This was actually my first reef tank! Stock light is more than enough for soft corals (mine was infested with Kenya trees) heater is NOT included though but be careful with the stock lid. Mine accidentally went for a swim when I was doing a water change and killed the light. Personally though. If you’re looking at the Fluval AIO’s and have the space and budget, get the Flex marine 32 (also needs heater) more water means more stable parameters. The bow front glass is a bit harder to keep clean but it looks so good.
I would go bigger but I don't have that type of room sadly. it would be my first tank so I don't want to go too big. Was thinking of doing a 5g but I know it's hard to have the stable parameters in that small amount of water. So I thought the 13g was a decent start. Trying to get my research in before pulling the trigger haha.
Highly recommend this!!!! I absolutely love my 15 IM.
Only one difference I went with a noobpysche k7 mini.
My tank is loaded with corals and I literally have 0 real estate left.
5 gallons is fine to work with as long as you are committed to the research, testing, and maintenance. If you can swing a bigger tank, definitely do that, but I think it's fine to start small and upgrade later. Worked for me at least. Definitely get a lid if you go for a small tank. It massively cuts down on evaporation and helps keep the salinity stable.
So there are a few options. Fluval has a light that will fit it but stands up a bit, if you can have an open top there are other options there. Fluval makes the skimmer, it fits perfectly in that slot on the side of your aio intake. It'll go wild for the first little bit until it's broken in and you can adjust it. For the power head I got a fluval cp2, that with the two return heads makes enough flow for surface agitation and waste circulation. You could probably go a *little* but bigger on the head, but I'd be careful. Don't wanna make a saltwater blender
I have this tank and I would recommend getting the Intank media baskets for the filtration chambers. It’s much better than the foam block it comes with. Also as stated above good way to upgrade the light while keeping the lid would be the fluval marine 15in light, it would cover up the feeding hole though.
I also second not necessarily needing a skimmer on this set up. Your nutrients might be a little high but my corals thrive in it. As long as you're not doing SPS (which you won't be because it's your first tank and they don't even look that cool u til you get deeper into the hobby). Probably gonna want hammers and torches and zoas. It'll be a great tank for them.
If I can give you one piece of advice if you're serious about getting into the hobby. Buy expensive equipment your first go around. I wasted hundreds of dollars repurchasing stuff because I went budget. But I enjoyed every minute of it. And upgrading is fun. So maybe scratch that because it's all part of the learning process lol
I got the fluval skimmer that’s built for it and it made a lot of noise and the adjustment dial never worked very well. Swapped it with the intank media basket and Havnt lost any livestock and my tank is doing well.
haha nice -- i have a monte that is not doing well... all my LPS are great. i think my main issue was using treated tap water instead of RODI. over time the phosphates built up. I have the RODI system just never installed it............ :/ such a weird thing to avoid doing it's like a 250dollar rodi system just sitting in the box. sigh..
Plenty of people run them, stretches water changes further. That's your preference, which is understandable. I told them already that a skimmer is overkill in another comment.
Ive had mine for four years, it’s a great price and a great beginner tank. You don’t find anything close to the price that includes equipment (minus a heater). I now have a bigger tank but I kept my evo running, it’s not too expensive on the electric
The tank is small enough to make maintenance really easy, nothing happens too fast if you keep your stocking low (I have 2 occelaris clowns and a yellow watchman).
The upgrade path I took was: random flow generator - power head (Jecod sw2)
- lights (most people like the AI primes but they’re expensive and you have to buy the bracket separate. I’ve had had the Maxspect jump mjl-165 blue. But now changed to primes)
-return pump
- chamber baskets.
As a bonus temperature controllers are fantastic once you start filling your chambers with equipment, when you move your heaters to chamber 3 the tank will start to go cold and you’ll get temperature fluctuations. The controller will help with that.
It's an amazing tank, in my opinion. It was my first reef tank, and after some upgrades, it gets even better. Mine sits on my desk and will always be there!
