Phantom's 2nd Hand Evo

[CCiPhantom]

Hello all, 1st time reefer here with a used Fluval 13.5 that I am going to use in my new office space at work. Have some experience with freshwater tanks my son and I have at home housing bettas, corys, cherry shrimp, snails, etc. Got used equipment dirt cheap on FBM and have the perfect spot for it at work.

2nd Hand Evo Came with the Following:​

Fluval Evo 13.5 Tank
Stock Return Pump
Stock Lid w/ Light (has broken plastic on both the lid and rear chamber cover)
Fluval ps2 Protein Skimmer
Kraken Lid
Nicrew 50W
Fluval Heater
Mag Float Scraper
Center Hole Plugged

What I Have Collected so Far:​

Nicrew Controller
Sicce Syncra 1.0
10LB White Marco Dry Rock (local custom)
Small Purple Marco Dry Rock Island
1/2" RFG with 3 Extra Knuckles (local custom 3D printed)
Spare Fluval Heater
Intank Media Basket for Chamber 1
Ceramic Bioballs
Caribsea Live Reef Sand
LFS Saltwater & RODI Water
Jug Plugs (for my three 5G water jugs, FRODI, SALTY, & JOE DIRT )
10 Gallon Tsunami Reservoir (will mod for ATO)
API Saltwater Master Test Kit
Dr Tims One and Only
Dr Tims Ammonium Chloride
Intank Filter Floss
1/4" Egg Crate

Status:​

Tank cleaned up pretty good with some water and vinegar. All stock equipment works but since the return pump was missing a suction cup I just went ahead and got a Sicce 1.0 and keeping the stock pump for backup. Nicrew light works good so I wont worry about upgrading my light until later.

Added rock, sand, salt water, Dr Tims One and Only, & ammonium chloride on Wednesday June 5, so I'm pretty good so far in the cycle.

Current Chamber Setup:​

Chamber 1: Intank Media Basket with Top Filter Floss and 2nd/3rd Baskets Empty
Chamber 2: Ceramic Bioballs
Chamber 3: Sicce 1.0 & Heater

Readings are looking good considering I live a good distance from work, so there is no checking it on the weekends unless I'm around. Running stock lid and a cardboard surround for the dark phase @ approx. 82°F.

Now just a waiting game and excited for the ugly stage!

Plans:​

Complete cycle, add 2 clowns.
Once settled add CUC, shrimp, goby, and mod chamber 2 with the egg crate to accept the PS2 skimmer height, and move the bioballs to bottom basket in chamber 1.
Then go ham on the corals. LFS has awesome selections of live stock about 30 mins from work.
Mod the tsunami reservoir for ATO. Fits perfect in the cubby on this stand! Will rotate 180° when I drill and grommet the stand for the fittings/hoses to go through the back.

Looking forward to learning and evolving with this tank. Think I'm set up properly so far, open to all comments and suggestions! Photo dump, about in order, maybe...stay tuned!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[CCiPhantom]

Installed the Sicce 1.0 and RFG. Started with 2 knuckles but didn't like the angle so added a 3rd keeping it about level so I get some surface agitation. Did notice that adding this extra knuckle I guess gave it a little more head pressure causing chamber 3 water level to be approx. 3/4" lower than the tank and other chambers, which I assume is normal. Again pump is turned down a few clicks so I imagine if i were at 100% it would pull chamber 3 down even more. Pump is quiet besides some vibrations from the stock lids which will go away in a month or 2.

Day 7 in the cycle and NH3 finally hit about zero but NO2 still at 5 so ill give it another day to see if that comes down before I dose again before the weekend.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Hello all, 1st time reefer here with a used Fluval 13.5 that I am going to use in my new office space at work. Have some experience with freshwater tanks my son and I have at home housing bettas, corys, cherry shrimp, snails, etc. Got used equipment dirt cheap on FBM and have the perfect spot for it at work.

2nd Hand Evo Came with the Following:​

Fluval Evo 13.5 Tank
Stock Return Pump
Stock Lid w/ Light (has broken plastic on both the lid and rear chamber cover)
Fluval ps2 Protein Skimmer
Kraken Lid
Nicrew 50W
Fluval Heater
Mag Float Scraper
Center Hole Plugged

What I Have Collected so Far:​

Nicrew Controller
Sicce Syncra 1.0
10LB White Marco Dry Rock (local custom)
Small Purple Marco Dry Rock Island
1/2" RFG with 3 Extra Knuckles (local custom 3D printed)
Spare Fluval Heater
Intank Media Basket for Chamber 1
Ceramic Bioballs
Caribsea Live Reef Sand
LFS Saltwater & RODI Water
Jug Plugs (for my three 5G water jugs, FRODI, SALTY, & JOE DIRT )
10 Gallon Tsunami Reservoir (will mod for ATO)
API Saltwater Master Test Kit
Dr Tims One and Only
Dr Tims Ammonium Chloride
Intank Filter Floss
1/4" Egg Crate

Status:​

Tank cleaned up pretty good with some water and vinegar. All stock equipment works but since the return pump was missing a suction cup I just went ahead and got a Sicce 1.0 and keeping the stock pump for backup. Nicrew light works good so I wont worry about upgrading my light until later.

