with links to everyones build threads! The link to mine is in my signature

[2004jeeplaredo]

With the recent emergence of a ton of Spec V's here on Nano-Reef. I demand this thread be updated with links to everyones build threads! The link to mine is in my signature

Heres mine.http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/341399-fluval-spec-v-build/

 

New update video posted. Just lovin watching it mature and the critters living there lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExU6f6lZuY&feature=youtu.be'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExU6f6lZuY&feature=youtu.be

[cswan19]

Here is a link to mine: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/345434-cswans-fluval-spec-v-5g-current-usa-orbit/

[lecroj]

Just got my Spec V office tank wet.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/347678-spec-v-office-tank-wet-it-and-forget-it/#entry4764182

[AWillroth]

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/347588-awillroths-fluval-spec-2/ My Spec 2.

[tONe2]

It's been a while since I posted anything, but I just added a quick video of my aquarium.

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/336786-tone2s-fluval-spec-v/

[jestep]

These tanks have got to be in the running for most popular pico ever. Seems like every day there's a new build thread for one.

[Wafulz]

I just. Started. A. 2.6 fluval tank it's. About. 1. And a half months. Old.

 

Here there I'm new to the. Nano world my. First tank

Mods=

Waiting for my 606. Pump seems. It's been.

Discontinued

 

I'll be posting pics. Soon

 

I modded. Return pump. Part. Bored it wider. For. Better. Flow.

Currently making a. Rack for media.

Useing. Par 30. Old skoo boosted led with ikea desk lamp. 25w hydro heater 4 lbs. rock I believe Bare bottom no sand. Trying to keep. Mushrooms Xenia. Dunkins. Zoa. Palies

 

Saving for RKL. And nano chiller.

 

I'm trying to. Get a nice. Shot just. Gotta. Barrow my. Father in laws cam.

Cuz. iPhone can't take it

[Kijho]

Spec V's unite

[hinnenkm]

Just got a 2 gallon spec and will be using it as a classroom tank! I'm hoping to plan a build thread soon and to get this cycling before the school year starts. I applied for a grant to get lighting for the tank (a nanobox), and won't find out officially until the 15th, but there is a very strong possibility that I will get it! Stocking plans do not include fish, just inverts: zoas, duncans, palys, acans, rock nems, a small bubble tip nem, an anemone crab, some sexy shrimp, and various snails. After that, we will see what happens!

[krisko]

Here's some pics of my Fluval Spec V with 2 panorama pro's. I really wish my camera phone could capture how vibrant the colors are. I made the light fixture to look like the factory light and mount in the stock fixtures hook area.

 

 

 

 

 

mounted to the tank using stock mounting attachment.

 

 

finished product.

 

 

 

 

[chrisparks11]

Does any where sale a nice stand for a fluval spec V? Just finished drilling mine so I can add a small sump but can't find a nice stand for the life of me. I will post some pics as soon as I can get the stand situation figured out. Another question I had was will a 175-300 gph adjustable return pump be too much for this tank or not enough. I have always had 75 to 200 gallon reefs so it's a whole new world with the Pico tanks. Any help would be greatly appreciated