In November I started with a Fluval Evo 13.5g, and while I've kept tanks since a kid this is the first tank I've tried in about a decade. I liked the overall aesthetic, but after a few months it became clear that the circulation of the stock pump just wasn't enough. I was running the tank with all included media, added the protein skimmer and Fluval Clearmax media to remove extra phosphates. Water change schedule at about 15-20% weekly. Lighting schedule from 12pm to 8pm using stock lighting. With all of this, Nitrate and Phosphate levels not measurable using API test kit. Before water changes, I would use a small bulb syringe to blow detritus out of rockwork, and increasingly red slime algae that would not fully go away.
I've upgraded the stock pump to a Hydor Pico 1200 Mini (it was one of the few that seemed like it would fit in the stock space), and water flow estimates for pumps give a difference of 137gph to 300gph. The red slime doesn't seem to be coming back as aggressively each round, but it is still requiring pretty vigorous blowing off of the rocks. Does anyone have any realistic suggestions for something that should help, or do I just keep on this maintenance schedule until I round a corner?
It seemed a nice bundle at the time, but in hindsight I think I would have preferred having a tank with a bit more versatility. I'm probably planning on doing a bigger set-up I can customize at some point, but that is probably at least several months away.
I've upgraded the stock pump to a Hydor Pico 1200 Mini (it was one of the few that seemed like it would fit in the stock space), and water flow estimates for pumps give a difference of 137gph to 300gph. The red slime doesn't seem to be coming back as aggressively each round, but it is still requiring pretty vigorous blowing off of the rocks. Does anyone have any realistic suggestions for something that should help, or do I just keep on this maintenance schedule until I round a corner?
It seemed a nice bundle at the time, but in hindsight I think I would have preferred having a tank with a bit more versatility. I'm probably planning on doing a bigger set-up I can customize at some point, but that is probably at least several months away.
