Pharris13 Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 Hey everyone, I'm planning on upgrading my Fluval evo 13.5 but the wife didn't realize how expensive the hobby was going to be so its going to be a few a months before I'm able to get everything. Right now I've upgraded to an inTank chamber 1 media basket and got rid of the detritus trap foam block it comes with and I've also added a Sicce Syncra 0.5 with 2 RFG's from VCA. Right now I've got a pretty large CUC a Yellow Watchman Goby and a few corals and everything seems to be healthy but I am definitely trying to advance my setup. I'm looking for some advice on what order y'all think I should make the following upgrades. Interested to hear some input Refugium Cobalt neo-therm 50w heater Aqami KPS wavemaker Autoaqua smart ato micro AI prime HD Quote Link to comment
Murphs_Reef Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 What flow have you got at the moment? Is it the out of the box setup or something else? What lighting do you have now? If it's the stock setup I would go light then flow then everything else. Quote Link to comment
Pharris13 Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 4 minutes ago, Grimes said: What flow have you got at the moment? Is it the out of the box setup or something else? What lighting do you have now? If it's the stock setup I would go light then flow then everything else. 8 minutes ago, Pharris13 said: Right now I've upgraded to an inTank chamber 1 media basket and got rid of the detritus trap foam block it comes with and I've also added a Sicce Syncra 0.5 with 2 RFG's from VCA I believe this return pump is 185 gph and I'm running it wide open. As far as lights I'm still running the stock light and it's doing surprisingly well but the programability is non existent Quote Link to comment
Murphs_Reef Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 If it was me I would get the AI prime first, then the wavemaker. Your flow won't be that bad I wouldn't say so priority on the light Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 33 minutes ago, Pharris13 said: Hey everyone, I'm planning on upgrading my Fluval evo 13.5 but the wife didn't realize how expensive the hobby was going to be so its going to be a few a months before I'm able to get everything. Right now I've upgraded to an inTank chamber 1 media basket and got rid of the detritus trap foam block it comes with and I've also added a Sicce Syncra 0.5 with 2 RFG's from VCA. Right now I've got a pretty large CUC a Yellow Watchman Goby and a few corals and everything seems to be healthy but I am definitely trying to advance my setup. I'm looking for some advice on what order y'all think I should make the following upgrades. Interested to hear some input Refugium Cobalt neo-therm 50w heater Aqami KPS wavemaker Autoaqua smart ato micro AI prime HD Refugium isn't necessary, especially if you don't have higher nutrients because the macro won't grow and will use up any available nutrients in the tank, which your corals need. The cobalt- what are you currently using in the tank? Its not necessary to replace your heater if its a good one. Ato- manually topping up is perfectly fine. Ai Prime and a wavemaker/powerhead would be the priorities. There are cheaper options to the kps. Quote Link to comment
Pharris13 Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 24 minutes ago, Grimes said: If it was me I would get the AI prime first, then the wavemaker. Your flow won't be that bad I wouldn't say so priority on the light That was my thought too but will more than likely have to add a new lid with that as well. This hobby is a money trap lol Quote Link to comment
Pharris13 Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 6 minutes ago, Clown79 said: Refugium isn't necessary, especially if you don't have higher nutrients because the macro won't grow and will use up any available nutrients in the tank, which your corals need. The cobalt- what are you currently using in the tank? Its not necessary to replace your heater if its a good one. Ato- manually topping up is perfectly fine. Ai Prime and a wavemaker/powerhead would be the priorities. There are cheaper options to the kps. Not currently running a heater or a thermostat (gasp). House thermostat sits on 75 and the light puts off a fair amount of heat. Everything in the tank seems happy so it hasn't been a huge concern. Planning on the Refugium because I eventually plan on having 4 fish which I have read from other posts is a high bio load for this size tank plus I think it would be beneficial to the overall health of the tank Quote Link to comment
Kurant Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 If you want to save a little loot, Hyggr makes a $60 controllable wavemaker, with ramp up and ramp down after you set the time of day. Small, slim profile, and will get a nice wave in your 13.5. I highly recommend them. Amazon. Controller is a little convoluted to learn, but fairly easy. I preferred it over my Aquamai. I never could get Chaeto to grow in my 13.5. It just turned to slime. 2.5g water changes weekly kept my nutrients consistent and in check. 1 Quote Link to comment
Pharris13 Posted September 12, 2020 Author Share Posted September 12, 2020 13 minutes ago, Kurant said: If you want to save a little loot, Hyggr makes a $60 controllable wavemaker, with ramp up and ramp down after you set the time of day. Small, slim profile, and will get a nice wave in your 13.5. I highly recommend them. Amazon. Controller is a little convoluted to learn, but fairly easy. I preferred it over my Aquamai. I never could get Chaeto to grow in my 13.5. It just turned to slime. 2.5g water changes weekly kept my nutrients consistent and in check. I'll check out the Hyggr. I've been keeping up with my water changes for the most part might miss a day here or there. Can I ask how many fish you had in your evo? Quote Link to comment
Kurant Posted September 12, 2020 Share Posted September 12, 2020 52 minutes ago, Pharris13 said: I'll check out the Hyggr. I've been keeping up with my water changes for the most part might miss a day here or there. Can I ask how many fish you had in your evo? 2 clowns, pistol shrimp and a hi fin Goby. I don't really chase numbers. My tank was very happy at .06-.08 PO3 and 2-5 NO3. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 4 hours ago, Kurant said: If you want to save a little loot, Hyggr makes a $60 controllable wavemaker, with ramp up and ramp down after you set the time of day. Small, slim profile, and will get a nice wave in your 13.5. I highly recommend them. Amazon. Controller is a little convoluted to learn, but fairly easy. I preferred it over my Aquamai. I never could get Chaeto to grow in my 13.5. It just turned to slime. 2.5g water changes weekly kept my nutrients consistent and in check. I never could keep chaeto alive either, my nutrient levels never get high enough to sustain chaeto and the tank. Quote Link to comment
Pharris13 Posted September 13, 2020 Author Share Posted September 13, 2020 Appreciate the input on the Chaeto. Sounds like a Fuge should be last on my list if its even needed Quote Link to comment
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