Added rock, sand, salt water, Dr Tims One and Only, & ammonium chloride on Wednesday June 5, so I'm pretty good so far in the cycle.

Current Chamber Setup:​

Chamber 1: Intank Media Basket with Top Filter Floss and 2nd/3rd Baskets Empty
Chamber 2: Ceramic Bioballs
Chamber 3: Sicce 1.0 & Heater

Readings are looking good considering I live a good distance from work, so there is no checking it on the weekends unless I'm around. Running stock lid and a cardboard surround for the dark phase @ approx. 82°F.

Now just a waiting game and excited for the ugly stage!

Plans:​

Complete cycle, add 2 clowns.
Once settled add CUC, shrimp, goby, and mod chamber 2 with the egg crate to accept the PS2 skimmer height, and move the bioballs to bottom basket in chamber 1.
Then go ham on the corals. LFS has awesome selections of live stock about 30 mins from work.
Mod the tsunami reservoir for ATO. Fits perfect in the cubby on this stand! Will rotate 180° when I drill and grommet the stand for the fittings/hoses to go through the back.

Looking forward to learning and evolving with this tank. Think I'm set up properly so far, open to all comments and suggestions! Photo dump, about in order, maybe...stay tuned!

I love the rock structure you've got going!

Installed the Sicce 1.0 and RFG. Started with 2 knuckles but didn't like the angle so added a 3rd keeping it about level so I get some surface agitation. Did notice that adding this extra knuckle I guess gave it a little more head pressure causing chamber 3 water level to be approx. 3/4" lower than the tank and other chambers, which I assume is normal. Again pump is turned down a few clicks so I imagine if i were at 100% it would pull chamber 3 down even more. Pump is quiet besides some vibrations from the stock lids which will go away in a month or 2.

Day 7 in the cycle and NH3 finally hit about zero but NO2 still at 5 so ill give it another day to see if that comes down before I dose again before the weekend.

Exciting! It's such a great feeling when it all finally starts coming together. What types of clowns are you thinking about?

 

[CCiPhantom]

I love the rock structure you've got going!

Exciting! It's such a great feeling when it all finally starts coming together. What types of clowns are you thinking about?

Just some basic orange Ocellaris. Our company colors are orange, so they'll fit well with the theme. Unless the LFS has something that catches my eye... HURRY UP CYCLE! ><

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Just some basic orange Ocellaris. Our company colors are orange, so they'll fit well with the theme. Unless the LFS has something that catches my eye... HURRY UP CYCLE! ><

Classic! I have Ocellaris Picassos in my current setup. If you decide to check out some different types, Wyoming whites are beautiful and striking. These were my first pair of clowns, so I'm partial to them.

Congrats on this tank; it looks awesome! Following along!

 

[CCiPhantom]

Day 13 finally hit zeros. Dosing 2PPM NH3 today to check if it comes down in 24hrs. Getting close. Considering the galaxy pod phase to minimize the uglies but excited to start looking at live stock! My son got me a gift card for fathers day for our LFS

 

[beebot99]

Love it! I too have an EVO going and also noticed a slight drop in Chamber 3 with the sicce, seems normal for increasing the flow. Had to move my heater a bit lower to keep it submerged but wasn't an issue. Liking the rock, will look great once coloured up!

Following along with this for sure.

 

[CCiPhantom]

I too have an EVO going and also noticed a slight drop in Chamber 3 with the sicce, seems normal for increasing the flow. Had to move my heater a bit lower to keep it submerged but wasn't an issue.

Looks like you have the 0.5 which is close to stock flow right? I'm running the 1.0 and want to run it wide open but feel like the intank chamber 1 basket reduces flow considerably for what the tank was designed to do, since it blocks off (7) of the flow ports to chamber 2.