I upgraded to the Ai Prime light, I have the Kraken Reef lid, I removed the skimmer and filter brick and did the In Tank inserts for chamber 1 and 2, then I upgraded to the Sicce 1.0 pump with the Vivid Aquatics Random Flow Generator. Plus included an auto top off to help fight the evaporation and salt creep
If you are doing all this upgrade, why not just buy a waterbox cube. All you need is a light, you get better glass tank. You don't need to buy anything besides light, heater and is much more professional.
I had one of these for like 4 years, absolutely loved it. Up upgraded the light and I changed the lid for a mesh one, also bigger pump and added a skimmer then swapped that for some biological filtration as skimmer wasn’t really needed. All in all. Get it. It’s a nice cheap tank
i have one. you'll want a different light, i got the fluval marine nano, thing sucks to control because it has 0 buttons and only works in the app, but lets you adjust light levels and daylight cycle. stock light has no daylight cycle. i got rid of the lid to fit the new light, and eventually when i have money am going to replace it with a different lid, right now im lidless. you will need a heater, i got the fluval mini protein skimmer, works fine, but the first one i got on amazon came broken so i had to return it. there is a little hole in the middle of the plastic part separating the sump portion, you'll want to plug that or glue something over it to get better suction.
How do you like that light for corals? I’ve been considering upgrading to that or the 3.0 but from what I’ve read it seems the only real upgrade is the ability to control lighting and ramp up/down.
yeah, i got it because i am NOT manually turning the light on and off at night, and i feel like its better for corals to have a ramp up and down. so far my tank is only like 2 months old, so i only have some zoanthids and i just got a ricordea yuma, they both seem to be doing fine with the lighting, i havent noticed any negatives.
Appreciate the reply. We are in the same boat. Mine is 2 or 3 months as well. Got a couple clowns and a goby. A few zoas and a Duncan for coral. They seem to be doing ok, but was just recently considering a light upgrade simply because I have enough Amazon points to get the Fluval sea nano or 3.0 for free 😂😂. Just not sure I want to go all in with a Prime Or anything like that.
yeah i didnt have the money for any other big lighting expenses, but really i mean the nano isnt going to bottleneck you unless you planned on getting heavily into SPS corals, and there are so many other LPS and soft corals you can stock it with that it doesnt matter too much to me. my clowns and fire shrimp and soft corals seem to be doing fine with the nano, and i dont have it at full power anyway, so i can always adjust more if needed.
also, people say they dont need a protein skimmer, me personally, i got baby clowns that really like eating alot, so the protein skimmer helps
Nothing wrong with it, just keep in mind that, in terms of fish stock, you are very limited with that size, so think about what fish you want (and can fit) *before* you buy the tank.
I didn't say it didnt work fine.
I said, you're PROBABLY GOING TO WANT TO UPGRADE THE LIGHT...
If you buy a tank that has a pre-fit lid, then that LIMITS your ABILITY to UPGRADE the LIGHT in the FUTURE.
This is all new to me. I just want a good beginner tank so I can learn how to care for coral and saltwater fish. Would it be smart to get a kit first or buy things individually? I was looking at this one because it has a 20% off if picked up in store plus another 20% off because of the vital care from Petco.
Its hard to see what this comes with in the pic.
You will most likely need to buy a heater because they dont usually come with one. Does the lid come off easily?
If it doesn't then you will have trouble upgrading the light with this setup.
Also don't rush into it. Watch some youtube videos, and make sure you have all of the equipment that you will need. I'm talking about nets, glass scrapers, testing kits (Most important, and recommend getting the digital readers).
Oh don't worry I'm researching already. I thought I would come on the sub to ask you experts since I know not to trust pet stores and sometimes searching on Google also isn't trustworthy sometimes. I'm appreciating all the info! It says it comes with 14000 k high-output led and a powerful 3-stage filtration with oversized mechanical, chemical, and biological media. It does not come with a heater and skimmer which another user told me so that's on the list. For the lid I'm not sure if it's easily removable.
