Fluval Evo 13.5 Owners Thread

[ECLS Reefer]

So I’m a noob at this and the Evo is my first tank in saltwater fish. Have a well established koi pond and 10 gallon fresh tank, but have always wanted salties. And as usual I never do anything halfway or slowly, so I have pretty rapidly brought this tank online, which has been a challenge. It’s a month old now and fully stocked, and I doubt I’ll be able to get anything else in there, but they’ll grow. I guess my biggest issue has been nitrates- for obvious reasons. I do frequent water changes and clean the sand, I’ve switched the PS2 Skimmer RO chmaber 2 which did make it actually work (amazing tip) and my media to chmaber 1. Have changed the light now because I hated the hood on the tank and want to be able to count bodies every day (I’m a nurse, so I have to make sure everyone is alive). I’m using Fluval clearmax and 100gm carbon in the media chamber. Got better flow with the wave pump. What else can I do for the nitrates? I’m also an obsessive tinkerer, so I’ve considered a better return pump. 

[NanoReefNoobie86]

Tank as of yesterday 😉
 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

On 2/7/2018 at 8:22 PM, shawnd08 said:

13.5 evo been running for a year and a half. Upgraded the return pump to a mini jet 60, replaced the stock light with a current orbit marine, added a koralia 240, and a ato.  Ive had a pearly jaw fish and green chromis for over a year. I only run filter floss and do a 2-3 gallon water change 3-4 times a month. The macro algae keeps the water pretty clean.

 

 

What kind of macro algae are you using, and I may make myself look like an idiot, but what is the purple stuff all over the back wall? More algae? 

[gooner]

new member popping in to say hi. have had freshwater tanks about 40yrs now and finally decided to take a journey into the world of saltwater LOL. this little tank intrigued me in my LFS so here we go!!! sittin on my kitchen table for now assembled and waiting for another visit to the store for some live rock and sand and some time to fabricate a basket for chamber 1 then ill fill and cycle it. I think ill leave the small hole on chamber 2 and the stock sponge for now. ive heard issues with the rear chamber levels and tank levels when its plugged. can always plug it later if need be. no hurry for stocking it yet till im confident its cycled, but are there any members here in the Toronto/Brampton area that can recommend a LFS that is reputable in the marine livestock???? I wouldn't buy anything other than packaged goods outta big als Brampton. was thinkin the one in Vaughn but was hoping for somewhere a little closer to me like Mississauga or something. looking forward to settin this baby up and learning more about nano reefing

[NanoReefNoobie86]

On 2/13/2019 at 2:57 PM, Nursecop818 said:

What kind of macro algae are you using, and I may make myself look like an idiot, but what is the purple stuff all over the back wall? More algae? 

That looks like dragons breath and the stuff on the back wall is called coraline algae. 

[EvilFish]

Stock light partially failed. Silicone felt off. Fluval (Hagen) warranty is the worst ever (13 days without answer).

[PshThisGuy]

19 hours ago, EvilFish said:

Stock light partially failed. Silicone felt off. Fluval (Hagen) warranty is the worst ever (13 days without answer).

13 days is too damn long! I'd give you mine, but I found another use for it. Maybe someone in the thread can lend/sell/give you one? 

[ECLS Reefer]

I need a good consensus opinion on using bio rings or matrix in the media chambers. Do you guys use them or do you find them to be nitrate catchers? I've using them and I find I have a steady low grade nitrate count, but I have a little SPS in my tank so I need some little nitrate in there. Currently I have Fluval bio rings, but I've been thinking of losing my PS2 skimmer because frankly, it's a bit of a pain in the butt and it's stripping the calcium out of my water almost daily. Plus I have to clean and empty the cup every day, and turn it off every day for dosing some stuff. So its basically. not worth the effort on so small a tank. But I could use that chamber for something else, so I was wondering what everybody thinks about the Matrix use and whether its good bad or ugly?

