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Reef Racket
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Fluval Flex Owners - Experience, Mods, Advice
- Thread starter Reef Racket
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Jicklenop
Community Member
Hello! Brand new Fluval Flex owner, just put my fish in yesterday! I also got the intank media baskets in hopes of getting a bit more of a surface skim. I've noticed that it doesn't seem to do much, though I'm also pretty sure it's because the stock pump just doesn't have enough power. Just curious if that's the case, couldn't quite find any answers reading through the thread but I could have missed something. Thanks!
Most folks do upgrade the return pump (I did). First I used a SICCE Syncra 1.5, but I but I changed it out for a eFlux DC pump when I installed random flow generators.
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Reef Racket
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You can upgrade the return if you want but most pumps that are a suitable size will not have a controller, so your stuck with whatever GPH the pump is made to produce. I would keep the stock but upgrade the return nozzles that push the water to the tank. Then, aim these nozzles up toward the surface creating as much surface agitation possible and using something else for main flow like an MP10 power head!
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Reef Racket
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***!!!ATTENTION FLUVAL FLEX OWNERS!!!***make sure you have the "flow directors" installed properly to tightly fit the basket in place... these look like black plastic rulers that came with the InTank Baskets and have a cut out to slide front outer edge of both the left and right chambers.
This link will show you! just look it all the pictures it has here:
inTank Media Basket Water Director for Fluval Flex 32.5 and 123L
This inTank Water Director helps improve the flow track when the inTank Media Basket for the Fluval Flex 32.5/123L is installed.intankaquatics.com
These are 100% necessary to properly direct the flow into the chambers from top to bottom. If you purchased In-tank Media Baskets and do NOT have these then the basket will not be working at 100% efficiency. Send me a message if you have any questions. These things don’t have great instructions and they are very important and must be installed correctly.
Darel
Jicklenop
Community Member
Honestly, since posting this my surface has been a lot cleaner. I think it needed more time than I had expected. I think that I'll still upgrade my pump eventually. What sort of upgrade to the return nozzle is recommended?
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Reef Racket
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It’s really just preference but I like the “Random Flow Nozzles”
The stock nozzles are flat if I remember correctly? These are fine if the pump isn’t too strong and you can turn them horizontally to ripple along the surface by turning them parallel with the surface if that makes sense.
peterat33rpm
Community Member
Hey all, sorry if it’s not cool to bump a thread this old but I’m joining the flex modding party. I got the 2” lid lifts for my flex to try to help with heat (which worked, running 81 degrees now) and ph (which didn’t work, still stuck at 7.8), and have a few questions about what people have done with this tank
- what auto top off do yall use? And you put the sensor and return tubing in the middle return pump chamber I assume?
- currently I dose AFR and my alk and calcium are pretty good, but as I said ph isn’t. Would it be worth making my ATO reservoir kalkwasser? I’m only losing about 0.5-1 pint a day, so not much. If that wouldn’t make a dent in ph, or if that would be too much kalk at one time, I won’t bother. Follow up to that, would I have to pause AFR to see where my alk ends up if I do end up going the kalk route?
- has anyone installed a second Fluval marine light instead of just swapping lights altogether?
Appreciate any input
- what auto top off do yall use? And you put the sensor and return tubing in the middle return pump chamber I assume?
- currently I dose AFR and my alk and calcium are pretty good, but as I said ph isn’t. Would it be worth making my ATO reservoir kalkwasser? I’m only losing about 0.5-1 pint a day, so not much. If that wouldn’t make a dent in ph, or if that would be too much kalk at one time, I won’t bother. Follow up to that, would I have to pause AFR to see where my alk ends up if I do end up going the kalk route?
- has anyone installed a second Fluval marine light instead of just swapping lights altogether?
Appreciate any input
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I have the Tunze 3152 Osmolator as an ATO and yes the sensor is in the middle chamber. I don’t use Kalkwasser myself, I use AFR. I added a nano protein skimmer and that seems to help. I also have a HOB refugium with Chaeto as well.
I did have the second Marine 3.0, but I ultimately built a canopy to use 3 Orphek OR3 LED bars.
peterat33rpm
Community Member
Ah yea I’ve seen your setup before. Is the canopy just resting on the glass?
My nitrates and phosphates are already super low right now so I’m sort of reluctant to go the refugium route but I have looked into it
My nitrates and phosphates are already super low right now so I’m sort of reluctant to go the refugium route but I have looked into it
Mine nitrates and phosphates are okay. The canopy had an internal frame that sits atop the glass. The outer panels hang down about an inch so the canopy will slide to the front for removal
peterat33rpm
Community Member
Did you find having the two Fluval lights helped? Or would you not bother and just wait to upgrade? The simplicity of just adding a Fluval is sort of appealing.
It did help me to get started on corals beyond softies and it did give better coverage.
peterat33rpm
Community Member
Someone in another thread said an ai blade 30” will fit in the stock lid and if so that seems like a great option, I just can’t find any other information about it anywhere
I looked at that and the measurements were close as I recall. I did not pursue it though—decided on the canopy and the Orphek bars.
ReefPup
Community Member
Hello fellow flex owners! I am wanting to install a 10 gallon sump onto my fluval flex 32.5 using a hob overflow. However the shelf in the stand from fluval is too low to fit a 10 gallon. Do you think I could get away with removing that shelf or do you think that would weaken the integrity of the stand too much. Also would drilling a hole big enough for a pvc pipe to fit through in the back wall weaken it considerably?
Disclaimer: I am not an engineer.
There is not too much holding that stand together as it is. The shelf adds nothing to support the weight of the tank, but it appears to add lateral stability. If you could manage a cross member (maybe a 1 X 2) in its place along the back wall, that may do the trick. I think the hole in the back wall would not be an issue
Only modification is switch out the hood for AI Hydra 32. No water changes. Started with Hydrospace ProBio. Running about 2 years.
Sespe Badger
New Member
Thank you for this great thread. I picked up a used 32 system and am in the process of setting it up. I am 3d printing some lid lifters now. Interested in any other (inexpensive) 3d print mods I can do. Thanks to this thread I found out I have a wonderful, bluetooth-controllable light in the hood, not a really weak light (it was set to a really low setting).
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