I also have chamber 2 stuffed with ceramic which I will probably be cut in half when I move them to the bottom of the intank basket. I might just turn the Sicce up to 100% when I do and see if the chamber levels stay stabilized without overflowing the display. Don't mind the painters tape lol just covering cracks and holes to minimize evap during the dark phase. All those lids coming off soon!

 

[beebot99]

Looks like you have the 0.5 which is close to stock flow right? I'm running the 1.0 and want to run it wide open but feel like the intank chamber 1 basket reduces flow considerably for what the tank was designed to do, since it blocks off (7) of the flow ports to chamber 2.

I also have chamber 2 stuffed with ceramic which I will probably be cut in half when I move them to the bottom of the intank basket. I might just turn the Sicce up to 100% when I do and see if the chamber levels stay stabilized without overflowing the display. Don't mind the painters tape lol just covering cracks and holes to minimize evap during the dark phase. All those lids coming off soon!

Looks awesome. and yeah, the 0.5 is better than the stock, but nothing crazy. I had seen online some with the 1.0 had issues with too much flow. Hadn’t seen anything about dropping levels for the 1.0 specifically but I’m interested in whether it can handle it!

 

[CCiPhantom]

Hadn’t seen anything about dropping levels for the 1.0 specifically but I’m interested in whether it can handle it!

Right now im about 3 clicks closed on the adjustment on the 1.0, chambers are stable but dont feel like its enough flow.

 

[CCiPhantom]

Ayyy got some Nemos today! They took to acclimation good and are settling in, will try and feed in a few hours. Don't seem to be stressed out. Little one is following the bigger one everywhere so i guess that's a good sign as they came from a batch of 6 or more. Staying to the left side of the tank but hopefully they get comfortable in their new home!

 

[beebot99]

Ayyy got some Nemos today! They took to acclimation good and are settling in, will try and feed in a few hours. Don't seem to be stressed out. Little one is following the bigger one everywhere so i guess that's a good sign as they came from a batch of 6 or more. Staying to the left side of the tank but hopefully they get comfortable in their new home!

Awesome! I hope they settle in alright. They’re adorable.

 

[CCiPhantom]

They are eating great, feeding TDO Chroma and have a pack of pe mysis ill load them up with for the weekend. Being in FL with hurricane season and power outages, got a UPS and Wi-Fi brick. My first Wi-Fi plug and its pretty convenient! Will work on cable management next

 

[beebot99]

That’s awesome. I’ve got my light hooked to a smart plug, but I had never seen smart bricks. I should’ve known they’d exist lol. I think I’ll do something similar!

 

[beebot99]

They are eating great, feeding TDO Chroma and have a pack of pe mysis ill load them up with for the weekend. Being in FL with hurricane season and power outages, got a UPS and Wi-Fi brick. My first Wi-Fi plug and its pretty convenient! Will work on cable management next

Can you set routines on this, as with a typical single smart plug?

 

[CCiPhantom]

Can you set routines on this, as with a typical single smart plug?

It uses Google Home so I can set automations.

 

[CCiPhantom]

First corals! GSP on the island, Trumpet glued to the back, Pipe Organ still on frag up top (not sure to move or stick). Dipped in Redsea DipX. Got a 6-pack of blue legs too.

Came in the next morning and their out looking happy I think.

Little bassackward but I have some Algaebarn Galaxy Pods, OceanMagik Phyto, and Purple Helix Coralline coming today to seed a little more.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

First corals! GSP on the island, Trumpet glued to the back, Pipe Organ still on frag up top (not sure to move or stick). Dipped in Redsea DipX. Got a 6-pack of blue legs too.

Came in the next morning and their out looking happy I think.

Little bassackward but I have some Algaebarn Galaxy Pods, OceanMagik Phyto, and Purple Helix Coralline coming today to seed a little more.

Nice looking coral! That gsp is going to cover that island soon enough!

 

[CCiPhantom]

Few things happened since last post.

Algae Barns Galaxy, OceanMagik, & Purple Helix added.

Reorganized my ceramic media and got the PS2 in 2nd Chamber mod going.

Finally got some diatoms growing on my rock & RFG surfaces. Added (2) Astros and (1) Turbo and they mowed it all down already.

Snagged a Rainbow BTA from my LFS for a great deal (Shout out Darrell's Aquarium Lakeland FL). Stuck it up top, but overnight moved down but in the front! Looks happy and the Clowns are off the wall hanging under the arch now.

Moved the pipe organ down and seem happier in lower light. GSP thriving and trumpet looks like one head is about to split. Going to bump up the lights from 40% to 50% to see how everything behaves.

Yellow Watchman and Randalls Pistol on order. Few more corals and I think this tank is good to go for the year!