mile sq. reefer
New member
I dont know if one has been started but i'd like to see this tank and the designs people have used. Also feedback is a plus. So lets see whats out there.
Solana tank owner thread.
- Thread starter mile sq. reefer
- Start date
- Status
Radioheadx14
Active member
I have one and its great so far. The skimmer works pretty well too. I went with the tank, a custom built stand and a 150w HQI sunpod. I ordered a phoenix 14k lamp and an ATO unit. The ATO bottles work well but since its dry in the winter, they don't even last the day. When it was warmer and more humid, they lasted a day or two... a real ATO will work better though.
I will post some pictures later.
I will post some pictures later.
friedrice2841
Member
Solana owners' thread
Solana owners' thread
Thanks for starting this thread. I have a Solana, and I am very pleased with the tank.
My mods: added heater in the return resevior, added 4 fan unit on back of the tank to act as a chiller, added egg crate for a top (the glass top held in too much heat w/hqi 150)
I wish the top off system held more water. I usually have to fill them everyday.
I will post some pics this evening.
Look forward to seeing some other Solanas and hearing about their mods!
Solana owners' thread
Thanks for starting this thread. I have a Solana, and I am very pleased with the tank.
My mods: added heater in the return resevior, added 4 fan unit on back of the tank to act as a chiller, added egg crate for a top (the glass top held in too much heat w/hqi 150)
I wish the top off system held more water. I usually have to fill them everyday.
I will post some pics this evening.
Look forward to seeing some other Solanas and hearing about their mods!
Radioheadx14
Active member
I broke the glass... I used an aluminum screen frame and some thin mesh to make a top. Looks good and block almost no light. I'll show off tonight.
I’ve had the Solana 34 gallon with 150w sunpod and a coralife 96w pc over it for about a month now. I like the tank and recommend it. The skimmer is finally making thick dark skimmate. I put an Aqua clear 20 that was laying around in the upper left corner which will eventually be replaced with a koralia nano. Make sure you take out all the bioballs in the back. I just wish it had a back chamber you could turn into a refugium w/ a deep sand bed. When I get the time I will take out the filter pad in the 2nd chamber and pack it with chaeto and put a little light on it at night. I will have to find a new place for some filter floss.
Most of the livestock and all of the live rock is from an already established tank. I need some nice SPS up towards the top.
[/IMG]
Current Livestock
Corals
Torch coral green w/ purple tips
Open Brain coral green, Trachyphyllia
Favia green w/ red polyps, small frag (just started growing on live rock)
Brain coral purple and green, Lobophyllia
Squamosa clam purple, white dots, and electric blue band around edge
Fire coral purple and green
Gorgonian pink stem and brown polyps
4 Ricordia light bluish purple w/ green and pink mouths
3 Ricordia light green w/ pink mouths
Finger leather
Leather coral? green (I think the leather coral and a green toadstool were right next to it and might have spawned it.)
Zoos purple and pink with greenish centers colony around 20 big and small ones
Purple blueish mushrooms colony around 20 big and small ones
Small green mushroom
Large Hawaiin feather duster and a few smaller ones
Green star polyps covering 4 or 5 rocks
Kenya tree
Some sort of really weird looking frags opaque green with purplish white spots (just started growing on live rock. It kind of looks like a sharp and hard anenomy that doesn’t move or)
Fish and inverts
Large Coral beauty
Large domino damsel
Mandarin
Chromi blue/green
Fire shrimp
Coral banded shrimp
2 Sand sifting starfish
1 Scarlet hermit crab
15 small hermit crabs
2 turbos
I'll try to get some better pictures when I have time.
Most of the livestock and all of the live rock is from an already established tank. I need some nice SPS up towards the top.
Current Livestock
Corals
Torch coral green w/ purple tips
Open Brain coral green, Trachyphyllia
Favia green w/ red polyps, small frag (just started growing on live rock)
Brain coral purple and green, Lobophyllia
Squamosa clam purple, white dots, and electric blue band around edge
Fire coral purple and green
Gorgonian pink stem and brown polyps
4 Ricordia light bluish purple w/ green and pink mouths
3 Ricordia light green w/ pink mouths
Finger leather
Leather coral? green (I think the leather coral and a green toadstool were right next to it and might have spawned it.)
