# New Fluvel Ebi tank setup/review



## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

Hey all, I recently purchased the new Fluvel Ebi tank and am in the process of setting it up.

First opinion on the tank: 
- soooo nice =)
- love the rounded edges and nice clean look to the tank 
- love the fact that it has a glass cover on it
- the internal filter has a spray bar which is kinda cool
- decent price for what you get


So far the plan is to put some slow growing plants like java fern, moss balls, anubus nana, maybe some java moss here and there. I was also thinking of putting in some duckweed to suck up some of the nitrates in the water. 

I have hardscaped the tank with some pieces of wood I picked up from Island pets today (love their wood from their display tanks, little to zero tannis, just scrubbed and boiled the crap outta the wood to be on the safe side). 

I haven't used substrate like florabase before so I can't comment on how good or bad the included fluvel substrate is. Seems to be pretty decent, feels firm and doesn't seem to have too much dust or loose bits. 

The nano filter has different density sponges to filter and house bacteria, I plan to throw out a bit of the sponge and fill half of the filter with the smaller biomax, the kind that comes with the AC70 for more area for bacteria to grow. Going to start cycling with some seachem stabilty which i picked up from JL aquatics (7 bux for 500ml on clearance! got the last bottle! woot!)

The included light fixture seems to be pretty adequate, 6400k bulb. The hinge which connects the light to the tank is made of plastic which is a bit scary, prob a bit fragile. 

I'll be using excel exclusively as a co2 replacement for this tank. Hopefully that will do the job. 

Had to buy a heater for the tank since it doesn't include one. Bought a hydor mini heater from JL Aquatics. Super thin, and easy to hide! 

Some pics of the hardscape and the stuff that comes with the box. Will update some more once I pick up my plants.


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## jiang604 (Apr 21, 2010)

Saw this at king ed and fell in love as well, its a bit pricey but super nice. Can't wait to see how you set this up! Going to populate it with Crystals or Cherries?


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

I bought this tank from King Eds, I believe it was 129.99. I saw it at Pet Boutique in North Van afterwards for 109.99 (damn it!!). I plan to start with some cherries then maybe some crystals afterwards. Gonna take it slow to make sure all the conditions are right for the shrimps. Might add like 6 merrah (chili) rasboras as well for some movement up top. The fish should help cycle the tank as well.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Get it stocked and get some more pics up when you can! Looks nice so far though.


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## Maxxxboost (Jun 29, 2010)

good stuff dude!

Like the wood. hahahah


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

update on setup. 

Picked up some plants today and set it up in the tank. 

Includes: 
Anubus Nana
I think Anubus Barteri?
A Madagascar Lace? 
and some water lettuce? 

Please excuse the question marks because i'm only like 60% sure of the names. 

Tied some of the Anubus to the wood and laid some out on the substrate. Hopefully they will be alright. 

Filled up the tank super slowly with a 5 gallon bucket and some air tubing so as to not kick up any debris from the substrate since I didn't rinse it out before placing in the tank. 

Threw the water lettuce in after filling and put in a few caps of seachem stability and some fish food to start cycling. 

The filter is surprisingly strong and seems to do a good job creating circulation in the tank. 

A few pics:


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

i think 3D backgrounds are just awesome all around, but especially for shrimps.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh, your tank is gorgeous!

I have one of these, too, and it's looking quite nice as well. I've got baby endlers in it at the moment. 

I really like the Fluval filter. It's silent. It works well with a tank this size. I used to have a submersible Fluval in my 30 gallon that was very difficult to maintain -- the whole, dripping thing would have to be hauled out of the tank, and the pad sleeve was always stuck. But this filter sits just below the surface and is easy to reach. Great spraybar, too.

I really like it. I get a kick out of putting fish food into the little feeding hole. I like the cover; it keeps my cats out of the tank.


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## April (Apr 21, 2010)

very nicely done. looks great.


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## Maxxxboost (Jun 29, 2010)

i like the Madagascar Lace?
Look good


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the kind words! The filter is quite well designed! I have seen the Fluvel U2 and it is a absolute PAIN to service, as well as being extremely bulky! I am hoping to get some moss balls in the next few days to fill in the front left corner of the tank. I'll give the tank some time to cycle and settle then probably get some merah rasboras to swim around in the tank. I think the red will complement the large amount of green in the tank. The small size of the rasboras should keep the ammonia and nitrates down as well (hopefully). I'll probably come visit you April for the shrimps! 

