djfrankn Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hey everyone. Well after a while with my 75 gal. reef tank I decided it was time to start a nano setup. So today, doing some shopping aroun town with my family We ended up at the local PETCO as a last stop before coming home. I was there just to get an auto feeder and another petco power head for the collection (lol) since I used them for mixing my saltwater. While by the saltwater section I couldn't help but notice a sign for this Evolution series tanks from Aqueon (Central Pets) nano tanks. They have 'em in special if you have your PETCO card, so I bought the smallest one since I want it on the kitchen counter top as a decoration piece. Well, We got home and as usual I was so excited about my new adition that I unloaded all the stuff from our car and went straight ahead to unpack the nano. It looks very well manufactured (for the price of $39.99 it is a BARGAIN!!!) and packed very professionally. The pump is so little but sturdy in the meantime. It includes a filter cartridge (which I am not going to use, I run my 75 as a Berlin System and never a crash so far), and LED fixture with white and blue diodes (only 2 blue and the rest are white), a tank clear acrylic cover, food and water conditioner (again, not using none of these). The only thing that does not please me about this kit is that the LED's can not run white or blues independently in the scenario that you want to control them via timer; it has to be done through the "on-off" switch. I bought a bag of PETCO brand fine sand (yes, I know, what that is my choice) and pour about 1" of it in the tank. Ended up with more than 3/4 of the bag. I will use it for my 75 fuge. Took a few rocks from the 75 fuge and placed them in the nano. Added some water from the 75 as well and mixed it 3/4 old + 1/4 fresh mixed ratio. So far, the stock pump has a great flow output for the size of tank. Which it seems great to my personal taste. The tank is designed primarily for fresh water but I decided to try some xenia and mushrooms in this setup plus probably a pair of clown gobies, one snail and a pair of hermit crabs. Here I post some pics. If anyone has any questions, please post a reply. Regards, Frank Link to comment
SRGaudio Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hey everyone. Well after a while with my 75 gal. reef tank I decided it was time to start a nano setup. So today, doing some shopping aroun town with my family We ended up at the local PETCO as a last stop before coming home. I was there just to get an auto feeder and another petco power head for the collection (lol) since I used them for mixing my saltwater. While by the saltwater section I couldn't help but notice a sign for this Evolution series tanks from Aqueon (Central Pets) nano tanks. They have 'em in special if you have your PETCO card, so I bought the smallest one since I want it on the kitchen counter top as a decoration piece. Well, We got home and as usual I was so excited about my new adition that I unloaded all the stuff from our car and went straight ahead to unpack the nano. It looks very well manufactured (for the price of $39.99 it is a BARGAIN!!!) and packed very professionally. The pump is so little but sturdy in the meantime. It includes a filter cartridge (which I am not going to use, I run my 75 as a Berlin System and never a crash so far), and LED fixture with white and blue diodes (only 2 blue and the rest are white), a tank clear acrylic cover, food and water conditioner (again, not using none of these). The only thing that does not please me about this kit is that the LED's can not run white or blues independently in the scenario that you want to control them via timer; it has to be done through the "on-off" switch. I bought a bag of PETCO brand fine sand (yes, I know, what that is my choice) and pour about 1" of it in the tank. Ended up with more than 3/4 of the bag. I will use it for my 75 fuge. Took a few rocks from the 75 fuge and placed them in the nano. Added some water from the 75 as well and mixed it 3/4 old + 1/4 fresh mixed ratio. So far, the stock pump has a great flow output for the size of tank. Which it seems great to my personal taste. The tank is designed primarily for fresh water but I decided to try some xenia and mushrooms in this setup plus probably a pair of clown gobies, one snail and a pair of hermit crabs. Here I post some pics. If anyone has any questions, please post a reply. Regards, Frank I would probably upgrade the lighting. What size is the tank? Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 According to specs 9 x 9 x 10 inches. But SRGaudio, believe me, this LED's are bright. A lot. Let me shoot a video and post it on Youtube and I will post the link here. So you can see what I am talking about. Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Evansky9, thanks for being here. Link to comment
Evanski9 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Wow I'm going to go get one in the morning. What sizes are there Link to comment
treygarz Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Wow I'm going to go get one in the morning. What sizes are there Sizes come in 2, 4 and 8 gallon. The 8 gallon has a bit bigger light. djfrankn: Check out the pico section. I'm about to start up the 4 gallon and put it in the kitchen as well Link to comment
