34 Solana build thread

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xanthurum

New member
Thanks to "Team Freddy" I got a new tank and wanted to start a build thread. No pics yet but maybe this weekend. With some slight water damage to the stand I decided to refinish it with PlastiDip to keep it from getting worse and went with red.

Tip of the month if you wanna paint furniture with plastidip paint it first with the same color that you intend to. The plastidip does not cover well as i am going on 6 coats to go from black to red.

I will be doing black sand and think it will be awesome with the red stand. There will be a 10 gallon sump plumbed in so i am getting the tank drilled soon. I will be tinting the back with window tint because i have it on hand and can do it myself. Might change to a Radion down the road depending on how the halide effect the water temp. This will be a SPS dominated tank primarily for grow out purposes.

More to come...
 
Good luck with the build. Red is a difficult color to work with. Years ago I painted a 6 panel entry door fire engine red & even with 3 coats it did not look good. After that when I was asked from customers to give an estimate on painting a door I would ask what color? They would say what's the difference does it matter? I would reply if it's red I'm not interested.
 
So here are 2 pics but things are going a bit slow for now but should go fast this next week. The stand has been a huge PITA, I finally painted it with red spray paint and am now finishing with red Plasti Dip. I will have used 6 cans of Plasti Dip. Got the rock work all set up and used Gorilla Glue to hold them together.

The stand


The aquascape

I did add one more overhang for some additional space for more acro! Also nabbed a great frag and an awesome Red Goni from Carlos' birthday sale at Aquarius. Thanks and happy Birthday.

Also if you guys would be so kind, my wife has created a new website for the greater Phoenix area. It's called www.whattodointhevalley.com please check it out and if you could like it on FB. It has everything you may possibly be interested in doing in the valley listed. And if you happen to have any feedback let me know, advertising opportunities available.
 
Looks awesome! :thumbsup:

I love the non traditional look of stands. I did a black finish with a neon green interior lol

Keep up the good work and posting!
 
So here is the internal overflow thingy that the tank had in it that I removed


Got the tank back today, I took it to Glendale Glass and had two holes drilled for an overflow and return.


A quick tint job using 5% or Limo tint that I did myself. I love being able to tint windows.


And a pic of the drawer that goes in the stand, I hope to finish the stand tomorrow and start the setup but I am sure it wont happen.
 
Looking good. I was half tempted to pick up that tank at that price and I too would have removed that internal filtration wall. I have a question though. Why did you choose that height for the drain hole?
 
Evsalty, the answer to your question will be answered in the next update. Small setback when the plastidip peeled off a section today. Put on a second sheet of tint and took care of some other prep work. Hoping to get water in it soon
 
OK so I have slacked off on the update but here is the answer to your question Evsalty


I was able to use the internal filtration section and created this custom overflow box. I was extremely pleased with how it came out, looks professional to me. I used a file to make sure the edges were straight then used super glue to join the pieces. I then laid out where I wanted the slits to be and used a drill to make the bottom of each slit. All that was left was to cut the notches to the holes I had drilled and voila. A little bit more filing to make it perfect then of course silicone was used to secure it to the tank wall.

After letting it sit for a few days it was time. So without wasting anymore time


Here is a good shot of the overflow


And the other side


I went with a Rio 1700 for a return pump and I am really pleased with the amount of flow I am getting from the return and the powerhead. SPS pics coming soon.
 
Oh, simple answer is i wanted to have the water line near the top of the tank. I am running through the cycle now and as soon as its time i will start stocking corals. I am contemplating a few fish but might not do any and just grow corals. The plan is to have a few nice colonies for my big tank by the time I get the big tank up and running.
 
Update time, I had to tear down the tank due to it being way too loud. So I broke it all down and had a second drain hole drilled in the hopes that it would make it more quiet. Special thanks to Andrew (sweet2004r1) on drilling the hole for me.


Then I built up this contraption which is basically 2 external Durso drains that connect with a 1.5 inch Y through step up couplers. Side note if I had to do this over again I would not step up to the 1.5 Y as I think it is acting like a sound chamber amplifying the sound of the water flowing. The tank is nearly dead silent but you can hear the water flowing through the pipes. Its not really noticeable or annoying per se but I have found myself needing to use the bathroom more frequently LOL


As I mentioned before there was some light water damage to the top of the stand. I wanted to try and keep it from getting any worse. Originally I painted the stand with Plastidip only to have it all peel right off since that is what it does. I broke out the air gun and painted the stand again with interior latex paint. I know that this isn't water proof so I placed a bead of silicone around the tank perimeter. Time will tell if this was a good idea.


Here is a shot of the plumbing prior to filling up the tank and putting it back in place.
 
Small update, Corals are in! That being said it is time to get this baby stocked. I dont have many corals as of yet but will be continuing to add as many as I can so who wants to help? Let me know what you have to offer, I love SPS and set this tank up specifically for them. There are many LPS I like also and almost no softies I like. Donations welcome!!! Although I dont have much I am also willing to make trades for frags of my current pieces once they grow out a bit.
 
Currently using ths 150 that was including with the purchase. I am keeping an eye on the water temp and if I see ill effects with the halide I will make the switch sooner but the plan is to keep the halode until its time to replace the bulb then switch to LED.
 
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