On a side note, do you think some crushed coral would be beneficial for this tank if I plan to have some shrimps in it? The Ebi set does come with some mineral supplements for the water but I would prefer something in there just incase? 

I also hope the floaty plants grow in nicely, some nice long roots in the water will help fill in some of the mid space and provide some nice hiding spots for the fish.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

Another question, Should I be burying the bulb on the madagascar lace plant? Or should it be left above substrate? Never had this plant before and wanted to try.


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

i am tempted to buy one and grow moss all over that background.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

that would look very interesting with moss background


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

stay away from crushed coral, its great in regions where you already have a general hardness in the water supply, but our water is near RO water. better to pick up Equillibrium, Barr's GH booster or Grumpy's GH booster to deal with that aspect.

Baking soda (be very careful with nanos) or alkalinity buffer/RO Right for the KH at water change should be fine.

if you look in the IPU forum on this site, Rastapus has a thread about this.


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

I'm bookmarking this thread! Have been curious about the Ebi and am seriously considering it for my next tank purchase, whenever that is. How strong is the light? It'd be nice to be able to do a carpeting plant in there, but that would probably need CO2... which I would rather stay away from.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Teija, the Fluval Ebi's light is 13 watts of fluorescent over a 7.9 gallon tank. My plants are thriving.

If you want to do CO2, wait a few weeks and get the almost identical Fluval Flora tank, which is the same tank but especially designed for plants. It will come with CO2!


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

Don't really want to do CO2 as I've never had luck with it, or at least the "DIY" stuff.  It is just too pricey for me. I noticed that the Flora's CO2 refills are going to be around $20 for three... which will last "up to" 1 month each. I will stick with liquid ferts and low-tech I think


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

i suppose if u use the supplied co2 from the flora tank as well as some excel, u could stretch the life of the co2.


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## CanadaPleco (May 13, 2010)

looks really nice!


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

thanks very much for the kind words everyone. Will be getting some fish in there this weekend hopefully


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

How's the Ebi tank coming along? Did you get some critters for it yet?


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

Tanks going good so far! Recently picked up eight axelrod rasboras for the tank. Kinda changed from the initial idea of chili rasboras. The colors seem to work well with the tank colors. I am trying to get a better camera to take pictures with, these buggers r fast and my crappy blackberry camera isn't cutting it anymore! haha I'll load up a couple pics, but ya, they are fuzzy as hell


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## timbit1985 (Aug 13, 2010)

I just saw one of these setup at petsmart (for $180, OUCH!). Anyways, it has about 7 amano shrimp sucked into the filter. Make sure you put a piece of sponge around the intake.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey,Tidy, your fish look great. I have a Fluval Ebi, too, and in another tank I have chili rasboras. But I didn't put the chili rasboras into the Ebi because they tend to like to skim the surface, near the duckweed, and hardly ever go anywhere else in my tank. The Ebi is a tallish tank and probably benefits from having fish that like the middle somewhat, like the ones in your picture.


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

Timbit: Pets & Ponds sell it for $129.99 + shipping.  They also have the Flora for $159.99.


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## ncutler (Apr 26, 2010)

Another fish that came to mind for this tank would be dario darios. I've found they tend to be really curious, always in different areas of the tank.

This thread is definately tempting me since I just bought some green shrimp, and two kinds of micro rasboras from April.

I was curious on the Flora CO2 system. It looks as though it uses a similar size canister as paintball cylinders. Makes me wonder if you could buy them instead: http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c378121399/p17624673.html


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

ncutler said:


> Another fish that came to mind for this tank would be dario darios. I've found they tend to be really curious, always in different areas of the tank.
> 
> This thread is definately tempting me since I just bought some green shrimp, and two kinds of micro rasboras from April.
> 
> I was curious on the Flora CO2 system. It looks as though it uses a similar size canister as paintball cylinders. Makes me wonder if you could buy them instead: Fluval CO2 20 - Mini Pressurized CO2 Kit - Pets & Ponds


