Want to start 13.5 gallon fluval evo

[Fishy7798]

Hey, what would be a good light upgrade that's 50-75 dollars for the tank?

[dandelion]

I would strongly suggest holding off on the light and get other essential equipments first. If you do want to get a light I would suggest buying a used AI Prime. You may be able to find it in the low 100's range. I'm not aware of any good light that's less than $75.

[Droy008]

The stock light will probably work fine to begin with.

Only thing to add to it would be an outlet timer. That way you don't have to manually turn it on and off.

[ajmckay]

I would strongly suggest holding off on the light and get other essential equipments first. If you do want to get a light I would suggest buying a used AI Prime. You may be able to find it in the low 100's range. I'm not aware of any good light that's less than $75.

Agreed - plus any light you get will most likely involve modifications (or removal) of the hood, which IMO is really nice looking and useful to the tank's design...

 

If you were set on getting another light though check out the Aquamaxx nemolight, which can be had for about $120 and is over 2x the power at 36W.

[Fishy7798]

Is there any all in one liquid test kits that I can pick up for a good price?

[dandelion]

If you are just growing softies, you will not need to worry too much about alkalinity or calcium. So the most important test kits to get would be ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate. Ammonium test tells you when you have cycled your tank. In short, cycling a tank means manually introducing ammonia (toxic fish waste) into the tank and wait for nitrifying bacteria to grow on your rock surface which can reduce it first to nitrite then to nitrate. There are lots of threads about cycling on this forum so I am not going to repeat what others have contributed. When you dose ammonia and it disappears within 24 hours twice I would say your cycle is pretty much complete.

 

If you don't want to use a liquid ammonia test, Seachem makes an ammonia alert that you just hang in the water. I have it in all of my tanks as a safety measure.

 

Nitrate and phosphate test kits tell you your nutrient levels. With softies you can have nitrates around 10-20 as long as you can keep nuisance algae at bay. I know API makes nitrate and phosphate test kits. If you are really tight on budget I'd say it is better than nothing. However for an extra $10 or so you can get yourself a salifert nitrate and phosphate kit which gives you much better idea of low range levels which is much needed in the saltwater side of this hobby. I must admit though I have been using API test kits since I started 1.5 years ago. (I have a Red Sea kit coming in the mail.) My tanks are still doing OK.

 

As far as pH goes.... Don't worry about it (unless you start dosing kalk). My corals and fish are happy when it's 8.4. They're just as happy when it is 7.8.

 

 

Is there any all in one liquid test kits that I can pick up for a good price?

[fishyj]

I may cause a stir over this but after the tank has cycled I really have not checked anything. I did at first but always found my prams stable. I every once in a while I will check but with all the water changes, I found every thing was fine. I do a 5 gallon water change every 4 to 6 days. I make my own ro water and have a refractometer that I used for making my saltwater. I have a full tank of corals and 2 clownfish and feed heavy daily. I am not saying this method will work for you, but it does work for me. I do believe in the KISS method.

[dandelion]

I gotta be honest the only things I test for are alk and calcium. Since I didn't have a good test kit for phosphate or nitrate I just kinda do it once a month to make sure things aren't out of whack. I kinda just use the appearance of my inhabitants and presence of algae to see what's needed

 

I may cause a stir over this but after the tank has cycled I really have not checked anything. I did at first but always found my prams stable. I every once in a while I will check but with all the water changes, I found every thing was fine. I do a 5 gallon water change every 4 to 6 days. I make my own ro water and have a refractometer that I used for making my saltwater. I have a full tank of corals and 2 clownfish and feed heavy daily. I am not saying this method will work for you, but it does work for me. I do believe in the KISS method.

[Fishy7798]

Could I do a clown pair and a fire fish in the tank? I am going to get the protein skimmer if it helps. The firefish would be put in first. Would there be any aggression issues? Also, I wanted to do green star polyps as my first coral, when should I put it in the tank and could I get the clowns to host it?

[lobster876]

stocking sounds ok but make sure to keep up with water changes and green star polyps make a great beginner coral but be careful as they can grow quite quickly so keep them on an isolated rock. The clowns would LOVE a frogspawn or hammer. There is also the torch in that family but tend to be more sensitive and demanding. I am also 15 and found the best way to get good stuff for cheap is to check your local craigslist. I just picked up an mp40 for 50 bucks so its definitely worth taking a look. sorry this post is so long but feel free to ask me any questions

[asting]

Could I do a clown pair and a fire fish in the tank? I am going to get the protein skimmer if it helps. The firefish would be put in first. Would there be any aggression issues? Also, I wanted to do green star polyps as my first coral, when should I put it in the tank and could I get the clowns to host it?

Should be no issue with clowns and firefish, but you can end up with a grumpy clown.

