Fluval Evo 13.5 with NSW build thread

jfoahs04

Non-member
It’s been about a month since I’ve started this tank, so I figure it’s about time to start a build thread.

I’m building out a Fluval Evo 13.5 that I purchased off a member of this club (thank you)! I’m running the Current USA IC led on the Loop system (also with a nano wave maker) which was part of the package. I also added the Kraken Lids mesh lid which is awesome and should help prevent carpet surfers. I’ve got the Intank media basket in Chamber 1 (floss-carbon-bio media). Chamber 2 has the heater for now (may convert to refugium eventually), and the stock return pump in Chamber 3.

I started with standard aragonite sandbed, and all cured live rock sources from BRS members (again, thank you). Most importantly, I’m using natural sea water (NSW) from Winthrop. In an effort to keep it as “natural” as possible, I’m just using a sock to filter out macro elements and just storing in a bucket with a heater and cheap power head for 24 hours before adding. I’m adding a little bit of Reef Crystals to bump salinity from about 1.023/4 as collected to 1.025 for the display. Might be nitpicking, but I figure 1.025 is a good middle ground that will give me some more of a margin of error on salinity swings (a concern in the nano). I collected in the same spot, about an hour before high tide, and I don’t collect after heavy rain.

current livestock:
-CUC (trochus, nassarius, several small hermits)
-Several small Zoa colonies
-One medium paly colony
-candy cane (one, soon to be 2 heads)
-3 head Duncan
-Frogspawn
-Frilly/Hairy mushroom
-GSP (will eventually mount to back wall)
-Small piece of Xenia
-Tailspot Blenny

Cycle was fairly minimal thanks to using about 18lbs of cured live rock from nearby reefers. I had a small ammonia spike in week 1, but it didn’t even irritate the mushrooms or zoas that came with the live rock. I ran for several weeks with just the rock anyway and did a little bit of ghost feeding (frozen brine). First frags added last week, as was the blenny. I picked a few more up from Dong and other reefers this weekend. Now I’ll monitor (and maybe move some frags) for the next few weeks to see how things adjust. But so far, so good.

Future additions:
-Lighting upgrade - AI Prime 16HD (likely early Sept)
-Pair of clowns (mocha storm, black storm, Picasso, or something similar - open to suggestions for trusted local sellers) - likely mid-late September assuming things continue as they have been
-Small acan or brain colony
-A few more Zoa varities
-skunk cleaner shrimp

So far, things have been good. Coral and fish have adjusted well. I’ve got some bubble algae that I’m pulling when I see it, but not much. I’ll keep watching nutrients and hope that it eventually goes away with diligence.

some photos:
0803D353-AE9B-4E8E-86F5-2F2B55BA3FAD.jpeg

198B5B29-555C-4856-A388-3234D6911225.jpeg

623AE2F2-783C-4F41-AA1D-901992F8ECC9.jpeg

4C54728F-0B1B-4CCF-8DEF-7C0EA8502819.jpeg

C8C1FA85-66D1-4146-9240-246C746B9C02.jpeg

BDF0339F-7384-4C4E-9035-4A711C4B6DAB.jpeg

27756201-ED57-415C-9DA7-00D0D29B70F3.jpeg
 
Last edited:
what is your take on the Current LED? I see that you have future plans to upgrade.

I am thinking about the IC PRO dual for my AIO inno 30g long!
 
what is your take on the Current LED? I see that you have future plans to upgrade.

I am thinking about the IC PRO dual for my AIO inno 30g long!
I think it’s more than adequate for LPS and softies in a relatively shallow tank. The Pro should be even better. I like the Loop system and the aesthetics of the ramp up/down are pretty nice.

The downside for me is that it makes getting my hands in-out of the little nano a bit tricky. I have to move it a lot. I’d keep it, but the Prime should promote more growth and I can use it on a bigger tank if/when I upgrade.

I bought this whole setup off another reefer and it was a great deal. But if I pieced it together myself, I’d spend a little extra for the better light from the start. But it should be fine for softies/LPS.

C234C67E-1741-4436-8FF2-1FCB46F44EAB.jpeg

F1A025E6-85FB-449B-A587-988EF1BD6A5B.jpeg
 
It’s been about a month since I’ve started this tank, so I figure it’s about time to start a build thread.