I took a look at the flora co2 system as well. I think the cost for running it in the long run is just too expensive. the co2 system by itself was like 100 dollars (with the larger of the two sizes of co2 canister). I can't imagine the canisters lasting very long either if you are trying to grow some fast growing plants. The bigger of the two sizes of co2 canisters are like 4 inches long? The canisters are non-refillable as well i believe. The small footprint is a definite plus though. I am running a paintball co2 system on my 40 gallon planted tank right now. The canisters are like 1 foot long and 3 inches (ish) in diameter and i go through about 2 canisters in a month (need to invest in a 10lb co2 system asap). I would think a bigger 5 or 10lb co2 system would be more cost efficient in the long run if you have the space for it. You could probably even split the co2 to multiple tanks as well since the ebi tanks are so small.


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Sounds like you're running a 20 oz. Paintball can? That's actually a pretty impressive run rate for a 40G. You may want to save that setup for your Ebi instead no?

Fluval's making awesome tanks, but that co2 upkeep cost is asking a bit much for the sake of maintaining a clean look....


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## ncutler (Apr 26, 2010)

I went with the 10 lb CO2 route. Took me awhile to workout where leakage was occurring, but it's lasted 5 months so far on my 46G with no drop in pressure (though it decreases fast at the end). It's definitely splitable as well.

I also can't help to think of the cost to the environment for these systems, that alone is enough for me to avoid them.


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

Good points - I didn't think about the little canister refills and not being able to recycle or reuse them. That might tip the scales - I'm leaning towards the Ebi myself.  Can always buy the CO2 kit later to add to it. Definitely putting it on my Christmas wish list - but hubby has never been good with surprises so I'm not holding my breath...maybe a boxing day sale! lol


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

I think that the Ebi is perfectly suited to growing plants, too, as long as you aren't looking for CO2. The light seems quite good. My plants are doing well so far. Scholz's killifish are in that tank now and they are stunning against the dark3D background. Wow!


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

wow, you have a cool set up there! I love it! Where did you pick up the lace plant? They are so cool, but I've read the are hard to keep. I would like to get one too anyway. Somebody mentioned somewhere on the forum that they need lots of ferts (suggested to uses tabs like 1-2 months under roots).
I have my eye on the flora but I'm not sure about those co2 canisters. they look pretty small and set of 3 is selling for over $60. They only last 1-2 months depending on the amount of plants in the tank. That's 10-20$ per mont just for co2. Please keep us posted, I would love to see your progress. 
Thanx for the post


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

roadrunner said:


> wow, you have a cool set up there! I love it! Where did you pick up the lace plant? They are so cool, but I hard to keep. I would like to get one too anyway. Somebody mentioned somewhere on the forum that they need lots of ferts (suggested to uses tabs like 1-2 months under roots).
> I have my eye on the flora but I'm not sure about those co2 canisters. they look pretty small and set of 3 is selling for over $60. They only last 1-2 months depending on the amount of plants in the tank. That's 10-20$ per mont just for co2. Please keep us posted, I would love to see your progress.
> Thanx for the post


any way you could adapt them to take the small CO2 cartriges from BB guns?


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

how is your project going? I would love to see the progress. I was thinking to get flora, but I'm considering more ebi instead.


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

roadrunner said:


> I have my eye on the flora but I'm not sure about those co2 canisters. they look pretty small and set of 3 is selling for over $60. They only last 1-2 months depending on the amount of plants in the tank. That's 10-20$ per month just for co2.


Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. The smaller CO2 set comes with smaller canisters that you can get for around $20 for 3...but that is still a lot (only good for up to 15 gallon tank). I'm thinking for that kind of money I could get some liquid ferts and just look into dosing.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

roadrunner said:


> how is your project going? I would love to see the progress. I was thinking to get flora, but I'm considering more ebi instead.


So far the project is going slowly haha haven't had much time to pick up some shrimp. Maybe pick some up this weekend. I am till trying to get my hands on a better camera to take some better pics. I personally think the Ebi is the better way to go instead of the flora since I don't feel that the co2 the flora comes with is very cost efficient. Use the money you save on the Ebi on excel or metricide.