SRGaudio Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Sizes come in 2, 4 and 8 gallon. The 8 gallon has a bit bigger light. djfrankn: Check out the pico section. I'm about to start up the 4 gallon and put it in the kitchen as well Anyone else running one of these? is is really reef capable right outta the box? if so, Awesome buy! might be time for me to start a pico Link to comment
treygarz Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 is is really reef capable right outta the box? The back chambers are really similar in design of the aquapod. I think the biocube has another chamber. The leds seem bright enough for softies. I haven't found anyone using it for SPS. But i haven't been looking too hard :/ The pump in the back puts out some decent flow. The only thing I'm adding is an AC20 for a fuge. The video that was posted shows pretty good flow with the stock pump. Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hey Treygarz, PETCO don't have a "pico section" here in Naples, FL. But so far it is what I was looking for. I already posted a video showing the water flow of the tiny stock pump. It is impressive to me. To achieve the something similar in my 75 I have 2 Koralias (one of them Koralia 2 and the other Evolution 750) and a Seltz L40 for return pump. Besides, this tank is the result of a lot of reading about nanos in nano-reef. So it is not something that I am planning to go trial-error. Only thing I just don't like about it is the fact that the light doesn't have to independet power cords (for blue and white). All of the rest is ok to me. Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 I am going to start it with a small xenia then a mushroom and then a zoa. I am planning on housing a clown gobie and a couple of hermits. Probably one astrea snail in the future. So far it has been running twelve hours now and no problems whatsoever. @treygarz: what are your ideas for stocking in your tank? Link to comment
blaksheep67 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I am going to start it with a small xenia then a mushroom and then a zoa. I am planning on housing a clown gobie and a couple of hermits. Probably one astrea snail in the future. So far it has been running twelve hours now and no problems whatsoever. @treygarz: what are your ideas for stocking in your tank? I am a super noob to salt water and I just purchased the same tank (4 gallon) I was wondering if I could put some filter floss cheato and chemi pure inside the back compartment were the filter cartridge is supposed to go. I am also planning on putting a heater in the back, which watt/brand should I get ? once that is in place can I purchase the initial load of salt water and rocks from my local fish store and set this tank up ? Thanks in advance. Link to comment
Kyclops Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I saw these at work when we got them and fell in love with it. I was going to get the 4g and do a pico tank, but held off for a little. They're cool, but the back part of the AIO seems cheap. (personal opinion) I'd like to see a FTS too, if you could Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Well blaksheep67, this is my next game plan but i am first running the tank with no live stock, dry fine sand (petco brand) and live rock chunks from my 75 sump. In the filter chamber I am going to put some Chaeto with a water proof led light (have to look for it around, it is the same that some guys sell online for the biocube). As for heater, during day time it runs @ 78 around. Nightime it drops 4 degrees. I have to try first the water proof led and check on temps again and see how it runs and wether i need a heater. There is a small Tetra brand which It appears to fit perfectly the pump chamber. As for setting up your tank, rinse it first with fresh water, pour a couple of inches of premixed saltwater, then sand, then live rock and fill it up with the rest of your water. Make sure to get 2 gallons of saltwater (don't worry, you are going to have some left over). Do your homework about bacteria cycle in aquariums and how to care for them. Post your questions in the forums (there is no dumb questions at all). Regards. Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hi there Kyclops. I paid 39.99 for it and to me, this is a bargain. It is sturdy enough to make it safe to work around it and do mods to it (as I already read over the internet). So, to me, it is a great adition to my house. Though I think than other than having a small heater (between $10-$20) and you have a great setup. Just keep in mind that a pico nano is very fun to watch and maintain but they require attention (check parameters, add water to compensate evaporation, not overfeeding and do frequent water changes). I recommend this unit completely. BTW, I've read already about PAR on the LED's and Kelvin readings. Well, to my personal opinion it is stated that it supports plant life. Well it makes it obvious then that It should support softies. I would not attempt any LPS nor SPS yet until further research is done. Regards. Link to comment