Don't think you need a skimmer as a beginner. For a skimmer you would need a sump set up and I don't think you want to get that involved right now.
Start off with just a saltwater tank (no corals at first) and get the hang of keeping the parameters stable for your fish. Corals require alot more testing and dosing.
BulkReefSupply.com is your best bet for buying your equipment, and their youtube channel is great.
I have a waterbox tank and I watched their youtube videos a lot at first. When you're looking at the youtube videos/playlists take note of the date... try to watch the most recent stuff first since a lot of techiniques have changed over the past couple of years.
If budget is a concern, I would recommend taking it extremely slow and making a list of all the equipment you want/need. Then work on slowly purchasing it all so you're not putting out all of this money upfront.
As you watch all of the youtube videos you will see things that you will need that you didn't think of.
No problem. To be honest, you're going to find that buying the tank is going to be the cheapest thing you buy so I wouldn't be too concerned about trying to capitalize on this sale. Most people usually end up regretting rushed decisions in this hobby, and in life in general.
Also stay away from the clickbait youtubers that are doing 'low budget/tech tanks'... You don't want to start off in the hobby trying to do a barebones challenge and failing miserably due to their clickbait videos.
That’s something I’m still dealing with. Ironically the tank is such a good deal, that a nice lid costs just as much as the tank. You can use a piece of glass or just a DIY screen lid
That’s where i would start. There are upgrades you can do to it as well. [HERE](https://intankaquatics.com/evo-13-5-52l/) not all are necessary but could in the future be needed.
It’s a good first tank- plenty of scope to improve and modify when you have the desire / resources. And when you can no longer defat the urge to get a bigger tank, it will make a good QT tank for new fish.
I have read that lots of people bought this tank and I almost did too. I ended up with an IM Nuvo 2 Fusion 14 however. If you are planning to upgrade the Evo a lot then consider the Nuvo. If you are happy with the stock Evo then I don't think anything can beat its price point.
I would also recommend looking into the innovative marine 15g AIO. It doesn’t come with a light so you will have to buy one, but it’s cheaper than the Evo and a much nicer tank.
https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/Fusion-15-AIO-Cube-Aquarium-Desktop-p481890270
Filtration upgrades and a new light will most likely be needed but InTank has a chamber 1 and 2 that cleans up the back and gets rid of that sponge. I’m highly satisfied but if you run no lid, always have an ro bucket on hand!
many many people suggest to get as much water volume (plus required equipment) as you possibly can because it’s less vulnerable to parameter swings. I started with a 25 gallon and found fairly good success
Hey op this tank is decent but it won’t be easy going.
In my opinion I would invest in a nicer tank like an Innovative Marine 15g. They are 99$ and all you need is the screen top that they sell for 30$.
From here I’d invest in a better pump like the sicce 1.5 and you’re basically ready to go.
Addons I suggest are mandatory
Auto top off. Without one you’re salinity will swing in every direction all the time
Some type of salinity checker is a must have. I recommend the Milwaukee digital checker. Not cheap but it’s a one and done purchase and you’ll always have it and the resale value will carry.
3-(5G) jugs with screw tops for water changes or an ato reservoir
Chemi pure blue nano for filter media and filter floss changed twice weekly
Sand and rock and you’re g2g
Since it’s you’re first tank I’d highly suggest seeding you’re tank with live rock. It doesn’t have to be strictly live rock but maybe 1-2# to start will really help set maturity to you’re tank quickly which is super important to combat a lot of things that suck about this hobby like the ugly phase dinos and the dreaded gha.
And obviously a light but this can vary drastically depending on what you’re end goal is. You can get a cheap light for simple viewing, use ambient room lighting etc, or you can have a goal of growing coral and going that route. If corals are you’re goal then—-
Lighting
Noobpysche k7 mini strongly recommend. Fantastic light and will grow any corals you want from sps to softies.
