Solana tank owner thread.

im not in need yet for new bulbs in my nova extreme pro but does anyone know of any other company that makes 18" t-5 bulbs(giessman ect.)other than current and if so what combo does other people use seeing that there is 6 bulbs in that light fiture.
 
im not in need yet for new bulbs in my nova extreme pro but does anyone know of any other company that makes 18" t-5 bulbs(giessman ect.)other than current and if so what combo does other people use seeing that there is 6 bulbs in that light fiture.

No other bulbs in that size. Not likely to be anytime soon since this is the only fixture that uses them. This is the only reason I will likely buy a new light in a year or so.
 
It is really sad we need to make this decision. When I had the 72" inch version and a full array of choices, I had great color and growth. The stock bulbs are just adequate.
 
I use these...

http://www.petco.com/product/7615/H...-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

They are long and you can cut them in half, so 1 pack will give you 4 pads. They fit perfect in the chamber and I've been using the same one for about 2 months and hasn't clogged yet... I rinse it every couple weeks.

ditto on these. Just picked up a bunch from Dr.F&S and they fit really well and seem to be working great. Quieted down the overflow too.

Felix good luck with the mj1200. Hope you like it cause I want to do the same thing. Let us know how it is in your tank.
 
GeoffM1968, Nice right up on your site! Not sure what direction I will go when I switch in a year or so. I will probably wait for the end of one more replacement cycle of the bulbs or when I win the lottery... which every comes first.

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I went to my LFS today but they did not have the pads mentioned. They instead gave me a bit of some filter pad they use for pond filters. Is very tough, coarse stuff and best of all was free. Works well so far. Time will tell how they hold up and how quickly they clog.
 
wussup everyone i got a ap 24 with 150w sunpod rite now and i been looking for a rimless tank.im going to be switch over to a solana tank. i didnt want a AIO system but the solana is just the foot print that i was loking for and its rimless. has anyone tryed to remove the back black piece that contains all the chainbers? and is there any must do mod to do on the tank? im going to be getting the 34g
 
blazing, if you are going to remove the rear chambers then I think you could get a cheaper alternative. Probably could order a custom made drilled with overflows if you will do a sump. Also, the back glass panel has about a 1" dip in it for cords etc. Without the rear baffels, your max water line would probably be 2" below the top and would not be attractive IMO.

If you leave them in place, the Solana is a great tank. Standard mods include upgraded skimmer and tossing the bio balls. Lots of different talk on this thread about configs for filter pads and media.

What type of lighting are you thinking of doing?
 
im going to be useing the same fixture that on my ap24. i got some quotes from different places and they want to much to but a tank. since u said that there is a dip i think ill just leave the back chambers. do u know if u can drill the tank on the bottom?
 
I just got a chill thinking about drilling it... I am too much of a wimp to even consider it. I would love to be able to as I want to add a small 10 gallon sump. Am planning on running the sump above the DT too eliminate the need to drill it. Of course to do that I need to drill the 10 gallon but at least that is just a $15 tank.
 
the reason why i wanna drill it is so i can run a sump. i want all my equipment hidden. any mods to do to a stock solana?
 
Anyone running a 250w with a 20k bulb? Or even just a 150w with a 20k in it? Just ordered a 250w Sunpod and was wanting to use a 20k, but was getting mixed reviews with it browning out some peoples corals. BTW my tank is 98% SPS
 
the reason why i wanna drill it is so i can run a sump. i want all my equipment hidden. any mods to do to a stock solana?

On a Solana all equipment is hidden minus any powerheads you have in the display area. Everything is hidden behind the false wall.
Id rather have a sump just to have a large fuge, run a better protein skimmer and for the extra water volume.

Dont get a Solana if you are just going to drill it. Not really worth the extra cost.
I'd get a custom Cube made and have it drilled for an overflow. Then you can put a sump on it and you wouldnt have to pay the extra cost for the convenience of an AIO.

My two cents.
 
i can get a solana tank cheaper than a coustom 20x20x20 made. most things could be hidden but there are some that cant. i want to run a phosban reactor and in order to do that i will have to habg it on the back.if i had a sump could hide just about everything and i will also have a bigger fug too whcih is another reason i wanna run a sump.
 
If you can run a strong enough pump you can keep the reactor down in the cabinet. I use to do it this way, but no longer need to use it. Here and there ill hang it on the back to run carbon and you can't even see it.
 
i can get a solana tank cheaper than a coustom 20x20x20 made. most things could be hidden but there are some that cant. i want to run a phosban reactor and in order to do that i will have to habg it on the back.if i had a sump could hide just about everything and i will also have a bigger fug too whcih is another reason i wanna run a sump.

If you don't run anything in the middle chamber you could run a sapphire aquatics media reactor. I used one of those for a while, but I'm too lazy to replace the media in it now. I just use media in a bag slung over the 1st/2nd chamber divider.
 
Ok, so I have a Solana and have had it up and running for a while now... Things are growing like crazy and doing great, but I want to add more corals... I've been really good about keeping my SPS about 3-5 inches from each other, but I've seen a lot of tanks where they place things much closer... I guess I just want your oppinion on placing my sps closer so I can cram more in there... Thanks

Dustin
 
Well guess Im joining yall. I just traded for a Solana 25g. What upgrades can be done? Skimmer? Thanks for any help
 
Dont think i have ever properly introduced myself to the club either. Here is my current solana.

4164969268_6b68873121_b.jpg
 
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