I’m building out a Fluval Evo 13.5 that I purchased off a member of this club (thank you)! I’m running the Current USA IC led on the Loop system (also with a nano wave maker) which was part of the package. I also added the Kraken Lids mesh lid which is awesome and should help prevent carpet surfers. I’ve got the Intank media basket in Chamber 1 (floss-carbon-bio media). Chamber 2 has the heater for now (may convert to refugium eventually), and the stock return pump in Chamber 3.

I started with standard aragonite sandbed, and all cured live rock sources from BRS members (again, thank you). Most importantly, I’m using natural sea water (NSW) from Winthrop. In an effort to keep it as “natural” as possible, I’m just using a sock to filter out macro elements and just storing in a bucket with a heater and cheap power head for 24 hours before adding. I’m adding a little bit of Reef Crystals to bump salinity from about 1.023/4 as collected to 1.025 for the display. Might be nitpicking, but I figure 1.025 is a good middle ground that will give me some more of a margin of error on salinity swings (a concern in the nano). I collected in the same spot, about an hour before high tide, and I don’t collect after heavy rain.

current livestock:
-CUC (trochus, nassarius, several small hermits)
-Several small Zoa colonies
-One medium paly colony
-candy cane (one, soon to be 2 heads)
-3 head Duncan
-Frogspawn
-Frilly/Hairy mushroom
-GSP (will eventually mount to back wall)
-Small piece of Xenia
-Tailspot Blenny

Cycle was fairly minimal thanks to using about 18lbs of cured live rock from nearby reefers. I had a small ammonia spike in week 1, but it didn’t even irritate the mushrooms or zoas that came with the live rock. I ran for several weeks with just the rock anyway and did a little bit of ghost feeding (frozen brine). First frags added last week, as was the blenny. I picked a few more up from Dong and other reefers this weekend. Now I’ll monitor (and maybe move some frags) for the next few weeks to see how things adjust. But so far, so good.

Future additions:
-Lighting upgrade - AI Prime 16HD (likely early Sept)
-Pair of clowns (mocha storm, black storm, Picasso, or something similar - open to suggestions for trusted local sellers) - likely mid-late September assuming things continue as they have been
-Small acan or brain colony
-A few more Zoa varities
-skunk cleaner shrimp

So far, things have been good. Coral and fish have adjusted well. I’ve got some bubble algae that I’m pulling when I see it, but not much. I’ll keep watching nutrients and hope that it eventually goes away with diligence.

some photos:
View attachment 165202
View attachment 165203
View attachment 165204
View attachment 165205
View attachment 165206
View attachment 165207
View attachment 165208
I love that you are using salt water from the ocean, I was literally thinking about this last weekend as I stood on the beach. Nice to know its working out well for you, think I may give it a try. Tank looks great by the way.
 
I love that you are using salt water from the ocean, I was literally thinking about this last weekend as I stood on the beach. Nice to know its working out well for you, think I may give it a try. Tank looks great by the way.
Thanks! The jury is still out for me since the tank is so young, but I’ve yet to see/read about someone using NSW and having trouble with it. Plus everything looks happy so far. I’ve had polyp growth on literally everything (inc. the aiptasia, unfortunately) in the tank and the fish are in a frenzy and the coral are fully extended after each change. Also, collecting is fun (probably won’t be in January). FWIW, the NSW I’m collecting in Winthrop has an SG of about 1.024. If I were mixing my own. I’d shoot for 1.025/6, but this seems to work just fine so
I’ve stopped boosting my collected water with Reef Crystals. Just strait seawater filtered through a sock.

EE446008-F0D9-40D3-B7C2-F77829BB6558.jpeg
 
Thanks! The jury is still out for me since the tank is so young, but I’ve yet to see/read about someone using NSW and having trouble with it. Plus everything looks happy so far. I’ve had polyp growth on literally everything (inc. the aiptasia, unfortunately) in the tank and the fish are in a frenzy and the coral are fully extended after each change. Also, collecting is fun (probably won’t be in January). FWIW, the NSW I’m collecting in Winthrop has an SG of about 1.024. If I were mixing my own. I’d shoot for 1.025/6, but this seems to work just fine so
I’ve stopped boosting my collected water with Reef Crystals. Just strait seawater filtered through a sock.

View attachment 165713
This is so cool. Have you tested any other parameters?
 
