Fluval 13.5 build

[Joeymclovin]

Hey guys how’s it going! I just recently bought a fluval 13.5 nano tank and decided I should start a forum on it to track the progress. My tank is already cycled I’ve had it going for about 5 weeks now. Everything in the tank is stock still no upgrades I wanted to ask people what are some of the best upgrades to start with. I am running the fluval ps2 mini skimmer and I’ve had pretty good results. I did use the biochem QuickStart and that is why my tank has gone through it’s cycleing process in a short time. I also have live reef rock and arganite. I did wait some time before adding new inhabitants to avoid spikes in my tank parameters.

 

Inhabitants:

2 green/blue reef chromis 

1 lawnmower Blenny 

3 snails (forgot what type they are)

2 nassarius snails

1 designer clownfish (bought him today)

1 cleaner shrimp

 

Corals: 

1 Xenia frag

1 eagle eye zoanthid frag

[Clown79]

Tank looks good. 

 

Nost ppl get an intank media basket, ditch the stock filter media and use floss, car on, and other media's.

 

Some like to upgrade the pump or add a powerhead.

 

I really like the random flow generator nozzles. Not sure if they make one for the evo but they do for the fluval spec.

 

They work great with an upgraded pump.

[Joeymclovin]

20 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Tank looks good. 

 

Nost ppl get an intank media basket, ditch the stock filter media and use floss, car on, and other media's.

 

Some like to upgrade the pump or add a powerhead.

 

I really like the random flow generator nozzles. Not sure if they make one for the evo but they do for the fluval spec.

 

They work great with an upgraded pump.

Thanks! Appreciate it! I was thinking of getting that intank media basket forsure and I was also thinking of getting the hydor 240 circulation pump or the mp10 but I feel like it’s over kill.

[Clown79]

The 240 will be weak in the 13.5

I had a 420 in my 15g and it was weak.

 

The mp10 is a favoured wavemaker but its costly.

 

There are many options available.

 

 

[Joeymclovin]

On 2/23/2019 at 9:05 PM, Clown79 said:

The 240 will be weak in the 13.5

I had a 420 in my 15g and it was weak.

 

The mp10 is a favoured wavemaker but its costly.

 

There are many options available.

 

 

Yea I did hear that the 240 was somewhat weak, I don’t plan on keeping sps corals though. They don’t really appeal to me yet for some reason. Yea I’ve read good stuff about the mp10 but it’s pretty pricey.

[KISReef]

Congrat's on the new tank!

 

I'd add a powerhead (maybe a Hydor Koralia). MP-10 is over kill and expensive (IMO). But, it's your money. :)

 

Hey Joey, make sure to stay up with parameters on your reef. If your going to keep that many fish in that system, watch out for your nutrients to spike. I'd add as much biological filtration as I could (If I were you). Good luck.

 

I've heard mixed results on the lighting. I guess people either love it or hate it. lol

[Joeymclovin]

3 hours ago, KISReef said:

Congrat's on the new tank!

 

I'd add a powerhead (maybe a Hydor Koralia). MP-10 is over kill and expensive (IMO). But, it's your money. 🙂

 

Hey Joey, make sure to stay up with parameters on your reef. If your going to keep that many fish in that system, watch out for your nutrients to spike. I'd add as much biological filtration as I could (If I were you). Good luck.

 

I've heard mixed results on the lighting. I guess people either love it or hate it. lol

Thank KISReef! Yea a power head is defenitely something I’m going to get soon, do you happen to know if I can put an intank chamber two media basket that would work with the skimmer installed in chamber 1? Because I want more of a biological filtration as you mentioned. 

[KISReef]

10 hours ago, Joeymclovin said:

do you happen to know if I can put an intank chamber two media basket that would work with the skimmer installed in chamber 1? Because I want more of a biological filtration as you mentioned. 

Option two/three below (cheaper route). You can modify the sponge section a bit by cutting out the section that connects the two cutouts (middle sponge section). So you will have one bigger section for additional biological media. You can also add additional biological media under the sponge if you need more. Also, you can add a bag on chemi-pure elite if you wish for added organic filtration under the sponge section.

 

Option three: Get rid of the sponge material. Add a mechanical pad and cut it to size to cover the slits vertically (replace it every two to four days) or when it starts getting dirty.  Then place all the biological media of choice you want or need in compartment two. You can also add a bag of chemi-pure elite on the bottom of section two, just before the return pump if you wish.

