Just purchased this same tank and set it all up yesterday. Woke up this morning to a crystal clear tank and even though it's day 1 of cycling, it's the best feeling to see a beautiful scape and know it's going to get even better.
loving this series already, im not into the hobby yet but i have been interested for nearly a year! i was always waiting and saving for a red sea 170, but now i know i can enjoy things without the sump and cabinet, thank you!
i set up an 8gallon lifeguard aquatics tank about 4 months ago. I went with a Tail spot blenny and an orchid dottyback. Also added a candy cane pistol and have been trying to get a yasha goby to pair with with it but after a month of searching my first one jumped our first night after being moved from a 30 day QT...
just a warning for the hot summer the light and hood will bake your fish if your room gets hot i would recommend using a mesh top and a different light or mounting the light
This was so long ago I don't remember what I added I'm afraid. But I think I showed everything in the video, so if it's not in the vid, it probably didn't go in.
Nice choice of fish. Perfect. I had a CO2 leak (loose regulator, emptied the bottle). Went to the fish store today to fill the bottle and get a spare. Accidently purchased a Xanthurum and two Euphyllia frog spawns at very nice prices. Got home, my Aqua Medic RODI died on me. Looks like another trip is already necessary.
maybe an unpopular opinion but I think the Algae covered rock you always use in your videos look amazing and I'd love to have that sort of rock in my tank
Really enjoying the series having just gone through the setup of the same tank. I have a Royal Gramma but he is a bit bigger and keeps opening his mouth and bumping my Clown Goby. Looking forward to seeing the upgrades, I went with an Eheim 600 as the pump upgrade but now looking at a new pump with a feed setting and adjustability, it looks like you may have the one I want so keen to see what it is like as there aren’t many reviews for it yet.
Hello, I have been following all your setup to get mine up running. However, my stock pump becomes very noisy which I couldn’t cope with it. I have seen yours isn’t stock so wonder what it is and whether it is quiet? Thanks.
I’m trying to get started.. I have a 36 gallon tank.. and am just overwhelmed at figuring out a simple but good filter to use.. power or canister? Please help.. thank you
What do you think of tailspot blenny? I have a pair, they are small suitable for nanos and eat algae as a bonus. I think will fit, everyone needs a blenny in their life. :)
Awesome fish, love blennies! But any of the comb tooth blennies (ecsenius) are a risk for some corals. Probably fairly low risk but I had a bicolour blenny go munching a few years ago. I forgave him because he's so cute 😅
I just setup my fluval evo 5 gallon. I cycled it for about 3 hours before putting my fish. It’s now been a week and so far, all fish are still living. I did use live rock, live sand and nutri seawater for the initial setup. Just added water clarifier and biological booster.
@@Aestheticlyfishy yeah, I was planning on cycling it for 4-6 weeks but the kiddos really wanted to see livestock in it. It’s been over two months now and everything is still alive, including my soft corals. 😊
would a 6g or 12g sump be better for a 3g tank with a shrimp or 2 a snail and asterina star, a 15g with sump would be more stable but a 9g with sump would look better, what should i choose
Getting this tank today, thinking of stocking two clowns, cleaner shrimp (the wife wants one not me…) and some snails. Everywhere I’ve seen seems to think this tank is drastically undersized for clowns. Bit worried. Thoughts?
It'll be fine - clowns have a very small territory in the wild anyway. A larger tank would absolutely be better, but the Fluval Evo is adequate - mine were in there for a year with no signs of stress and it's super common to keep them in this tank. They can be territorial though so adding more fish might be problematic.
I have the same tank with a pair of clownfish in it now. I wanted to get a royal gramma as well but am concerned about over stocking it. Do you think the 3 of them would be ok?
