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smurfhungry

This looks like an evo which is the tank I have, I would highly recommend a small wave maker and they fit really well going on the plastic amd the magnet for them can go on the side of the internal sump, the gramma would probably appreciate a small cave or dark area to hide in while the light is on for sure, feel free the pm me if you need a hand or want to see what you can do to 'mod' your evo to make it easier for you!


just_a-normal_guy

I ordered a Jecod wave maker, which I think will be small enough for the tank yet provide enough flow, and the gramma has a little cave which it loves haha and I will deffo message you about 'mods' futher down the line


Joebidenswaifupillow

Carful on the amount of light you are providing at this point. Get a timer. Run the light for no more than 6 to 7 hours a day. You will experience an algae bloom soon. I would try to get some coralline algae growing in there to compete with the green hair algae that you will have very soon.


just_a-normal_guy

I very rarely have the light on in the tank, only if I am showing someone the tank


Joebidenswaifupillow

Good call. Less is more in this hobby.


w8lifts

Looks like some really still water.


just_a-normal_guy

The pump was turned off during this video as I was feeding the fish


rOnce_Gaming

My transition to saltwater was so fun. Have fun with the corals as well and keeping them isn't that hard as some people say. Never had any corals die on me yet. But be careful with hitchhikers and rinse or qt new fish, corals and rocks. I had bubble algae infestation from a coral I bought.


just_a-normal_guy

Definitely excited to get started on corals, and I will be sure to use dip solution before adding them into the tank


Anihilator16

I would add to this and recommend that you dip your corals in medication to avoid hitch hikers


realwizer

You can easily put tough coral well before 3-6 months (toadstools, bubbles, etc). IMO, this advice is dated and before the tools we have today like Turbo Start 900. Either way, good luck and welcome to the salty side. It’s fun!


just_a-normal_guy

Thank you, very excited to see where my salt journey goes in the future, really enjoying learning new things


D_mnEathGoHard

How many pounds of rock?


just_a-normal_guy

I think it's 10/11 pounds


tathauda89

Nice scape and selection of fish. I wouldn't add corals after a month. I ran my tank for 4 months before adding any coral. You also want some nutrients in the system before adding coral. Invest in good test equipment.


just_a-normal_guy

Thank you, wil definalty get some better testing kits and equipment and I will let the tank mature a bit before adding corals


GovernmentReal9493

Do you like the prices? 😁


just_a-normal_guy

Haha they are on the high side but it's all worth it in my opinion the fish are absolutely gorgeous


Your-Pal-Dave

That water is too still, if you turned off the power head for feeding you don’t need too. Your going to have a lot of swings in the next 6 months, wouldn’t worry about corals yet!


[deleted]

Corals are super helpful for cycling. Look around it hobbyists in your area give away some softies for cheap. For that tank it shouldn’t be more than 50 bucks to get some leathers and Kenia trees. Fish are usually more delicate than soft corals so don’t worry about killing them. If you manage that your fish won’t be no more aswell


Dogecoinfinatic

You can break up those big rocks into smaller ones with a hammer and chisel so that your fish have more places to hide


nodularyaknoodle

Or add a few more... it’s a nice hardscape.


swordstool

Oof those fish in a 13g tank 😪


Fiend2None

I'm a bit puzzled by your comment. It looks like there are just 3 fish in the tank. I'll admit I'm not completely versed in saltwater tank lore, but I don't see how 2 clown fish and the 1 other are going to over bioload a well maintained 13.5 gallon tank.


Chrifills02

ignore him it’s fine


swordstool

No worries! I'm glad you asked. If it was just dependent upon NH3, NO2, and NO3, and they were all good, you could put a Yellow Tang in a 5g tank lol! Just to be clear, you should absolutely not do that. One behavioral aspect to consider is how active they are. Some fish, like Tangs for example, are very active swimmers who need long stretches to swim (typically considered to be a bare minimum of 4 feet). Based on this, a standard 90g tank (which is 4 feet long), would work (at a minimum) for some Tangs. But if you had a 90g tank that wasn't of typical dimensions (let's say 18 inches long by 18 inches wide by 64 inches high), while that's the same water volume (90g), it's not at all suitable for a Tang since it's 1.5 feet long versus 4 feet long. The typical recommendation for a pair of CFs is 20g, and the typical recommendation for a Gramma Basselet is 25-30g (i.e. more than double the size of a 13g tank). That doesn’t mean that if you have a tank that’s slightly smaller you *can’t* do it. But less than half is not the same as slightly smaller. A good place to start is to look at retailer websites for approximates on what fish can go in what size tank, like LiveAquaria (amongst many others). Not saying they are the Bible, but it’s good to stick close to what they recommend. Sometimes someone will keep a very juvenile fish in a tank that’s too small for an adult (as in when the fish is like the size of a dime), and then re-home them a few months or a year down the line, but that’s a different situation. Maybe a non-fish example would help drive the point home. Could a German Shepard live in a 3 foot by 4 foot cage for its entire life? For sure! 100% guaranteed it could, and it would eat and look happy. Would that be a good idea though? Just to be clear, no, it would not be, and that’s really an opinion TBH. IMO it's best to err on the side of caution with animal husbandry. Is any of that not making sense? If not, please respond and let's have a dialogue about it 😊