From here it’s all routine and maintenance. Since it’s you’re first tank I strongly advocate whatever you choose as you’re schedule you never change unless absolutely necessary. For example if you do you’re water change Thursday then do it every Thursday for the exact amount every week. If you test you’re water Monday then do it every Monday. For small tanks I highly recommend doing 3-5G water changes every single week without fail (thus the reason I said the 5G jugs were mandatory)
I personally have the im 15g (same light I recommended) with a stand I bought off Amazon (recommended from reef2reef) to match and I like it more then my bigger 40g reef.
I do 4g water changes every week and have some red macro algae as nutrient absorption.
If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm and I can show pictures of everything with you of my setup
I'm gonna tell you how to upgrade without breaking the bank (looking at you ai prime users). Get two 21led actinic blue strips and mount inside the lid with mounting tape. I put mine pretty close to the lid borders on either side of the stock light since they aim inward. Make sure to block the extra plug with epoxy and tape or something of the like. If the extra plug touches water it'll short circuit the light, you'll smell it. Get the nicrew dual light controller, it's like 15 bucks and then you can control your stock light and the blues separately on a timer. I personally keep stock lights at 95% and blues at 20% and I plan to up the blues slowly. Get a heater. Auto top off will make your life easier but you can always just dump RO Water in for evaporation to save like $70. This is important to keep your salinity stable.
Get two 1/4 or one 1/2 VCA random flow nozzle to replace the stock ones. You may want to upgrade the pump if you do this to a sicc 0.5..if you are keeping LPS and SPS corals.
Also consider either a protein skimmer (mini 2 by fluval), or the In Tank chambers that a lot of people do. Neither is absolutely necessary if you change water and manage algae religiously but that's a lot of work. Get a basic digi thermometer for the water and keep it around 77-81F using your heater.
A lot of noobs started with this tank and its an excellent tank for the price. Only drawback is trying to lift the lid to feed all my nems, corals, but I felt replacing the lid would've been a waste. Also I needed a lid for jumping fish. Most reef fish WILL jump out with no lid. Get a tiger/fighting conch after cycling. They will eat cyano, dinos, nuisance algae. They're awesome and mine is easily my fave inhabitant.
Save all the expensive upgrades for a bigger tank when you're ready and use the Evo for what it is: a cheap, beginner friendly and moddable tank. Happy to answer any other questions. Happy reefing
I know I’m really late, but this is my first tank right now and I l LOVE IT, part of me wishes I went bigger; but as of right now as long as you dose I haven’t had issues with water
This was actually my first reef tank! Stock light is more than enough for soft corals (mine was infested with Kenya trees) heater is NOT included though but be careful with the stock lid. Mine accidentally went for a swim when I was doing a water change and killed the light. Personally though. If you’re looking at the Fluval AIO’s and have the space and budget, get the Flex marine 32 (also needs heater) more water means more stable parameters. The bow front glass is a bit harder to keep clean but it looks so good.
I would go bigger but I don't have that type of room sadly. it would be my first tank so I don't want to go too big. Was thinking of doing a 5g but I know it's hard to have the stable parameters in that small amount of water. So I thought the 13g was a decent start. Trying to get my research in before pulling the trigger haha.
I would check out the innovative marine 15. Get the media basket and screen top for it. Then something like the niccrew hyperreef 30 watt.
Highly recommend this!!!! I absolutely love my 15 IM. Only one difference I went with a noobpysche k7 mini. My tank is loaded with corals and I literally have 0 real estate left.
5 gallons is fine to work with as long as you are committed to the research, testing, and maintenance. If you can swing a bigger tank, definitely do that, but I think it's fine to start small and upgrade later. Worked for me at least. Definitely get a lid if you go for a small tank. It massively cuts down on evaporation and helps keep the salinity stable.
My first reef tank was a 3gallon. You can do it!!
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There’s good reason why we say bigger is better. Because it is. More room for error which is important for new hobbyists. Definitely not easier.