@@ReefDork I guess that’s true, I’ve seen cardinal fish and clownfish that are gigantic but it takes a while for them to get to that point. And that particular royal gramma may not even get that big
I would always drip acclimate my tangs I didn’t with my foxface or my angelfish, but with my filefish also also I think the fish should get the sense of the water before they go in the tank
Hi there! Great video as usual, I'm currently trying to find new fish for my 17 gallon cube, i already have a clownfish pair, do you have any recommendations? (The tank is ~1.5 years old mixed reef and is quite established)
Very informative, I finally set up my 32g biocube last week it’s cycling, dry rock and dry sand. I’m taking it slow to cycle but it’s killing me I want to add fish jaja lol
So I watched your vids and decided I was getting the Eve 13.5 I checked marketplace first and got one inc the skimmer, 3d printed filter insert from in tank and a few other bits for £70. Going to give it a good clean but I set it all up like your vids. Assuming I just use tap water and elbow grease rather than fairy liquid or anything 😂
I had the Pygmy possum wrasse in mine…he did well for the first two months, but unfortunately last week he kicked the bucket…I think my clown bullied him and caused too much stress. Now it’s just my helfrichi and clown with a frogspawn and golden torch
You will find a lot of disagreement on this subject like everything else in reefing. I have floated fish and dripped fish. Personally I have had much more luck floating them then dripping them. Inverts always drip acclimate.
@@Mlh1978 if you get them from the LFS then dripping everything is perfectly fine. There’s one thing that odd pretty much universally agreed upon and that’s don’t put the water from the fish store in your tank. Drop the fish in a net and then drop them in your tank.
Hi i hope someone can help me, I have had my 20g saltwater tank for about 3 months, With 2 ocellaris clownfish and 2 hermit crabs and in the past week twice I've tried to add another fish (first a cleaner shrimp then a firefish goby) but they died in the span of 24-48 hours i dont know what to do, the clownfish and crabs are still alive and healthy anyone has any ideas??? 😔
Just purchased this same tank and set it all up yesterday. Woke up this morning to a crystal clear tank and even though it's day 1 of cycling, it's the best feeling to see a beautiful scape and know it's going to get even better.
How is your aquarium so far?
loving this series already, im not into the hobby yet but i have been interested for nearly a year! i was always waiting and saving for a red sea 170, but now i know i can enjoy things without the sump and cabinet, thank you!
Set one up 8 months ago my first salt water tank, great little tank but the filtration is poor added media baskets and a new pump massive improvement.
thanks. A great video. I follow your step by step guide to set up mine.
Woot! Congrats on adding your first fish! Thanks for sharing!
i set up an 8gallon lifeguard aquatics tank about 4 months ago. I went with a Tail spot blenny and an orchid dottyback. Also added a candy cane pistol and have been trying to get a yasha goby to pair with with it but after a month of searching my first one jumped our first night after being moved from a 30 day QT...
Man, I can’t wait for next episode. Love the rock scape.
Thank you for the content, you make the saltwater hobby to look so easy :)
just a warning for the hot summer the light and hood will bake your fish if your room gets hot i would recommend using a mesh top and a different light or mounting the light
Question.. did you add the Fritz turbo start 900 as well?
This was so long ago I don't remember what I added I'm afraid. But I think I showed everything in the video, so if it's not in the vid, it probably didn't go in.
Don’t forget to dose some phyto and copepods to seed the tank as part of cuc also! 😉👊🥰🐶
Always loved Royal Gramma's not sure why I never ended up with one 🤔. Possibly my next addition in a larger tank. Great video 👍
Loving this channel, found through abyss aquatics 👍.
that tank looks great!!!
Nice choice of fish. Perfect. I had a CO2 leak (loose regulator, emptied the bottle). Went to the fish store today to fill the bottle and get a spare. Accidently purchased a Xanthurum and two Euphyllia frog spawns at very nice prices. Got home, my Aqua Medic RODI died on me. Looks like another trip is already necessary.
Looking forward to seeing more videos on this tank 👍🏾
I've done a couple of updates on the Reef Dork Xtra channel...
Hey! I have a fluval evo 13.5 and fluval marine 3.0 light, what percentages of light and hours do you recommend for the settings?
maybe an unpopular opinion but I think the Algae covered rock you always use in your videos look amazing and I'd love to have that sort of rock in my tank
Really enjoying the series having just gone through the setup of the same tank. I have a Royal Gramma but he is a bit bigger and keeps opening his mouth and bumping my Clown Goby.
Looking forward to seeing the upgrades, I went with an Eheim 600 as the pump upgrade but now looking at a new pump with a feed setting and adjustability, it looks like you may have the one I want so keen to see what it is like as there aren’t many reviews for it yet.
It's refreshing to see someone start up with something other than clowns!
You can’t go upgrading the pump without telling us you know! Haha.
