mslater
New member
Hi There Everyone,
I am a new reefer, but have had some experience maintaining my friends' FOWLR and reef tanks while they were away. After 2 years with my planted Fluval Edge 6, I am itching to make the salt water leap. I do still need to stick small, as my NYC apartment is probably the size of a decent 125g setup (lol).
After some favorable reviews, posts, and videos, I have decided to go with the Aqueon Evolve 8, since it is cheep and gives me options for mods. I have the aquarium with all the other items sitting in a box; I just need a few more days when I have time to set it all up.
Here are the tech specs:
Pumps: Aquatop 302 (130gph) for main pump and a Jebao 40gph pump for my HOB refugium
Powerhead: Hydor Koralia Nano 240
Lighting: EVO 18W Green Element LED (2xActinic, 4x10K)
Heater: Neotherm 50W
Skimmer: Coraline Biocube Skimmer (I know the commotion, but I will have my reefer friend help me adjust it, if it won't work, then the tank is small enough without one)
Refugium: Finnex HOB Refugium, Finnex Fugeray 12" Light, Miracle Mud
Substrate: Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand
Water: Nutri Seawater (The tank is small enough and I have no time/space for mixing, 1-2 gal/week changes depending on Ca/Mg/KH needs and organics removal)
The HOB refugium is pretty great (~1g) and fits along the entire backside of the aquarium perfectly. I am planning on growing a diverse group of plants in there: Ulva Lettuce, Red+Green Gracillaria, Cheatomorpha, 1 Red Mangrove propagule, and Caulerpa. The lighting is really strong (5W), so I am hoping for some good growth and nitrate/phosphate removal. The miracle mud will be >5in, so I will see if the deep sand bed thing works. Also planning to add a copepod starter culture.
The sump is going to be pretty complicated for a nano, so I will attach a diagram. The water will flow through the surface skimmer and into chamber 1. In this chamber, there is a Coralife Biocube Skimmer, Corse Sponge, Filter Floss, and Micron Pad. I will rinse the sponge often in a bucket of tank water and replace floss and pad regularly to keep debris buildup to a minimum. From here, the water will flow into chamber 2. Here there is an InTank filter rack (I have the Innovate 8 size fits PERFECTLY) with 3 compartments with 2 bags of Purigen sandwiching a bag of Chemipure Elite. There, the water flows underneath chamber 1, which has a false bottom (hate that) filled with live rock and Matrix as a "dark refugium." Hopefully, the intense mechanical filtration I have will remove most of the detritus, so it can't build up down there. Then, the water will flow back to the remainder of chamber 2 where the pump and heater are located. Then, back into the tank. Also, the refugium pump and return are in this chamber sadly. It is really far from ideal. I want the pump to be in chamber 1 to receive nutrient-rich water and dump in chamber 2 to nutrient-poor water. This will require drilling and plumbing, but I will probably do it eventually. Thoughts?
As for livestock, I will see. Once I get my liverock and cycle with pure ammonia, I will test for nutrient removal capacity. If it is really quick and strong, then I am thinking of getting 2 small A. ocellaris, 1 banded shrimp, 1 red tuxedo urchin, maxima clam, and cleaner crew (scarlet reef hermit crab, nassarius snails, nerite snails, and Mexican turbo snail. Probably going to have to settle for less, but if my super huge filtration capacity can handle the ammonia efficiently and the ORP stays high with the addition of my first few inverts, then we will see!
As for corals, I really need to see. I will create some shadier areas for corals with lesser lighting requirements and areas of low flow out of the way of the powerhead, so the possibilities are pretty grand. I love the looks of many LPS Hard Corals, like some Brain Corals. Also like Zoas, Leathers, and my favorite Bubble Coral. Spacing might be an issue, so I will have to see. There are so many possibilities and this is further down the road, so I will revisit it then.
I will attach pictures of the setup when I get home from my country house this Sunday.
Let me know of thoughts and ideas you have. I am a beginner reefer, so I need all the help I can get!