 

So you do have a couple of options or choices to make depending on which direction you want to take. Hope this info helps you out in some way. Good luck.

 

Also, if you want to keep the sponge material as a means of mechanical filtration. Remember to rinse it out often to remove any debris that gets past the protein skinner (if you have that problem/issue.

 

[afcajax73]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 10:44 AM, Joeymclovin said:

Thank KISReef! Yea a power head is defenitely something I’m going to get soon, do you happen to know if I can put an intank chamber two media basket that would work with the skimmer installed in chamber 1? Because I want more of a biological filtration as you mentioned. 

hey joey... great tank,

 

Just for info.. I ran an InTank media basket in chamber 2, with the ps2 skimmer in chamber 1 for about 10 months with no real issue.

 

I have since replaced the skimmer with an InTank media basket because I didn't particularly like the skimmer and amount of work it took to keep it going.

 

 

[Mazzy21]

As someone who has the MP10 on the EVO 13.5, I am in agreement with @KISReef - it is WAY overkill. I only used it because my EVO was/is only a holding tank until I set my biocube back up and I wans't going to buy new equip just for a temporary tank. But the MP10 has to be dialed down to about 50% and then it doesn't agitate the top of the water very well. At 60% (what I have mine at now) it does well at the water surface but displaces the substrate. I have very fine black gravel (that "Haitian moon sand" or whatever fruity name they give it) and it is all at one side of the tank in a big pile because it's too strong for the shallow/small- ness of the tank.

MP10s are great if you have a ReefLink (I do) and can specifically program them to run different cycles at different times of day, and make those cycles coincide with your lights 'rising sun to calming nights' kinda situation, but otherwise I think most ppl don't have a Reeflink and their MP10 is just set on one setting which makes it a pointless throwing away of money IMO because you can get any $20 powerhead if all you are going to do is set it on one setting and forget it.

But yeah, the MP10 is just way too much for your tank unless you want to run it at less than half what it was made for and throw away about $100 in the process.

[Curtis_Rose]

Aquami KPS is a decent option for a little over 100 dollars I have one in my 13.5 

[Opotter]

I second the aquamai KPS.  Just upgraded from the hydor 420 in my Evo. It’s amazing!  Super happy with it.

[Joeymclovin]

Thanks for the info! I think I’m just going to go with the aquamai KPS because I know that it can be tweaked with, also because I plan on getting a bigger tank in the future so that would be a good addition I feel. 

Update: I’m planning on getting a bubble tip anemone for my clown to host, any experience with these? I heard they like to move around a lot so I wanted to get one in the tank before I buy a bunch of corals just to have the anemone move around and sting them.

[Joeymclovin]

20 hours ago, afcajax73 said:

hey joey... great tank,

 

Just for info.. I ran an InTank media basket in chamber 2, with the ps2 skimmer in chamber 1 for about 10 months with no real issue.

 

I have since replaced the skimmer with an InTank media basket because I didn't particularly like the skimmer and amount of work it took to keep it going.

 

 

Thank! Did you find the water to be a lot clearer with the intank media basket? Also did it help keep the water parameters steady? I heard that the stock fluval media basket gets dirty very quickly and is pretty hard to clean as well, and that’s why I wanted an upgrade.

[afcajax73]

3 hours ago, Joeymclovin said:

Thank! Did you find the water to be a lot clearer with the intank media basket? Also did it help keep the water parameters steady? I heard that the stock fluval media basket gets dirty very quickly and is pretty hard to clean as well, and that’s why I wanted an upgrade.

yes mate,

 

I got rid of the stock foam filter almost immediately, during cycling. I ran the skimmer and media basket two for a while and I started to struggle with green hair algae. I was finding that 9/10 times the skimmer wasn't really working properly and I was constantly having to change its settings to make it work. I swapped it out for the media basket in chamber 1 and put some filter floss and chemi pure blue in.... so far so good. :)

[Joeymclovin]

Update: picked up a green bubble tip anemone and just got done acclimating it. Hopefully my clown will build its relationship with it and the anemone will host the clown. It was moving around and fell over haha it’s pretty retracted right now so it’s bigger than that.

[afcajax73]

nice :)

 

make sure you get more pictures up when it settles in...