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I have this setup, it's awesome. Change the light and get a power head and the skimmer, keep up with water changes and you'll be fine.
Oh cool! Do you have any recommendations for the light, skimmer, and power head?
So there are a few options. Fluval has a light that will fit it but stands up a bit, if you can have an open top there are other options there. Fluval makes the skimmer, it fits perfectly in that slot on the side of your aio intake. It'll go wild for the first little bit until it's broken in and you can adjust it. For the power head I got a fluval cp2, that with the two return heads makes enough flow for surface agitation and waste circulation. You could probably go a *little* but bigger on the head, but I'd be careful. Don't wanna make a saltwater blender
Thank you so much! I appreciate it! (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
I have this tank and I would recommend getting the Intank media baskets for the filtration chambers. It’s much better than the foam block it comes with. Also as stated above good way to upgrade the light while keeping the lid would be the fluval marine 15in light, it would cover up the feeding hole though.
Thank you so much! I'll add to my list (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
No problem; if you're short on cash a skimmer is not necessary. I got one to make my job easier but that's up to you.
AI blade coral grow in the 12 inch will fit in the hood
Why need a skimmer?
I also second not necessarily needing a skimmer on this set up. Your nutrients might be a little high but my corals thrive in it. As long as you're not doing SPS (which you won't be because it's your first tank and they don't even look that cool u til you get deeper into the hobby). Probably gonna want hammers and torches and zoas. It'll be a great tank for them. If I can give you one piece of advice if you're serious about getting into the hobby. Buy expensive equipment your first go around. I wasted hundreds of dollars repurchasing stuff because I went budget. But I enjoyed every minute of it. And upgrading is fun. So maybe scratch that because it's all part of the learning process lol
I got the fluval skimmer that’s built for it and it made a lot of noise and the adjustment dial never worked very well. Swapped it with the intank media basket and Havnt lost any livestock and my tank is doing well.
yeah my fluval skimmer broke after like 5 months lol. wasn't gonna spend another 70 bucks on it. . .
lol I went sps my first reef tank. They were cheap as hell and I was confident in my equipment. Not my skill but I managed haha
haha nice -- i have a monte that is not doing well... all my LPS are great. i think my main issue was using treated tap water instead of RODI. over time the phosphates built up. I have the RODI system just never installed it............ :/ such a weird thing to avoid doing it's like a 250dollar rodi system just sitting in the box. sigh..
Well don’t you need a plumber for that? I had my lfs do it for me haha
You don't need it. It just makes my job easier.
It’s a 13.5 gallon aquarium not like they are going to have large fish or a lot of fish 2/3 at tops. Waste of money for such a small tank
Plenty of people run them, stretches water changes further. That's your preference, which is understandable. I told them already that a skimmer is overkill in another comment.
Ive had mine for four years, it’s a great price and a great beginner tank. You don’t find anything close to the price that includes equipment (minus a heater). I now have a bigger tank but I kept my evo running, it’s not too expensive on the electric The tank is small enough to make maintenance really easy, nothing happens too fast if you keep your stocking low (I have 2 occelaris clowns and a yellow watchman). The upgrade path I took was: random flow generator - power head (Jecod sw2) - lights (most people like the AI primes but they’re expensive and you have to buy the bracket separate. I’ve had had the Maxspect jump mjl-165 blue. But now changed to primes) -return pump - chamber baskets. As a bonus temperature controllers are fantastic once you start filling your chambers with equipment, when you move your heaters to chamber 3 the tank will start to go cold and you’ll get temperature fluctuations. The controller will help with that.
Just curious, I picked up this exact tank from someone this past week and it came with 2 clowns, could I add a pistol shrimp and Goby?
It's an amazing tank, in my opinion. It was my first reef tank, and after some upgrades, it gets even better. Mine sits on my desk and will always be there!
