Aqueon Evolve 8 - pros/cons?

[Blackbeltmom]

I came across this site when looking for a replacement pump for my Evolve 8 because the tank is overheating. I replaced the heater and that did not help.
Central Pets is not replacing the tank due to the fact that it is bowing and overheating. It is bowing so bad that it is hard to put the top on.
I also had an acquaintance tell me yesterday that they had the Evolve 4 and it bowed until it separated from the bottom and leaked.
Wondered if anyone else had the bowing problem?
As far as the size. I look at total water volume, not just what is in the display tank. If you use an aquarium volume calculator. The total water volume for this tank is 10.2 gallons. My tank is at work so I am not sure how big the back compartment is to be able to calculate the display area. But like I said, I am more concerned with total volume.

 

[Narwhal72]

Acrylic is a soft material and the aquarium is expected to bow. This is totally normal. Glass tanks also bow but it's reduced because of the top frame. The bowing occurs at the top and will not cause the seams to separate. A faulty glue job is most likely the cause of the seam leaking and would be covered under warranty.

The net volume of an Evolve 8 is about 7 gallons. This is because you don't normally run the tank with it completely full.

When you say the tank is overheating what is the temperature of the aquarium and what is the ambient air temperature? Measured temperature would be necessary not a guess or what the thermostat says.

You would normally expect an aquarium to be 2-3 degrees higher than the ambient air temperature.

Andy

 

[Blackbeltmom]

The ambient air temperature of the room stays between 72 and 73 degrees. The tank has been as high as 85 degrees. Killed my three shrimp, actually they looked like it cooked them. It has gotten no lower than 82 degrees. I tried changing to a Hydor pump today, it had dropped to 82 when I left work.
Can water level have any effect on the temp?

 

[Narwhal72]

Absolutely, The water level in the aquarium will remain constant but the water level in the back where the filter is will fluctuate as you add water or evaporate water. If the water level is low in the back the pump will be exposed to air and will start to heat up and will also blow bubbles into the tank. You want to keep the rear water level as high as possible.

I don't have any problems with temperature in any of my Evolve's, In fact I need to use heaters in order to get the tanks up to temperature. One thing you can do to reduce water pump temperature is to rub a layer of vaseline on the impeller shaft and impeller magnet to reduce friction. This is where all the heat comes from.

It depends on the type of shrimp you are keeping I guess, but 85 degrees will not kill cherry shrimp or any tropical fish. Temperature stability is of more importance to shrimp as they can tolerate temperatures up to 90 degrees (if well aerated) but sudden increases or decreases are lethal.

All aquatic crustaceans (shrimp, lobsters, crabs) turn whitish pink when they die.

Andy

 

[Blackbeltmom]

I actually was concerned that I had the water level too high. Since I have let it drop some and there is about 1/2 inch between the water and the top, the water temp is down to 81. It was 80 when I first came in and the lights had not been on long. I also changed the pump out for a small Hydor. Friday before I changed the pump, the water was between 83 and 84 degrees.
The shrimp actually looked cooked. Cooked shrimp look meat looks pretty white and that was how they looked.

 

[Blackbeltmom]

The temp got up to 82 today, but that was at 5pm. It stayed lower today.

 

[Narwhal72]

All crustaceans look that way when they are dead.

The water level in the rear chamber should be just below the notch that separates the cartridge chamber from the sump chamber.

 

[Blackbeltmom]

Yes, I know that is how they look. Fortunately not because I have a high mortality rate in my RSM250, but because I love to each them.

My water level was higher that you are recommending to start with. Not sure if I saw anything in the instructions that said that suggested that. The set guide is not bad, it just did not mention details as suggested water level.

The water is probably about that level now. The temp is lower that it was last week, but it is still 81 degrees at about 3pm. It was 80 at 8:30am.

 

[Just Prince]

All crustaceans look that way when they are dead.

The water level in the rear chamber should be just below the notch that separates the cartridge chamber from the sump chamber.

What if the water is higher? Also I had a lot of jumpers. From Endlers, to one habrosus cory and several Dario Hysginon. I have an Evolve 4 and the pump is about at its lowest output. Anything wrong with covering the lid with clear plastic wrap?

 

[Blackbeltmom]

I set my tank up on a Friday and put the stock top on it. Came in on Monday and one of my Cherry Barbs had gone counter surfing. I put a piece of tape over the large hold and put vents in the tape. The tank has bowed so much that there is a big gap all the way around the top so there is still plenty of area for evaporation and heat escape. I also made a second top out of scratch resistant PolyCarbonate and put vents in it to match up with the ones on the stock top. This replacement top will cover the entire top of the tank. I cut a gap out of the back for the light, cords, etc. (I love my Dremel). This new top is just a little wider than the tank. If the bow gets much worse and I cannot get the stock top on, I will replace it with the one that I made. I will however leave the black cover over the back and lay the new top on it. I like not having to look into the back.

Are you wanting to cover the entire top with plastic or just the feeding hole? I am not sure, Narwhal72 would know for sure, but I would think that the slits in the top are to allow for evaporation to aid in cooling the tank. Covering them would hinder that process.