Is the fluval evo 13.5 a good saltwater tank?

I was recently looking through some used aquarium sales and I came across the fluval evo. This would be my first saltwater tank, and third tank overall. My question is, is this tank good for beginners? Are the important components (light, filter, footprint etc.) good for a starter saltwater aquarium?? Thanks

 

It's a decent starter tank and the light can handle Soft Corals and LPS (Large Polyp Stony Corals) for the most part. The compact size does mean frequent monitoring but as long as you aren't doing more than 2-3 fish in there it shouldn't be too hard to maintain. As long as it's in good shape and you clean it out well it's not too difficult. I would strongly recommend making sure you either have an RODI system or access to a reliable RODI water source (ie LFS) before going salty though. Tapwater often causes unwanted headaches in marine tanks (ie out of control algae problems, murky/cloudy/mineralized display).

 

I was recently looking through some used aquarium sales and I came across the fluval evo. This would be my first saltwater tank, and third tank overall. My question is, is this tank good for beginners? Are the important components (light, filter, footprint etc.) good for a starter saltwater aquarium?? Thanks

My wife got me one for Christmas I started my setup and cycle Jan 1st used 17 lbs live rock and a 10lbs bag of live sand plus added the one ounce bottle of Fritz 900 turbo start all is good so far just added my first fish yesterday 2 small clowns I plan on doing some upgrades like the pump and lighting I already purchased the intank media baskets 1,2 so I’m not using the skimmer that she bought for it but things are coming along well IMO it’s a very nice starter tank

 

I have one and I love it, for the most part. The light has been really finicky, and I ordered a different light to replace it after it started flickering. It’s working right now, but two days ago it wouldn’t turn on. Besides that it’s been working well (works well for corals). I would get a wave maker to add more flow, The pump that’s included isn’t very strong (although it’s not too bad. It depends what you want in the tank). I really like how the media chambers are designed, and I know some people have grown chaeto in the first chamber. You can also put the heater in the first chamber, so it makes the tank look better.

Here’s mine.

 

I sell a lot of them at my place of work. I haven't heard much feedback on them. Nothing negative for sure. It seems like a lot of people end up upgrading pretty quickly from them though. They work as a good quarantine tank if you do upgrade later though.

 

Mine has been cycled for 3 months now. I did a few upgrades : a more powerful pump, a better light, a new lid and possibly an ATO to come.

I think it’s a great little tank, but the problem I have with it is the size. It wasn’t a problem at first but now that I have corals in it along with the fish, I find it really hard to vacuum the sand without hurting the corals. If sand flies too much or touches them, or if you accidentally touch them with the syphon, these guys aren’t happy.

I wonder if it would be easier in a bigger tank. Probably. There’s also the fact that I’m still learning and will probably find better ways to do my maintenance.

Also, smaller tank, smaller cabinet. There isn’t much room in my cabinet to hide equipment such as an ATO reservoir or a sump, even.

In my house I only have very limited space, so I can’t go very big, but maybe a little bigger would have been better.

On the other hand, saltwater/reefing equipment is very expensive compared to freshwater. More than 5-6 times more expensive. So to start and figure out if you like it, this is a great tank.