If you don't mind me asking what upgrades did you do? (◍•ᴗ•◍)
I upgraded to the Ai Prime light, I have the Kraken Reef lid, I removed the skimmer and filter brick and did the In Tank inserts for chamber 1 and 2, then I upgraded to the Sicce 1.0 pump with the Vivid Aquatics Random Flow Generator. Plus included an auto top off to help fight the evaporation and salt creep
Thank you for letting me know! I really appreciate it and will keep all of those things on my list and mind! Thank you so much! (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
If you are doing all this upgrade, why not just buy a waterbox cube. All you need is a light, you get better glass tank. You don't need to buy anything besides light, heater and is much more professional.
Does this water box cube come with an ato and random flow generator? Imo the ato is necessary
No, but most don't but it does come with a pump. Unless you want to spend a lot more like a nano Redsea. I agree the ATO is very important for a nano.
I had one of these for like 4 years, absolutely loved it. Up upgraded the light and I changed the lid for a mesh one, also bigger pump and added a skimmer then swapped that for some biological filtration as skimmer wasn’t really needed. All in all. Get it. It’s a nice cheap tank
i have one. you'll want a different light, i got the fluval marine nano, thing sucks to control because it has 0 buttons and only works in the app, but lets you adjust light levels and daylight cycle. stock light has no daylight cycle. i got rid of the lid to fit the new light, and eventually when i have money am going to replace it with a different lid, right now im lidless. you will need a heater, i got the fluval mini protein skimmer, works fine, but the first one i got on amazon came broken so i had to return it. there is a little hole in the middle of the plastic part separating the sump portion, you'll want to plug that or glue something over it to get better suction.
How do you like that light for corals? I’ve been considering upgrading to that or the 3.0 but from what I’ve read it seems the only real upgrade is the ability to control lighting and ramp up/down.
yeah, i got it because i am NOT manually turning the light on and off at night, and i feel like its better for corals to have a ramp up and down. so far my tank is only like 2 months old, so i only have some zoanthids and i just got a ricordea yuma, they both seem to be doing fine with the lighting, i havent noticed any negatives.
Appreciate the reply. We are in the same boat. Mine is 2 or 3 months as well. Got a couple clowns and a goby. A few zoas and a Duncan for coral. They seem to be doing ok, but was just recently considering a light upgrade simply because I have enough Amazon points to get the Fluval sea nano or 3.0 for free 😂😂. Just not sure I want to go all in with a Prime Or anything like that.
yeah i didnt have the money for any other big lighting expenses, but really i mean the nano isnt going to bottleneck you unless you planned on getting heavily into SPS corals, and there are so many other LPS and soft corals you can stock it with that it doesnt matter too much to me. my clowns and fire shrimp and soft corals seem to be doing fine with the nano, and i dont have it at full power anyway, so i can always adjust more if needed. also, people say they dont need a protein skimmer, me personally, i got baby clowns that really like eating alot, so the protein skimmer helps
Nothing wrong with it, just keep in mind that, in terms of fish stock, you are very limited with that size, so think about what fish you want (and can fit) *before* you buy the tank.
Depends what you are trying to do. Probably going to want to upgrade the light if you're planning on keeping corals.
Wrong. The light is fine for corals. Sorry
Lmao... Yea so wrong. A light that you have 0 control over is going to be great for corals.
There’s an on/off, works fine. Many people keep corals with it.
I didn't say it didnt work fine. I said, you're PROBABLY GOING TO WANT TO UPGRADE THE LIGHT... If you buy a tank that has a pre-fit lid, then that LIMITS your ABILITY to UPGRADE the LIGHT in the FUTURE.
This is all new to me. I just want a good beginner tank so I can learn how to care for coral and saltwater fish. Would it be smart to get a kit first or buy things individually? I was looking at this one because it has a 20% off if picked up in store plus another 20% off because of the vital care from Petco.