Hello, I have been following all your setup to get mine up running. However, my stock pump becomes very noisy which I couldn’t cope with it. I have seen yours isn’t stock so wonder what it is and whether it is quiet? Thanks.
I originally bought a tmc compact but it broke so I went for a jecod dc650 which was fantastic
@@ReefDork lovely. Thanks I will get the same one.
I’m trying to get started.. I have a 36 gallon tank.. and am just overwhelmed at figuring out a simple but good filter to use.. power or canister? Please help.. thank you
What do you think of tailspot blenny? I have a pair, they are small suitable for nanos and eat algae as a bonus. I think will fit, everyone needs a blenny in their life. :)
Awesome fish, love blennies! But any of the comb tooth blennies (ecsenius) are a risk for some corals. Probably fairly low risk but I had a bicolour blenny go munching a few years ago. I forgave him because he's so cute 😅
Mind to share what is the other coral and clean up crew that you eventually added to this Fluval tank?
Too many to list - check out the most recent Cade video
How many fish would you recommend?
I believe a clown fish would be fine with anneome of course.
2, maybe 3 at a push. Clowns don't need anemones - they look cool, but clowns are just fine without.
I just setup my fluval evo 5 gallon. I cycled it for about 3 hours before putting my fish. It’s now been a week and so far, all fish are still living. I did use live rock, live sand and nutri seawater for the initial setup. Just added water clarifier and biological booster.
3 hours?
@@Aestheticlyfishy yeah, I was planning on cycling it for 4-6 weeks but the kiddos really wanted to see livestock in it. It’s been over two months now and everything is still alive, including my soft corals. 😊
would a 6g or 12g sump be better for a 3g tank with a shrimp or 2 a snail and asterina star, a 15g with sump would be more stable but a 9g with sump would look better, what should i choose
It's a bit unusual to have a bigger sump than display tank but more water volume is always good
Love this series just set up my first fluval marine too and following along with your series 😄😄
Getting this tank today, thinking of stocking two clowns, cleaner shrimp (the wife wants one not me…) and some snails.
Everywhere I’ve seen seems to think this tank is drastically undersized for clowns. Bit worried. Thoughts?
It'll be fine - clowns have a very small territory in the wild anyway. A larger tank would absolutely be better, but the Fluval Evo is adequate - mine were in there for a year with no signs of stress and it's super common to keep them in this tank. They can be territorial though so adding more fish might be problematic.
Where’d you get your tank ? How big is it?
I think Royal Grammas are great reef fish for much larger tanks too! I have one in my 100g tank and it is my favourite fish
I have the same tank with a pair of clownfish in it now. I wanted to get a royal gramma as well but am concerned about over stocking it. Do you think the 3 of them would be ok?
That's perfect for me, although I wouldn't go more than 3.
highly recommend a rainfords goby! Best nano sand sifter.
I kinda disagree with the royal gramma. They get a lot bigger then you might think and will most likely outgrow the tank.
For sure, but they'll be fine for years. It's the same story with most 'nano' fish imo
@@ReefDork I guess that’s true, I’ve seen cardinal fish and clownfish that are gigantic but it takes a while for them to get to that point. And that particular royal gramma may not even get that big
Was looking forward to this one!
Been out of the hobby for 4 years a just bought an evo to get back into the swing of things before I fire up a tide line 65g
Hi
What dosing do I need just to keep fish and live rock? Thank you
Nothing, just feed the fish
@@ReefDork thank you
What kind of test kit do I need for that?
I would always drip acclimate my tangs I didn’t with my foxface or my angelfish, but with my filefish also also I think the fish should get the sense of the water before they go in the tank
What wave maker do you recommend for this tank?
Jecod slw 10
Hi there! Great video as usual, I'm currently trying to find new fish for my 17 gallon cube, i already have a clownfish pair, do you have any recommendations? (The tank is ~1.5 years old mixed reef and is quite established)
Go on liveaquaria.com and search for something you like
Love it man. I also dream to build nano reef tank. it look cute
Very informative, I finally set up my 32g biocube last week it’s cycling, dry rock and dry sand. I’m taking it slow to cycle but it’s killing me I want to add fish jaja lol
I really want this tank!
Alex will you be going over maintenance for this too?