Kyclops Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hi there Kyclops. I paid 39.99 for it and to me, this is a bargain. It is sturdy enough to make it safe to work around it and do mods to it (as I already read over the internet). So, to me, it is a great adition to my house. Though I think than other than having a small heater (between $10-$20) and you have a great setup. Just keep in mind that a pico nano is very fun to watch and maintain but they require attention (check parameters, add water to compensate evaporation, not overfeeding and do frequent water changes). I recommend this unit completely. BTW, I've read already about PAR on the LED's and Kelvin readings. Well, to my personal opinion it is stated that it supports plant life. Well it makes it obvious then that It should support softies. I would not attempt any LPS nor SPS yet until further research is done. Regards. Yeah, it seems like a nice little system. I'll probably bite on one soon here. I read that the stock lighting in those is okay for maintaining low-medium light plants (someone mentioned it on planted-tank.net), but would you consider upgrading to the ecopico lights? They might make the world of difference in something like that! Link to comment
Evanski9 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 My petco does not have it :/ Link to comment
Kyclops Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 My petco does not have it :/ Try their website, shipping shouldn't be too bad. PetSmart just started carrying them as well. I'm sure more places will carry them soon. Link to comment
gmod Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I have the 8g version...The scape is not final....And plans not finalized yet..but i do have a Rapid Par 30 3rb 2cw coming that iam gonna upgrade the light to...To me the stock is not very bright...and not even close to be blue enough for me... Link to comment
Jackyrj12 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hmm.... interesting. I never thought this tank would be reef capable. I saw it in my local petco, and I have to say 2 blue diodes is far from enough. The tank looks real sturdy though. I feel like they designed this to compete with major desktop kits such as tetra/marineland 3/5 gallon, fluval chi and fluval spec. Can anyone find the specs on this thing anyway? What is the GPH on the filter, and what is the LED watts and how many bulbs for 2, 4 and 8 gallons? I went to aqueonproducts website and apparently there is nothing about this evolve series. Is it really that new? Oh, and just buy it off petco.com if there is nothing local. It's free shipping on 49, and I am sure you can find some cheap deals from petco.com (things tend to be cheaper than in stores) to make it up to 49 dollars. And there is a 45 days in-store return, so no biggy if you hate it. lol Link to comment
JamieSheffield Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thinking about the 4 gallon version of this one as a quarantine tank...interested to see and hear more about this tank and the systems... I'm also thinking about a jbj picotope and the finnex 4...can't decide which one to go with as yet... Jamie Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hmm.... interesting. I never thought this tank would be reef capable. I saw it in my local petco, and I have to say 2 blue diodes is far from enough. The tank looks real sturdy though. I feel like they designed this to compete with major desktop kits such as tetra/marineland 3/5 gallon, fluval chi and fluval spec. Can anyone find the specs on this thing anyway? What is the GPH on the filter, and what is the LED watts and how many bulbs for 2, 4 and 8 gallons? I went to aqueonproducts website and apparently there is nothing about this evolve series. Is it really that new? Oh, and just buy it off petco.com if there is nothing local. It's free shipping on 49, and I am sure you can find some cheap deals from petco.com (things tend to be cheaper than in stores) to make it up to 49 dollars. And there is a 45 days in-store return, so no biggy if you hate it. lol Yes, the blue for the light fixture is only 2 diodes. I still believe that for mushrooms, zoas, and other soft corals should keep them ok. Just don't expect any impressive colors. I just started it and will post my progress. Adding a more robust led fixture reef capable is not bad idea at all. The thing is that I'm trying to make a pico with a $ 39.99 aquarium kit. The pump for mine (evolve 2) is rated for some 90ish g/h. It also comes with a dial on the suction side of it to regulate the flow output. Regards. Link to comment
djfrankn Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Btw, the pump is quiet. Just make sure you rest it on its suction cups without touching the walls of the filtration compartment. Link to comment
asting Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 This looks like a great picotope alternative! Link to comment
gmod Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 the pump in the 8g is rated for 98gph...And it alone pushes the water around...Iam not sure if there will be a need to add another for flow... Iam thinking about building a tray on the edge where water spills into the 2nd chamber to hold my Chempure/Purigen.. Someone did one for the BC29 here...Kind of the same idea...This way i can have Filter floss at the entrance and the rest of the 1st chamber will have cheato... Link to comment
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