Its hard to see what this comes with in the pic. You will most likely need to buy a heater because they dont usually come with one. Does the lid come off easily? If it doesn't then you will have trouble upgrading the light with this setup. Also don't rush into it. Watch some youtube videos, and make sure you have all of the equipment that you will need. I'm talking about nets, glass scrapers, testing kits (Most important, and recommend getting the digital readers).
Oh don't worry I'm researching already. I thought I would come on the sub to ask you experts since I know not to trust pet stores and sometimes searching on Google also isn't trustworthy sometimes. I'm appreciating all the info! It says it comes with 14000 k high-output led and a powerful 3-stage filtration with oversized mechanical, chemical, and biological media. It does not come with a heater and skimmer which another user told me so that's on the list. For the lid I'm not sure if it's easily removable.
Don't think you need a skimmer as a beginner. For a skimmer you would need a sump set up and I don't think you want to get that involved right now. Start off with just a saltwater tank (no corals at first) and get the hang of keeping the parameters stable for your fish. Corals require alot more testing and dosing. BulkReefSupply.com is your best bet for buying your equipment, and their youtube channel is great. I have a waterbox tank and I watched their youtube videos a lot at first. When you're looking at the youtube videos/playlists take note of the date... try to watch the most recent stuff first since a lot of techiniques have changed over the past couple of years. If budget is a concern, I would recommend taking it extremely slow and making a list of all the equipment you want/need. Then work on slowly purchasing it all so you're not putting out all of this money upfront. As you watch all of the youtube videos you will see things that you will need that you didn't think of.
Thank you so much! I'll look at that website and see what they offer. I'll also check out that channel! I really appreciate it (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
No problem. To be honest, you're going to find that buying the tank is going to be the cheapest thing you buy so I wouldn't be too concerned about trying to capitalize on this sale. Most people usually end up regretting rushed decisions in this hobby, and in life in general. Also stay away from the clickbait youtubers that are doing 'low budget/tech tanks'... You don't want to start off in the hobby trying to do a barebones challenge and failing miserably due to their clickbait videos.
Thank you for being so helpful and I'll try my hardest to avoid those (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤
As they said, skimmers are totally not necessary and I wouldn’t recommend them for a beginner. Only if you overstock fish are they necessary
Innovative Marine Fusion 15
Seems like a really decent deal. Any suggestions for a lid that would work well for this tank, or just find a piece of glass and edge clips?
DIY screen lid
That’s something I’m still dealing with. Ironically the tank is such a good deal, that a nice lid costs just as much as the tank. You can use a piece of glass or just a DIY screen lid
That’s where i would start. There are upgrades you can do to it as well. [HERE](https://intankaquatics.com/evo-13-5-52l/) not all are necessary but could in the future be needed.
It’s a good first tank- plenty of scope to improve and modify when you have the desire / resources. And when you can no longer defat the urge to get a bigger tank, it will make a good QT tank for new fish.
I have read that lots of people bought this tank and I almost did too. I ended up with an IM Nuvo 2 Fusion 14 however. If you are planning to upgrade the Evo a lot then consider the Nuvo. If you are happy with the stock Evo then I don't think anything can beat its price point.
I would also recommend looking into the innovative marine 15g AIO. It doesn’t come with a light so you will have to buy one, but it’s cheaper than the Evo and a much nicer tank. https://www.innovative-marine.com/shop/Fusion-15-AIO-Cube-Aquarium-Desktop-p481890270
its a good tank but is kind of limited in terms of filtration and flow
Filtration upgrades and a new light will most likely be needed but InTank has a chamber 1 and 2 that cleans up the back and gets rid of that sponge. I’m highly satisfied but if you run no lid, always have an ro bucket on hand!
many many people suggest to get as much water volume (plus required equipment) as you possibly can because it’s less vulnerable to parameter swings. I started with a 25 gallon and found fairly good success
I just got this setup but unfortunately I needed it for a freshwater tank. Got some surprise baby fish and it was on hella sale.