Yep! Probably a few weeks away yet
So I watched your vids and decided I was getting the Eve 13.5 I checked marketplace first and got one inc the skimmer, 3d printed filter insert from in tank and a few other bits for £70. Going to give it a good clean but I set it all up like your vids. Assuming I just use tap water and elbow grease rather than fairy liquid or anything 😂
Milton's fluid is good for cleaning tanks 🙂
We have a Midas Blenny and he’s so lively. You need 30+ gallons for him though.
My favourite blenny! Very sociable 🙂
I had the Pygmy possum wrasse in mine…he did well for the first two months, but unfortunately last week he kicked the bucket…I think my clown bullied him and caused too much stress. Now it’s just my helfrichi and clown with a frogspawn and golden torch
How long did it take you to cycle before you added your first fish? I’m buying this today and it’ll be my first!
it takes a month, faster if you use some kind of faster cycler
Would you be able to do an update on your simple salt water set up on the tetra 105l tank please? X
That's gone I'm afraid - I only set it up to make the video. The Fluval is here to stay though...
Question. Do you know why there is not a good selection of clams in Europe? Are they seasonal?
TMC get nice ones in but I don't often see them in shops so I'd guess there just aren't many of them
Pink Streak is a must
Set up my Red Sea reefer 350( it’s my first ever tank) and my ammonia has been at 8 for two days in a row now…. Any help pls
Great video 🙌🏻🙌🏻
How long did you cycle for as I had one of these tanks and it took months ans was never right
It shouldn't actually cycle - i've had no ammonia a week in and don't anticipate any
@@ReefDork love your channel. I have a tank I emptied as everything died. I'd there a website you recommend where you buy your fish and supplies
Coming up nicely. Question will you be doing a total cost for the setup at the end?
I'll cover the costs in my equipment video yeah
I’d love to find a Royal Gramma for my tank but for some reason, I can find everything but that one fish.
please make a video or answer to me here on what is the best starter budget tank
i read they need a 30 gallon tank
Alex what is that rerun pump? DC?
Tmc compact 500 I think - will tell you more next week!
How many inches of saltwater fish I can have per gallon ?
Inches per gallon is a really bad metric to use. What tank have you got?
@@ReefDork I have a 75 gallon tank
Huh, I didn't know that royal grammas were considered nano fish. I'm now considering one for my established 29 gallon.
My approach is that most fish will take a couple of years to outgrow a tank like this, by which point you'll want to upgrade!
Basslets like the Royal Gramma usually just claim a little area of the tank anyway, you don’t see them explore a ton.
Hi Alex what size bottle did you use of atm colony I’ve got people telling me to use loads of different brands and sizes but I trust you more 😂
I used the 95L bottle but only because that's the smallest my lfs had in stock! Better to add too much than too little though...
@@ReefDork thanks mate
I was going to buy this version but saw a 60l version. Same footprint but taller ? Anyone got the 60l version ?
I thought about it but I think the dimensions make the tank look less cool and 10 extra litres won't make any real difference
What type of salt u use
Tropic Marin Pro Reef
@@ReefDork I use Coral life marine salt mix. I used u instant Ocacn.
What about captive bred mandarins?
I'd still be worried about being able to feed them in a small tank. Even captive bred.
Really no need for dripping fish?
You will find a lot of disagreement on this subject like everything else in reefing. I have floated fish and dripped fish. Personally I have had much more luck floating them then dripping them. Inverts always drip acclimate.
@@FoolOfATuque aksets drip inverts and fish to. Will just stick with that for now
@@Mlh1978 if you get them from the LFS then dripping everything is perfectly fine. There’s one thing that odd pretty much universally agreed upon and that’s don’t put the water from the fish store in your tank. Drop the fish in a net and then drop them in your tank.
Calibrate your refractometers. Lost a tank that way.
Hi i hope someone can help me, I have had my 20g saltwater tank for about 3 months, With 2 ocellaris clownfish and 2 hermit crabs and in the past week twice I've tried to add another fish (first a cleaner shrimp then a firefish goby) but they died in the span of 24-48 hours i dont know what to do, the clownfish and crabs are still alive and healthy anyone has any ideas??? 😔
Where is the update that we all need???
I've made a few videos on this tank but the next update will be on the Reef Dork Xtra channel
The perfect size tank for an unsuccessful fish keeping
he died
These tanks are useless, way too small to hold fish.