This is so cool. Have you tested any other parameters?
Yeah, I test most of the important ones each time I collect. I test as soon as I get home so generally it’s been in the bucket for about 10-15 minutes tops. I also test Ammonia again before I do a water change - usually within 24 hours of collection. I put a cheap Koralia powerhead and preset Aqueon heater in the bucket to get it to temp and keep it moving. Generally results are as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: >0.1 (I generally get 0 or trace amounts)
Calcium: around 400
Alk: ~7
PH: 7.8-8.0
SG: 1.024

I don’t test for Nitrite and I haven’t tested for Magnesium or Phosphates yet. When I start attempting more finicky coral, I’ll test for both of those.
 
So awesome! I live about .3 miles from a saltwater source, really want to give it a try. Issue is my tank is at work and my work has their own RODI system so I have 0ppm water on demand. Not sure which route makes the most sense…?
 
So awesome! I live about .3 miles from a saltwater source, really want to give it a try. Issue is my tank is at work and my work has their own RODI system so I have 0ppm water on demand. Not sure which route makes the most sense…?
Thanks! It's been a fun experiment so far. I have a RODI system I use for top offs. Honestly, I think it depends on you. The big knock against natural sea water is that you can't control it and I'm OK with taking that chance. I've never looked at mine under a microscope, but there could be nasties in there that I wouldn't be introducing to my system if I used RODI/Salt mix. I'm also not really looking forward to frigid days collecting in the winter. But so far, I really like the results (more so than my previous reefs at this point).
 
Whats your collection method?
Oh it's very complex... I walk out to the end of the jetty and dip my 5 gallon bucket into the water.

But seriously, I only go out when the tide is coming in (within about an hour of high tide), I don't go after a big rainfall, and I picked the location based on the general lack of crowds and the fact that I can get out into slightly deeper water without getting wet (or on a boat) because of the jetty. I do about 25-30% biweekly. I thought about a small pump to throw into the water, but at this volume it's unnecessary. I'll revisit that thought in the colder months.

When I get home, I pour it into a second home depot bucket through a sock to filter out the macro stuff, then I run the heater and powerhead for up to 24 hours before doing the change.
 
This is a pretty sleek little AIO. It’s the smallest reef I’ve ever owned (and I’ve never had a “big” one) and I can definitely feel the constraint when it comes to the rock work. But I’ve also never had a reef where the coral growth has taken off so quickly. This is a very new reef (just under 2 months), but it’s acting more mature than any other I’ve had at this point. I don’t know if that’s experience, live rock, the natural sea water, or some combination of everything, but I like it.

My big challenge is algae. Diatoms came and went quickly. I had some bubble algae on a pice of live rock from the start which spread a little and has since been reduced down to near nothing (with some effort). Honestly, I don’t hate the bubble algae as long as it doesn’t take over. Finally, I had a round of hair algae on the sand bed. That’s now largely receded. I attribute that to operator error. I have about 10 gallons of actual water volume and I’ve always been an over feeder. 10 gallons can’t compensate for the over feeding like a large system can. Nitrates and phosphates never read high, but that’s probably because the algae was consuming it. I dialed back the feeding, started changing out my filter fiber every two days (instead of weekly), and manually removed as much as possible. It’s mostly gone now - lesson learned. I haven’t seen any aiptasia since I removed the section of rock where the colony was growing. I’m hopeful, but it’ll be awhile before I feel confident about it.

In addition to my Tailspot Blenny, I now also have a small DaVinci clown. It’s tank raised and has a Nemo fin on its right side (or “starboard” since this is marine?). It makes him a little extra wiggly (which my fiancée loves), but he manages more than just fine. He eats like a pig. My favorite thing is that the the blenny seems to have taken to the little guy. I was worried about aggression (blenny was there first), but they are always hanging out together, they eat together, and even sleep together. The blenny had a few spots in the rocks where it used to sleep/hide. The clown took up residence by the thermometer in the back of the tank. Well, now the blenny sleeps next to him, “hiding” (not very well) behind the thermometer too. I had always said I’ll get a 3rd fish (likely a second clown), but 2 may be just fine.

Some photos:
4FA23299-8B6A-4491-8A76-C10DD4A60493.jpeg

92059B29-595E-40A8-BBA9-0F303F47D6B3.jpeg

312B6D0F-E815-4F68-9B51-269ACA588611.jpeg

E7810390-D3C4-436A-9262-7610444EAB9F.jpeg

 
Upcoming Events

April 21, 2024
Paul B
Club Meeting

Back
Top