And on the question on where I picked up the lace plant. I got all my plants from pet boutique down in North Van. I really lucked out with this one since I've never seen it there before. Im not sure how hard it is to keep but I figured I would take the dive! haha

On the topic of CO2 refills, even at the price of $20 for 3 smaller cartridges after a year (assuming they last for a month each cartridge) you would of spent almost 100 dollars after taxes. For another 100 bux you could prob pick up a full sized co2 set up which would last you forever on a tank of this size.

For a soon to come project I would love to get my hands on the Fluvel Spec. Looks like a nice neat little tank to mess with.

And for anyone who doesn't know already, there are carbon inserts you can buy for the nano filter that comes with the Ebi.


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

thanx for the update. Correction - flora co2 canisters are $20 each not $20 for 3 (at least that's what they said on the VAHC auction). Each suppose to last 1-2 months so that's $120-240 a year! not very cost efficient, but I love how they hang on the side of the tank. I would have hard time hiding 10l canister somewhere around my 20G. I would love to see more pics so whenever you have time would be great.
Thanx again


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## SearunSimpson (Jun 11, 2010)

PJ's has them for $20 or so for the 3 pack, well, they did when I was in there last week. Not sure anymore. They also have the Flora and Ebi tanks and substrate.


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## MananaP (Apr 22, 2010)

Not to high jack your thread or anything, tank looks great BTW. Do any of you know if any LFS carry the shrimp soil now? I have heard that toronto has them now and some shrimp keepers there said it works great?... TY!


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## fraggalrock (Apr 21, 2010)

King eds has the soil 24.99 a bag
It looks good I might try it but I just bought two large bags of Ada so I might try it for some of my sakuras 
Sherry


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

Like SearunSimpson said, PJ's pets have a lot of the new Fluval stuff, including the Ebi substrate. They had the large bags AND the smaller bags (smaller bags: $16.95).

As for the CO2 refills, the SMALLER CO2 system's refills are about 3 for $20 (this is the one that comes with the Flora). There is also a larger CO2 system that is probably about $20 per refill.

Saw the Ebi for the first time in the store - it is a lot bigger than I imagined it to be! The only thing I didn't like was the "cheap" look of the plastic hinges that suspend the top piece...and I worry the shrimp might try to escape out of there...


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

CORRECTION: Smaller CO2 are 3 for $63 (or something like that). Each suppose to last 1-2 months depending on the plant load, so the claim was (when they were showing new fluval flora at the auction last month) that it's about $10 CO2 per month.... still little pricey


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i put my ebi right beside the computer
http://s971.photobucket.com/albums/ae196/Mike_Ferko/_DSC4569.jpg
the water wont go clowdy even if you dont rinse it as long as you follow the instructions and fill it with a dish covering the substrate
this morning i filled the bottom inch of the filter with colonized eheim biosubstrat pro that was running in my cannister filter for the last year and put the sponges back on top, bacteria should travel with the flow and colonize the whole sponge now.


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## teija (Sep 30, 2010)

Nope, the small ones are around $20 for three... I've seen them here:
Fluval Mini CO2 Cartridges 3 x 20g - Pets & Ponds

The ones for the larger system (for running up to 15 gallon tanks) are around $50 for three:
Fluval CO2 Cartridges - 3 x 88g - Pets & Ponds

Easy to get the small and the large ones mixed up. The small ones are the ones we're talking about.


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

ic oh ok. Just wondering how long would the small one last in fluval flora.... Are they at least recyclable?


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## ncutler (Apr 26, 2010)

roadrunner said:


> ic oh ok. Just wondering how long would the small one last in fluval flora.... Are they at least recyclable?


Precisely the reason I would never buy the flora - too much waste to the environment.


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

Any new pics from this project? How is lace plant doing?


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

sorry for the lack of updates, been busy with a new job i got. I hope to get some pictures up this weekend. So far picked up a number of shrimps. Lace plant is still kickin around. Some of the anubus is lifting due to accidental movement haha gotta shove those back down.


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

This thread has been very informative. I am surely falling in love with the new Fluval nano tanks.

Debating on the Flora or the Ebi right now. Seems like based on this thread the majority is for EBi with Excel? Hmm...is that recommended for inexperienced aquarists?

Would love to see updated photos when you are ready  Cheers.