Zoos purple and pink with greenish centers colony around 20 big and small ones
Purple blueish mushrooms colony around 20 big and small ones
Small green mushroom
Large Hawaiin feather duster and a few smaller ones
Green star polyps covering 4 or 5 rocks
Kenya tree
Some sort of really weird looking frags opaque green with purplish white spots (just started growing on live rock. It kind of looks like a sharp and hard anenomy that doesn’t move or)
Fish and inverts
Large Coral beauty
Large domino damsel
Mandarin
Chromi blue/green
Fire shrimp
Coral banded shrimp
2 Sand sifting starfish
1 Scarlet hermit crab
15 small hermit crabs
2 turbos
I'll try to get some better pictures when I have time.
Hooked4life
New member
I love my Solana. The skimmer has been slow to break in, but seems to be doing better. I pulled out the ATO and am dosing with an enteral pump. Pulled out the bio balls and filters and added some chaeto and Chemipure Elite. I added a mini-chiller, but the tank hasn't gone over 80, so no need for it yet. Using an AC Jr.
FTS
I plan to make a stained glass panel to put in the door to hide all that stuff.
Some livestock
FTS
I plan to make a stained glass panel to put in the door to hide all that stuff.
Some livestock
Radioheadx14
Active member
EZ I have seen your Solana... and its amazing. I saw your build thread and thats what made me get one.
Here is my FTS:
Ricordeas:
Modded Fuge
Click my red house for full progress report. My tank looks a lot different now.
I'm getting a Phoenix bulb soon so I'll post comparison pics. Also if anyone wants to see my Modded mesh top, LMK
Here is my FTS:
Ricordeas:
Modded Fuge
Click my red house for full progress report. My tank looks a lot different now.
I'm getting a Phoenix bulb soon so I'll post comparison pics. Also if anyone wants to see my Modded mesh top, LMK
YankyTexan
New member
The Solano IMHO is the best looking nano on the market hands down. I have followed several Solano threads here. Not wanting another SW tank I built a clone designed for a heavily planted neon tetra tank. If you are interested it can be viewed here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/61209-34g-diy-aio-cube-build-w.html
I am finishing the lighting system this week and should stock it next week.
Thanks,
Daniel
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/61209-34g-diy-aio-cube-build-w.html
I am finishing the lighting system this week and should stock it next week.
Thanks,
Daniel
YankyTexan
YankyTexan
That is very impressive. I am amazed that it is your first attempt at making a tank. It's one of the nicest nanos I've seen and seems very well thought out. How many hours do you have invested in it? What are you a cabinet maker, wood worker or something along those lines everything looks too perfect for this to be your first tank without having made many boxes before. Did you use a jig to glue it up?
YankyTexan
That is very impressive. I am amazed that it is your first attempt at making a tank. It's one of the nicest nanos I've seen and seems very well thought out. How many hours do you have invested in it? What are you a cabinet maker, wood worker or something along those lines everything looks too perfect for this to be your first tank without having made many boxes before. Did you use a jig to glue it up?
dailydriven911
Member
ez is first I am the second...
YankyTexan
New member
GoSixers you are much too kind. To answer your questions I own a residential design/construction company. According to my wife I am anal rententive. I like to figure out how/why things work.
I have built furniture and cabinets as a hobby for years. Just finished building our passive solar home SW of Little Rock.
I encourage anyone considering a Solano clone to attempt it. It is a good platform to begin your design/modifications from to suit your specific needs.
Further, it is only because of forums such as these I would ever undertake such a project. It is kind of ironic that a reef forum would give me all the info I needed to build a freshwater AIO. I tried posting ?'s in FW forums but the quality of the responses was not as good as I find here @ reefcentral.com
Thanks,
Daniel
I have built furniture and cabinets as a hobby for years. Just finished building our passive solar home SW of Little Rock.
I encourage anyone considering a Solano clone to attempt it. It is a good platform to begin your design/modifications from to suit your specific needs.