I am a new reefer, but have had some experience maintaining my friends' FOWLR and reef tanks while they were away. After 2 years with my planted Fluval Edge 6, I am itching to make the salt water leap. I do still need to stick small, as my NYC apartment is probably the size of a decent 125g setup (lol).
After some favorable reviews, posts, and videos, I have decided to go with the Aqueon Evolve 8, since it is cheep and gives me options for mods. I have the aquarium with all the other items sitting in a box; I just need a few more days when I have time to set it all up.
Here are the tech specs:
Pumps: Aquatop 302 (130gph) for main pump and a Jebao 40gph pump for my HOB refugium
Powerhead: Hydor Koralia Nano 240
Lighting: EVO 18W Green Element LED (2xActinic, 4x10K)
Heater: Neotherm 50W
Skimmer: Coraline Biocube Skimmer (I know the commotion, but I will have my reefer friend help me adjust it, if it won't work, then the tank is small enough without one)
Refugium: Finnex HOB Refugium, Finnex Fugeray 12" Light, Miracle Mud
Substrate: Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand
Water: Nutri Seawater (The tank is small enough and I have no time/space for mixing, 1-2 gal/week changes depending on Ca/Mg/KH needs and organics removal)
The HOB refugium is pretty great (~1g) and fits along the entire backside of the aquarium perfectly. I am planning on growing a diverse group of plants in there: Ulva Lettuce, Red+Green Gracillaria, Cheatomorpha, 1 Red Mangrove propagule, and Caulerpa. The lighting is really strong (5W), so I am hoping for some good growth and nitrate/phosphate removal. The miracle mud will be >5in, so I will see if the deep sand bed thing works. Also planning to add a copepod starter culture.
The sump is going to be pretty complicated for a nano, so I will attach a diagram. The water will flow through the surface skimmer and into chamber 1. In this chamber, there is a Coralife Biocube Skimmer, Corse Sponge, Filter Floss, and Micron Pad. I will rinse the sponge often in a bucket of tank water and replace floss and pad regularly to keep debris buildup to a minimum. From here, the water will flow into chamber 2. Here there is an InTank filter rack (I have the Innovate 8 size fits PERFECTLY) with 3 compartments with 2 bags of Purigen sandwiching a bag of Chemipure Elite. There, the water flows underneath chamber 1, which has a false bottom (hate that) filled with live rock and Matrix as a "dark refugium." Hopefully, the intense mechanical filtration I have will remove most of the detritus, so it can't build up down there. Then, the water will flow back to the remainder of chamber 2 where the pump and heater are located. Then, back into the tank. Also, the refugium pump and return are in this chamber sadly. It is really far from ideal. I want the pump to be in chamber 1 to receive nutrient-rich water and dump in chamber 2 to nutrient-poor water. This will require drilling and plumbing, but I will probably do it eventually. Thoughts?
As for livestock, I will see. Once I get my liverock and cycle with pure ammonia, I will test for nutrient removal capacity. If it is really quick and strong, then I am thinking of getting 2 small A. ocellaris, 1 banded shrimp, 1 red tuxedo urchin, maxima clam, and cleaner crew (scarlet reef hermit crab, nassarius snails, nerite snails, and Mexican turbo snail. Probably going to have to settle for less, but if my super huge filtration capacity can handle the ammonia efficiently and the ORP stays high with the addition of my first few inverts, then we will see!
As for corals, I really need to see. I will create some shadier areas for corals with lesser lighting requirements and areas of low flow out of the way of the powerhead, so the possibilities are pretty grand. I love the looks of many LPS Hard Corals, like some Brain Corals. Also like Zoas, Leathers, and my favorite Bubble Coral. Spacing might be an issue, so I will have to see. There are so many possibilities and this is further down the road, so I will revisit it then.
I will attach pictures of the setup when I get home from my country house this Sunday.
Let me know of thoughts and ideas you have. I am a beginner reefer, so I need all the help I can get!