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## Petah (Dec 19, 2010)

Good job Tidy. You have a nice looking tank there.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

Atom said:


> This thread has been very informative. I am surely falling in love with the new Fluval nano tanks.
> 
> Debating on the Flora or the Ebi right now. Seems like based on this thread the majority is for EBi with Excel? Hmm...is that recommended for inexperienced aquarists?
> 
> Would love to see updated photos when you are ready  Cheers.


I would sway towards the Ebi with excel dosage or even an Ebi with a proper CO2 setup would be better. Those small CO2 canisters that come with the Flora aren't worth it. Excel is quite easy to use, just dose according to package directions and maybe more if you notice your plants are not getting enough. Just have to make sure you stay away from moss type plants since those would probably melt with incorrect dosing (correct me if i'm wrong plant experts).

I"ll try to snap some more photos since I got my camera working again.

Thanks!!


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

MananP, I picked up a bag of shrimp substrate from Aquariums West downtown. Chances are good that other stores that sell the Fluvals have it now, too.



MananaP said:


> Not to high jack your thread or anything, tank looks great BTW. Do any of you know if any LFS carry the shrimp soil now? I have heard that toronto has them now and some shrimp keepers there said it works great?... TY!


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

I know Fraser Aquarium carries the shrimp substrate. It does hold together very well i must say.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Nice little setup you got there Tidy, after going through your journal and the other posted here, i think i will take the plunge and get one myself.I was eyeing the one setup in Pj's pets in richmond and it looked great.Hagen/fluval nano setups look like their put together fairly well.Thanks for your input.

Luke


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

Tidy, 

How are you finding the hydor mini heater? I assume it is the 15 watt?
Looking for a heater for my Ebi  which I ordered a few days ago.

Btw, thanks for the advice on the Excel.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

I would say that the hydor mini is good if you have a warmer house, it will do a decent job to keep the temp levels warm in the tank. But if you have a cold house it won't do the job, it's too small to consistently warm the water if it is too cold.

Good luck with your new tank, i'm sure you'll love it!


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

_TiDy_ said:


> I would say that the hydor mini is good if you have a warmer house, it will do a decent job to keep the temp levels warm in the tank. But if you have a cold house it won't do the job, it's too small to consistently warm the water if it is too cold.
> 
> Good luck with your new tank, i'm sure you'll love it!


Thanks TiDy. My house is fairly warm, but I'm worried about the fluctuation. Probably safer for me to try a different one. I do like how the hydor is flat and can be buried. Did you use the 7.5 or the 15 watt version?

Cheers.


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

I would probably recommend the bigger heater. I have the 7.5watt (weaksauce).


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

The Fluval Ebi is about 8 gallons. Usually, 3 watts per gallon is recommended for a heater, more if your room is cold. 3 times 8 is 24, so a 25 watt heater would be perfect.

I have a 25 watt heater in my Ebi and it's doing a good job. However, I upgraded the 25 watt heater in a different tank, an 8 gallon rimless tank without a top, because it wasn't doing the job. I put a 50 into the one that didn't have a top and put the 25 into the Ebi, which has a top. 

My tanks are in my basement, where the temperature can fluctuate between 55 and 72 degrees. This is cooler than many people's homes, I think. I'm keeping the heat in my Ebi at 72.


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## roadrunner (Apr 25, 2010)

Just checking in if you have any more pics. I was considering Ebi myself, but I have to wait due to unavailable $ right now. I gave up on Flora Co2 system and I'm looking into 5lb instead for my 20g. Does anybody know where is the best place to get complete setup?


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## _TiDy_ (Apr 29, 2010)

sorry no new pics as of yet, the light on the ebi has crapped out like many other's who own an ebi light. But I think the best place for a complete co2 setup would be JL aquatics.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

_TiDy_ said:


> sorry no new pics as of yet, the light on the ebi has crapped out like many other's who own an ebi light. But I think the best place for a complete co2 setup would be JL aquatics.


sorry to hear yours died too, these lights seem to have an extremely high rate of failing
i wonder how many people have a 3 month old ebi with the original light?
on mine it seems to be the bulb and not the fixture hopefully u can get bulbs from a different manufacturer


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## Phyrex (Feb 1, 2011)

Looking very cute. Always love the cardinals.


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