Further, it is only because of forums such as these I would ever undertake such a project. It is kind of ironic that a reef forum would give me all the info I needed to build a freshwater AIO. I tried posting ?'s in FW forums but the quality of the responses was not as good as I find here @ reefcentral.com
Thanks,
Daniel
Radioheadx14
Active member
I argree. Before I got into SW tank I had a big australian rainbow fish tank and the FW forum never had any quality posts. There are a lot more experts on reef central.
Can somebody lead me to ez’s tank pics? I can’t find them.
Radioheadx14,
How is the light working out and how long have you been using it? Are you having any heat issues or light coming out at night if you use reverse lighting schedule and sleep in the same room? Does the pan get warm or hot? I was at home depot yesterday looking to due something similar, just waiting till I can find the perfect housing for it. There is another thread where someone does the same thing but uses a plastic electrical junction box for their 24 gal. I was thinking of having mine hooked over the back piece of glass so it can’t fall off.
YankyTexan,
It was quite obvious from those pictures you are a craftsman and what your wife called you; again excellent job. I too enjoy figuring out how/why things work and is probably why I am in a similar industry. I was flipping houses but obviously that is not a viable option now and am considering starting up a small kitchen & Bath renovation Co.
dailydriven911,
Your tank looks like it is from another world in those pics and is Bada**. Do you have any other pics under your day lights?
Hooked4life,
You have some really nice pieces in you tank. How big is that clam?
Radioheadx14,
How is the light working out and how long have you been using it? Are you having any heat issues or light coming out at night if you use reverse lighting schedule and sleep in the same room? Does the pan get warm or hot? I was at home depot yesterday looking to due something similar, just waiting till I can find the perfect housing for it. There is another thread where someone does the same thing but uses a plastic electrical junction box for their 24 gal. I was thinking of having mine hooked over the back piece of glass so it can’t fall off.
YankyTexan,
It was quite obvious from those pictures you are a craftsman and what your wife called you; again excellent job. I too enjoy figuring out how/why things work and is probably why I am in a similar industry. I was flipping houses but obviously that is not a viable option now and am considering starting up a small kitchen & Bath renovation Co.
dailydriven911,
Your tank looks like it is from another world in those pics and is Bada**. Do you have any other pics under your day lights?
Hooked4life,
You have some really nice pieces in you tank. How big is that clam?
Hooked4life
New member
Thanks GoSixers--clam is at least 4" long. I've had it for 2-3 years.
Radioheadx14
Active member
I used duct tape to make flaps to sheild light from exiting the cracks. I dont really have heating issues and the pan doesn't get that hot. The bulb I use it one of the smaller bulb you can get. I had a 23w for the first 2 weeks, but it was obviously too much since my algae turned yellow closest to the glass. I changed it to a 8w with no problems. I did add a few air holes, but yea, no real heat probs.
I keep the black cover on the middle chamber to block light too. there is some leakage of light at night but not a lot. Its like a dim night light. If you really wanted it dark you could tape it down. I also used black poster board to block out the other 2 sections too.
Its been going well for about a month on reverse cycle.
I keep the black cover on the middle chamber to block light too. there is some leakage of light at night but not a lot. Its like a dim night light. If you really wanted it dark you could tape it down. I also used black poster board to block out the other 2 sections too.
Its been going well for about a month on reverse cycle.
dailydriven911
Member
GoSixers:
Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean my daylights? I'm assuming you mean w/o the t-5 actinics...I'll get one later tonight for ya. I'm picking up a nice crocea and 4line wrasse tonight so I'll work on those pics. Thanks again...
Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean my daylights? I'm assuming you mean w/o the t-5 actinics...I'll get one later tonight for ya. I'm picking up a nice crocea and 4line wrasse tonight so I'll work on those pics. Thanks again...
YankyTexan
New member
Another 900+ posts and we'll be right up there with the Red Sea Max Owners Club thread ... ROFLMAO
shackscs
Super Premier Member
Here is a link to my build thread. I have other pics but I have again decided to change the tank layout.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1325597
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1325597
- Status