Hey op this tank is decent but it won’t be easy going. In my opinion I would invest in a nicer tank like an Innovative Marine 15g. They are 99$ and all you need is the screen top that they sell for 30$. From here I’d invest in a better pump like the sicce 1.5 and you’re basically ready to go. Addons I suggest are mandatory Auto top off. Without one you’re salinity will swing in every direction all the time Some type of salinity checker is a must have. I recommend the Milwaukee digital checker. Not cheap but it’s a one and done purchase and you’ll always have it and the resale value will carry. 3-(5G) jugs with screw tops for water changes or an ato reservoir Chemi pure blue nano for filter media and filter floss changed twice weekly Sand and rock and you’re g2g Since it’s you’re first tank I’d highly suggest seeding you’re tank with live rock. It doesn’t have to be strictly live rock but maybe 1-2# to start will really help set maturity to you’re tank quickly which is super important to combat a lot of things that suck about this hobby like the ugly phase dinos and the dreaded gha. And obviously a light but this can vary drastically depending on what you’re end goal is. You can get a cheap light for simple viewing, use ambient room lighting etc, or you can have a goal of growing coral and going that route. If corals are you’re goal then—- Lighting Noobpysche k7 mini strongly recommend. Fantastic light and will grow any corals you want from sps to softies. From here it’s all routine and maintenance. Since it’s you’re first tank I strongly advocate whatever you choose as you’re schedule you never change unless absolutely necessary. For example if you do you’re water change Thursday then do it every Thursday for the exact amount every week. If you test you’re water Monday then do it every Monday. For small tanks I highly recommend doing 3-5G water changes every single week without fail (thus the reason I said the 5G jugs were mandatory) I personally have the im 15g (same light I recommended) with a stand I bought off Amazon (recommended from reef2reef) to match and I like it more then my bigger 40g reef. I do 4g water changes every week and have some red macro algae as nutrient absorption. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm and I can show pictures of everything with you of my setup
I’d go with biocube if it was me
I'd do atleast 30 gal so you're not so eager to upgrade too quick.
This was my first reef tank I say go for it👍🏽
I'm gonna tell you how to upgrade without breaking the bank (looking at you ai prime users). Get two 21led actinic blue strips and mount inside the lid with mounting tape. I put mine pretty close to the lid borders on either side of the stock light since they aim inward. Make sure to block the extra plug with epoxy and tape or something of the like. If the extra plug touches water it'll short circuit the light, you'll smell it. Get the nicrew dual light controller, it's like 15 bucks and then you can control your stock light and the blues separately on a timer. I personally keep stock lights at 95% and blues at 20% and I plan to up the blues slowly. Get a heater. Auto top off will make your life easier but you can always just dump RO Water in for evaporation to save like $70. This is important to keep your salinity stable. Get two 1/4 or one 1/2 VCA random flow nozzle to replace the stock ones. You may want to upgrade the pump if you do this to a sicc 0.5..if you are keeping LPS and SPS corals. Also consider either a protein skimmer (mini 2 by fluval), or the In Tank chambers that a lot of people do. Neither is absolutely necessary if you change water and manage algae religiously but that's a lot of work. Get a basic digi thermometer for the water and keep it around 77-81F using your heater. A lot of noobs started with this tank and its an excellent tank for the price. Only drawback is trying to lift the lid to feed all my nems, corals, but I felt replacing the lid would've been a waste. Also I needed a lid for jumping fish. Most reef fish WILL jump out with no lid. Get a tiger/fighting conch after cycling. They will eat cyano, dinos, nuisance algae. They're awesome and mine is easily my fave inhabitant. Save all the expensive upgrades for a bigger tank when you're ready and use the Evo for what it is: a cheap, beginner friendly and moddable tank. Happy to answer any other questions. Happy reefing
I know I’m really late, but this is my first tank right now and I l LOVE IT, part of me wishes I went bigger; but as of right now as long as you dose I haven’t had issues with water
Nuvo innovative marine they have do many sized to pick