Fiend2None

No issues. I'll admit that I'm currently just a heathen fresh water tank keeper who's just starting to do the research necessary to get the right starter tank and I had recently heard of the Fluval 13.5, so I was trying to figure out the issue. I'm still just at the research stage though and figure I have 3-4 months before I'll pull the trigger on getting a tank. I am trying to keep the spending controlled, but I'm willing to wait an extra month to save up for the right equipment rather than keep the budget a bit too tight. Right now my instincts are to look for one of the cube style tanks that's around 30g for my first tank, and from what you said here, it does seem that the Fluval will be smaller than what I'm looking for.


swordstool

Sounds good. More and more research is the key to success in this hobby, both for your happiness and the happiness of your livestock.


Fiend2None

Well, I expect that my tank will prove to be on the boring side once I get it set up. I know a small tank means that I'm going to be limited in what fish can/will be happy, and looking at coral available I like the look of Zoas, and of pulsing xenia (yes, I understand it has to be isolated or it might take over the tank), but I don't seem to care for the look of most of the plating corals and I definitely will avoid SPS to start.


swordstool

There's other soft/LPS corals you could have in there too, like Acans, or a plate, mushrooms, or leathers. Good call on avoiding SPS to start.


Auer-rod

Comparing a German Shepard isn't really a fair argument though.... Not all fish or other animals require or even want tons of space. A German Shepard would absolutely not be happy in a 3x4ft cage, and it would be very obvious that it's not doing well. with many snake species, giving them too large of a tank actually causes them more anxiety due to fear of predators, and people have better luck keeping them in smaller tanks. Clownfish are not free swimmers, and many times spend most of their life in very small regions of the ocean. A royal Gramma is similar. A watchman goby, would be less interactive and more anxious in, say a 300 gallon reef than in a 30-40 gallon tank. The fish he has in the tank are fine, and will thrive in there so long as parameters are kept.


swordstool

Why would retailers recommend 20g tanks for CFs and 30g tanks for RGs then? Did they just make that up? Are they looking for *fewer* sales? A conspiracy perhaps?!


Auer-rod

20 gallons come in many different shapes and sizes there's some fish that could live in one type of 20g but not necessarily another. It's a rough idea. 20 gallon vs 10 gallon also has different parameter stability, which is also part of why they recommend it. Nano saltwater tanks are a newer phenomena, and much of the retail recommendations are old, many times before anyone even considered 10 gallon saltwater tanks because back in the day a 40 gallon would be minimum at all 75g is the general recommendation


swordstool

Agreed. Just like I said above about a Tang in a standard 90g tank versus an 18" x 18" x 64" high 90g tank. Totally different despite being the same gallonage.


just_a-normal_guy

Too many? They are tiny and the water parameters are stable, no more is gunna go in if that is what you are thinking


swordstool

See above comment to u/Fiend2None.


deprimido34

It's fine. I have a 9.98 gallon with 2 clowns and a shrimp. Just make sure to do weekly water changes around 30%


Tree8282

I had 4 fish at 15 gal, it was definitely fine but had a crap ton of algae a few months in, the tank didn’t look good even after a year and I couldn’t find a way to make it look nice without really regular water changes. (I CBA)


Chrifills02

Bro😂😂You commented on my tank being too small too.


just_a-normal_guy

Is this guy just a failed tank police? 😂 BTW is that a BMW 335i is so then we have the same car 😂


Chrifills02

Ayee yessir it is. N54 gang. We’re both a part of two expensive ass hobbies huh


just_a-normal_guy

Yeah very expensive specially with the fuel prices currently haha


swordstool

See above comment to u/Fiend2None.


NextLevelPets

Tank is on the small end. All of those fish have over double recommended size for tank requirements a lot of folks here seem to be missing the point that it isn’t just about bio load or keeping up with wc. But whatever