I'd say add firefish first and you should be okay. With the clowns, try to get two different sized ones (with the larger added first if you will add separately) to reduce any competition. No fight if one is clearly going to be the top bitch.

 

GSP are a good first coral. As mentioned, they spread quickly and can become a nuisance if you let them reach the glass/sides.

 

Also look into Zoas, Palys, toadstool leather, and xenia. All should be okay with the stock light. Xenia has the same word of caution as the GSP.

[Fishy7798]

During the sale I picked up a 425 gph power head, will that be too powerful? Also, should I place it on the opposite side of the mini sump? Also, what food should I get for them, pellet is preferred.

[asting]

Could be a bit much, but depending on your placement and rock it could work. Is this a Koralia?

[Fishy7798]

Yes

[HarryPotter]

Yes

 

 

I would think a 400gph powerhead would be fine for your 13.5g tank, perhaps make sure you dont get a sand that is too fine and will blow around.

[lobster876]

sounds like plenty of flow

[dandelion]

If it starts blowing your sand around you can point it against a wall or even put a non stocking over it to slow down the flow.

 

Stocking-wise you'll have to keep up with water change for the bioload of 3 fish. I would suggest a skimmer not so much for removing waste but to increase oxygen saturation. You definitely want to keep the lid on because firefish are jumpers. With a closed lid and higher bioload, a skimmer would be a nice way to keep your oxygen up. You can definitely use an air pump and air stone but 1. They are noisy 2. They splash saltwater everywhere (and thus salt as it he water evaporates) and 3) I don't like bubbles in my tank.

[Fishy7798]

I read that pointing a powerhead towards the surface is better because it helps with more oxygen. Should I do that?

[dandelion]

Yes it does help with gaseous exchange. The catch here is since your lid will be on, the amount of oxygen between the water surface and the lid will also be lower as it gets used up by the fish. You can open the lid once or twice a day to "freshen" up the air. But definitely keep the lid on if you plan on keeping a firefish.

 

I read that pointing a powerhead towards the surface is better because it helps with more oxygen. Should I do that?

[Fishy7798]

Hello, it's been a while and I wanted to know if either of these stands work for the evo. http://m.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24078&cmpid=03cseYY&ref=6194&subref=AA&cmpid=PLA_G_6194&gclid=Cj0KEQiApqTCBRC-977Hi9Ov8pkBEiQA5B_ipSSQJMOj68VReEDgV0NBE7F6iuzRT9dBl8P5z7SP9WsaAsUq8P8HAQ

[Fishy7798]

Also, when can I add the first organisms? (Clean up crew) What should I choose as a clean up crew? I want a scarlet skunk shrimp, don't know what else.

[dandelion]

The tank is 22.5" long and this stand is only 12.5" wide so it won't work. For that amount of water the tank shouldn't be too heavy so an ikea shelf may do. This should work and will have plenty of space if you want to put an ATO reservoir or whatever.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20275814/

 

I would get some Astrea or Trochus snails. These snails work hard. See if you can get some from your LFS.

[ajmckay]

When you say 425gph pump I assume you mean something like a Hydor Koralia? If so good choice - though I'm not sure how you would orient one in the evo... Do people put it on the opposing wall?

 

You seem to be moving along okay but are you doing some independent research as well? Make sure you understand the nitrogen cycle first - a lot of other stuff can be figured out later, or is simply personal preference.

 

For stocking - It's really tempting to pack it in from the get go I know... While planning a build it helps me to remember that every decision includes a certain level of risk. Risk that a new fish introduces a parasite, risk that a frag you add brings in bubble algae, or risk that a piece of equipment you rely on fails. The idea is to keep your risk as low as possible when you're starting out (so that if something happens you're limited to "simpler" problems and can figure it out). Then, as you gain experience on how to mitigate risk, you can take riskier decisions - with the idea that you'll have greater abilities to spot problems early and fix them before they turn into huge issues.

 

So that being said for your first tank adding a firefish and 2 clowns might be pushing it.... You're not going to have much room for error. Anyways - I would keep thinking about it and consider the pros and cons for adding the 2 clowns with a firefish.

[Fishy7798]

I have been doing research, I do know about the nitrogen cycle, I just needed to know what I should choose for cleanup crew. I understand the risk with each animal added

[ajmckay]

I have been doing research, I do know about the nitrogen cycle, I just needed to know what I should choose for cleanup crew. I understand the risk with each animal added

 

Yet you ask when you can add the first organisms?

Also, when can I add the first organisms? (Clean up crew) What should I choose as a clean up crew? I want a scarlet skunk shrimp, don't know what else.

 

Anyways - basic snails are the foundation of a good CUC (astrea, trochus, nerite, turbo, cerith, nassarius, etc). Add crabs and shrimp sparingly as they are more aggressive.