Hey all,
This is my first fish tank in quite some time (10+ years), of course I wanted to jump into a reef tank since I can now actually afford it (benefit of being an adult and all). I figured I would post about this tank so that if anyone was wanting to do the same kit they could avoid the problems I had.
To start with, I purchased a 13.5g Fluval Evo kit from a local fish store, seemed like a really good deal until I saw other stores with the same kit for almost half the price... oh well. I initially liked the lines of the tank, and the all-in-one aspect was nice. I added the protein skimmer designed for this tank and thought that would be it. The best thing I can say about the tank is that it is aesthetically pleasing, which helped convince the significant other that it wouldn't be too bad. Aside from that, here are my cons for this kit:
1) Lighting: The good news is that the lighting included seems to be encouraging decent coral growth. It is also compatible with a lighting timer, which several people seemed concerned about. Bad news is that all the features aren't usable with the lighting timer, as the tank uses a touch control to go between full spectrum and actinic lighting. It would have been nice if it could be programmable. Also, no lighting options without the blue leds which makes taking pictures challenging.
2) Honeycomb detailing: The tank features honeycomb detailing around the top to disguise water level, but within 3 months it is already starting to come off. Pretty disappointed in that.
3) Tank hood: While the good looks nice, it is ABSOLUTELY useless for regular maintenance. Can't even get a bulb syringe in to feed all corals without needing to take the hood off. Also, trying to add anything extra to the tank (circulation pumps) involves strategic cord placement with regard to the tank hood (aluminum foil on bunny ears level engineering).
4) Return pump: Stock return pump did not have anywhere near enough water flow (kit and all support materials claimed it did). The result was a pretty spectacular red slime bloom that I was able to get under control recently. The stock pump was replaced almost immediately with a Hydor Pico 1200 which seems to do signicantly better. A programmable wave maker on a lighting time also helps keep circulation up without turning the tank into a swirling vortex of terror.
5) Protein skimmer: The protein skimmer seems pretty decent, only problem is the fact that it takes FOREVER to fine tune. Also, for the design of the skimmer seems awkward for a kit designed to be clean and elegant.
6) Filter media: Not mad at the included filter media, just wish Fluval made fillable media bags that would fit in the included foam framework, I added a phos-guard media and it just sits over the foam (still gets good flow and works, just awkward).
Those are my main thoughts on the kit, will include some photos momentarily.
This is my first fish tank in quite some time (10+ years), of course I wanted to jump into a reef tank since I can now actually afford it (benefit of being an adult and all). I figured I would post about this tank so that if anyone was wanting to do the same kit they could avoid the problems I had.
To start with, I purchased a 13.5g Fluval Evo kit from a local fish store, seemed like a really good deal until I saw other stores with the same kit for almost half the price... oh well. I initially liked the lines of the tank, and the all-in-one aspect was nice. I added the protein skimmer designed for this tank and thought that would be it. The best thing I can say about the tank is that it is aesthetically pleasing, which helped convince the significant other that it wouldn't be too bad. Aside from that, here are my cons for this kit:
1) Lighting: The good news is that the lighting included seems to be encouraging decent coral growth. It is also compatible with a lighting timer, which several people seemed concerned about. Bad news is that all the features aren't usable with the lighting timer, as the tank uses a touch control to go between full spectrum and actinic lighting. It would have been nice if it could be programmable. Also, no lighting options without the blue leds which makes taking pictures challenging.
2) Honeycomb detailing: The tank features honeycomb detailing around the top to disguise water level, but within 3 months it is already starting to come off. Pretty disappointed in that.
3) Tank hood: While the good looks nice, it is ABSOLUTELY useless for regular maintenance. Can't even get a bulb syringe in to feed all corals without needing to take the hood off. Also, trying to add anything extra to the tank (circulation pumps) involves strategic cord placement with regard to the tank hood (aluminum foil on bunny ears level engineering).
4) Return pump: Stock return pump did not have anywhere near enough water flow (kit and all support materials claimed it did). The result was a pretty spectacular red slime bloom that I was able to get under control recently. The stock pump was replaced almost immediately with a Hydor Pico 1200 which seems to do signicantly better. A programmable wave maker on a lighting time also helps keep circulation up without turning the tank into a swirling vortex of terror.
5) Protein skimmer: The protein skimmer seems pretty decent, only problem is the fact that it takes FOREVER to fine tune. Also, for the design of the skimmer seems awkward for a kit designed to be clean and elegant.
6) Filter media: Not mad at the included filter media, just wish Fluval made fillable media bags that would fit in the included foam framework, I added a phos-guard media and it just sits over the foam (still gets good flow and works, just awkward).
Those are my main thoughts on the kit, will include some photos momentarily.