 

I'm looking to buy a bubble tip over the next few weeks, but I'm just waiting for the right one to come in my LFS :)

[Joeymclovin]

2 hours ago, afcajax73 said:

nice 🙂

 

make sure you get more pictures up when it settles in...

 

I'm looking to buy a bubble tip over the next few weeks, but I'm just waiting for the right one to come in my LFS 🙂

It found a pretty nice spot up on the live rock, it hasn’t fully extended yet but it has opened up a little I also see my clown keeping an eye on it, it seems interested but hasn’t approached it yet.

[afcajax73]

4 hours ago, Joeymclovin said:

It found a pretty nice spot up on the live rock, it hasn’t fully extended yet but it has opened up a little I also see my clown keeping an eye on it, it seems interested but hasn’t approached it yet.

that's cool :)

[Mazzy21]

On 2/28/2019 at 3:34 AM, Joeymclovin said:

Update: I’m planning on getting a bubble tip anemone for my clown to host, any experience with these? I heard they like to move around a lot so I wanted to get one in the tank before I buy a bunch of corals just to have the anemone move around and sting them.

I enjoy a bubble tip in the tank. Once they find their spot they're good, and although I've heard of ones moving a lot, I've had a few and when healthy they don't move almost at all in my experience. I lost my last one in the move because this holding tank just doens't have the lighting for it (and I almost ruined by radion during a most unfortunate corner dip into the tank - it took over a month of sitting unscrewed/open but then it just magically came back on!! SO relieved!) so my little clown is trying to host a finger leather but she just looks sad hovering above it, mimicking the action of wriggling down into her nem without actually touching the leather. I can't wait to move her back and pick up another bubble tip at the local swap in a couple weeks.

PS - I haven't read about lighting you plan for this tank but I don't believe the stock lighting will be enough.

[Joeymclovin]

On 3/2/2019 at 8:10 AM, Mazzy21 said:

I enjoy a bubble tip in the tank. Once they find their spot they're good, and although I've heard of ones moving a lot, I've had a few and when healthy they don't move almost at all in my experience. I lost my last one in the move because this holding tank just doens't have the lighting for it (and I almost ruined by radion during a most unfortunate corner dip into the tank - it took over a month of sitting unscrewed/open but then it just magically came back on!! SO relieved!) so my little clown is trying to host a finger leather but she just looks sad hovering above it, mimicking the action of wriggling down into her nem without actually touching the leather. I can't wait to move her back and pick up another bubble tip at the local swap in a couple weeks.

PS - I haven't read about lighting you plan for this tank but I don't believe the stock lighting will be enough.

Yea my bta hasn’t moved much since I got him and it’s fully extended now, but it’s in the back of the tank where I can’t see him lol. I asked my lfs and also read up on the stock lighting and they said it’s prettt decent and it would work for the majority of corals and the bta, but I do plan on upgrading pretty soon. 

[Joeymclovin]

Update:

i picked up the hydro koralia 425 and I’m not too sure where to place it, I have it basically facing the overflow but pointed downwards a bit. Any suggestions? 

[Joeymclovin]

On 2/28/2019 at 11:31 PM, afcajax73 said:

nice 🙂

 

make sure you get more pictures up when it settles in...

 

I'm looking to buy a bubble tip over the next few weeks, but I'm just waiting for the right one to come in my LFS 🙂

I promised you a picture of my bta! Here you go! 

The bta has also hosted my clown and it’s gotta be the cutest thing ever seeing the clown wiggle around in it 

[afcajax73]

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 7:20 AM, Joeymclovin said:

I promised you a picture of my bta! Here you go! 

The bta has also hosted my clown and it’s gotta be the cutest thing ever seeing the clown wiggle around in it 

ah that's awesome :) looking good!

[Mazzy21]

Congrats on the new nem!! I just got one too at the swap over the weekend but this one is a walker! He is doing good attaching right away when I touched his foot to a rock but he's been traveling ever since. I am pretty positive it's because of the Fluval being small and my equip being a little forceful in such a small tank - I have turned the MP10 down to 40% but it's still displacing sand and my big leather when it pulses, and my nem is small and clearly doesn't want to be badgered in a heavy current. He does bubble each time he stops for a few so I'm happy about that. I've gotten bubblers and non-bubblers in the past and this guy seems to be a bubbler. Looks like yours easily attached too and may have already found a good home! Good Luck!!!