[gooner]

I personally use matrix and marinepure bio balls (small) and am so far having fantastic results. drop the nitrate levels through small water changes, even a couple a week if need be, and dump the skimmer in my opinion. great in large reef tanks but a giant pain in the butt on a nano tank. not even contemplating getting one for my evo. just my 2 cents LOL

[ECLS Reefer]

47 minutes ago, gooner said:

I personally use matrix and marinepure bio balls (small) and am so far having fantastic results. drop the nitrate levels through small water changes, even a couple a week if need be, and dump the skimmer in my opinion. great in large reef tanks but a giant pain in the butt on a nano tank. not even contemplating getting one for my evo. just my 2 cents LOL

Yep so far it’s just been a cleaning pain in the butt. Have to empty it just about every day and pull it out and clean everything just about every four. And then there’s the element stripping. So yeah I think the little dude is gonna come out. Not sure that he isn’t just a money gimmick for Fluval anyway. 

[gooner]

ive heard of a few guys getting them to work pretty decent but they all said it was tedious and relentless work that did nothing more than water changes once or twice a week

[EvilFish]

PS2 skimmer is horrible and very unstable even with ATO.

 

I use DIY Upflow Algae Scrubber, much better, stable and very easy to maintain.

 

In my tank:

1 chamber - AA 9 Watt UV Sterilizer. On top of it Purigen and Carbon.

2 chamber - DIY UAS.

3 chamber - pump, ato, heater, wooden airstone for microbubbles.

 

Very easy to maintain.

 

 

[ECLS Reefer]

1 hour ago, EvilFish said:

PS2 skimmer is horrible and very unstable even with ATO.

 

I use DIY Upflow Algae Scrubber, much better, stable and very easy to maintain.

 

In my tank:

1 chamber - AA 9 Watt UV Sterilizer. On top of it Purigen and Carbon.

2 chamber - DIY UAS.

3 chamber - pump, ato, heater, wooden airstone for microbubbles.

 

Very easy to maintain.

 

 

Out of curiosity, what is the job of the wooden airstone and the micro bubbles?

[hyoib]

4 hours ago, EvilFish said:

PS2 skimmer is horrible and very unstable even with ATO.

 

I use DIY Upflow Algae Scrubber, much better, stable and very easy to maintain.

 

In my tank:

1 chamber - AA 9 Watt UV Sterilizer. On top of it Purigen and Carbon.

2 chamber - DIY UAS.

3 chamber - pump, ato, heater, wooden airstone for microbubbles.

 

Very easy to maintain.

 

 

I’ve never seen an algae scrubber in an eVo. Could you share details/‘pictures about you made it.

[EvilFish]

12 hours ago, Nursecop818 said:

Out of curiosity, what is the job of the wooden airstone and the micro bubbles?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/micro-and-nano-bubble-tank-treatment.231894/

 

9 hours ago, hyoib said:

I’ve never seen an algae scrubber in an eVo. Could you share details/‘pictures about you made it.

 

 

You don't need a pump and airbubbles for this scrubber. Only the light, plastic basket and mesh. That's it. 0 noise, no cords, maintenance once every 2-3 weeks 5 minutes.

[pricewayne]

Great thread!! Started my fluval just over a month ago -- LOVING IT. You guys have some awesome tanks!!

 

Here's where I'm at so far:

(sorry for the cloudy water -- took this pic soon after a water change so sand is still settling)

 

Just started my tank journal last night -- check it out if you'd like and love to compare equipment//swap tips. I've got tons to learn!

[748S911]

here's my EVO

 

Specs:

Tank
Fluval EVO 13.5

Mods:
covered vents on chamber 1 - left one vent open to flow into chamber 2
covered hole in center
cut 18x11 piece of abs for bottom of tank
black egg crate diy rear compartment for chamber 1

upgrades:

Lighting upgrade 
Dsuny led 22"
120mm fans x3 

Return Pump upgrade
Ehiem compact 1000 (future upgrade)

Circulation
Jebao CP-25 (future upgrade)

Bio media
filter floss & chaeto in chamber 1 (will use led that came with tank for fuge)
marine pure bio balls in chamber 2

ATO- (future upgrade)

Dosing unit- (future upgrade)

here are some pics of current progress

 

 

 

 

[EvilFish]

17 hours ago, 748S911 said:

Return Pump upgrade
Ehiem compact 1000 (future upgrade)

 

Don't do that!!! It will heat up your tank. I lost many corals a cause of this pump.

Worst upgrade for this tank.

 

I use Cobalt Aquatics MJ900 instead. Strong, silent and 8.5W only.

[EvilFish]

17 hours ago, 748S911 said:

Jebao CP-25

25W. Too much for 13.5G.

 

It was the lesson that I learned with Nano and lost most of my corals in the first year.

 

It's very easy to heat up this tank in summer. Try to use equipment with the less watt that you can.

 

Right now my powerhead (Sicce Nano 2000) uses 3W, return pump 8.5W. At winter I use 9W UV, but for the summer I'll remove it.

 

Fluval PS2 skimmer (8W) also raise the temp to around 2C degrees.

[748S911]

33 minutes ago, EvilFish said:

25W. Too much for 13.5G.

 

It was the lesson that I learned with Nano and lost most of my corals in the first year.

 

It's very easy to heat up this tank in summer. Try to use equipment with the less watt that you can.

 

Right now my powerhead (Sicce Nano 2000) uses 3W, return pump 8.5W. At winter I use 9W UV, but for the summer I'll remove it.

 

Fluval PS2 skimmer (8W) also raise the temp to around 2C degrees.

Thanks for the heads up evil.....but im gonna need tons of flow in this little tank for my sps... I have 3- RGB 120mmx120mm cpu fans❄️⛄ that will sit on top of my upgraded leds.  I can add up to 10 in total if heat is still an issue after that rate of evaporation will be my only concern lol.

 

 

 

[EvilFish]

35 minutes ago, 748S911 said:

I have 3- RGB 120mmx120mm cpu fans

But those fans are blocked by led.

 

36 minutes ago, 748S911 said:

but im gonna need tons of flow in this little tank for my sps

2377GPH : 13 = 182x, with the pump it will be 200x O_O

 

I also removed the lid to reduce the temp.

 

What is the model of your FAN controller.

 

 

[748S911]

1 hour ago, EvilFish said:

But those fans are blocked by led.

 

2377GPH : 13 = 182x, with the pump it will be 200x O_O

 

I also removed the lid to reduce the temp.

 

What is the model of your FAN controller.

 

 

 im keeping the hood. Leds haven't come in yet, but they will mounted from inside of hood to sit lower. Then fans will be mounted on top to create a vacuum of air from the surface of water passing around leds,  up and out through the fans. worst case scenario I add three more fans to the side.

 

im not sure it came with the set on amazon Asia horse is the brand. 

[EvilFish]

1 hour ago, 748S911 said:

 im keeping the hood. Leds haven't come in yet, but they will mounted from inside of hood to sit lower. Then fans will be mounted on top to create a vacuum of air from the surface of water passing around leds,  up and out through the fans. worst case scenario I add three more fans to the side.

 

im not sure it came with the set on amazon Asia horse is the brand. 

If you install Eheim 1000 pump, 25W gyre, powerfull led and keep the hood. I really doubt that you will able to keep the temp in range even with 10 fans.

 

It's like running 75-100W heater all the time in the tank with 10g net water volume (or less).

 

Eheim pump alone heated my tank to 29-30C...

[748S911]

I'll have to monitor the temps with everything running for at least week to dial everything in.  In 2003-2005 I had a  jbj 12 gal nano cube with an aqua medic ocean light pendant 150 watt mh 20k hqi over it with one cpu fan (that thing ran hot!!!) and 6 power heads in there lol never had heat issues. always 78-80 all my corals and sps did great in that tank. 

 

 

 

 

[DRGN]

I haven't seen it mentioned but I may have missed it, is anyone currently using an ATO on this tank and if so which one and where have you located it?