Well, I figured I would post some pics of the Solaris I4's guts... Everything inside is pretty much plug and play; easy to take apart and reassemble. This was a 6' fixture, and I have cut the housing down to 24" (very, very poorly I might add). I will have to take it to a shop and have the ends fixed up a bit cause they are jagged as all hell.

Hopefully I will have the pics of it all put back together and lit up by next week!

You scored on the Solaris.

I really did.
I payed less then $100 for the fixture. Two working power supplys, four complete arrays, and some spare parts...

I couldn't have built anything close to it for the price I payed. You know what they say, "one mans trash is another mans treasure"

Awesome, can't wait!

Great job TJ any other reef updates do you have your tank running yet? Have you talked to the guy you sold your 40 breeder to maybe you could get a couple frags back of your old stuff if he'd cut you a deal

Nothing running yet, just slowly getting everything together. Unfortunately that gentleman has dropped off the face of the earth. I have no idea what happened to him or my aquarium. Last I heard, he had cracked the tank before he set it up and then purchased a new aquarium. After that there was just dead silence.

I am going to take things nice and slow, not rush anything. Patients is key in this hobby so I am just going to exercise them early! lol.

Bingo! I have light!

The fixture was cut to 23.75" and is pretty tight, but with a little tinkering I think it will work fine. There are 4 fans, and only 2 will work at a time, as the other two were meant to run off a second power supply - I might try wiring them all together so they all work, but I am iffy about that - not sure if it will cause problems or not. If it isn't possible I will just run one fan at each end and remove the other two.

Other than that all is well! The computer is still working, and all the programing still functions perfectly. Probably have it all back together and completed this week.

Wow, that's BRIGHT. Now you know you have to change your original plans for a softies tank, right? Hehe.

Maybe...

Nice. Did you end up getting that thermal material I was talking about?

I did, hasn't come in yet though. Hopefully before the week is over!
Do you think it will cause any issues on the power supply to run all 4 fans if I spliced them together? Currently it will only run two.

Great job on tearing the Solaris apart, cutting it down to size, and reassembling. Looks really great and I'm sure it's going to be great over your tank eventually.

As I'm sure you are as well, I'm really looking forward to seeing this come together for you. Your 40br was one of my all time favs.

-Adam

Hope this tank turns out as good as the 40 TJ. Your tank was a HUGE inspiration for me with my 40brd, I might not even have a 40brd if it weren't for you!

Thanks guys!

Still exploring my options, but I think I may actually decide to go with a Perfecto 30 Breeder (30x18x13). Only downfall is the bottom is tempered so all plumbing would be in the back panel. That really doesn't matter too much considering my 40br had enough holes in the rear panel lol.

I am just trying to figure out how I am going to plumb it, if I am going to plumb it, etc. before I actually pick one up.

I also finished the light, I will post some pics of that a little later on!

Solaris is complete!!!

So all said and done it works beautifully. Very excited to have some corals under this! So basically all I did was cut the 6' fixture down to 24", drill a 5/8" hole for the power cord, swap out banks to make two complete arrays, splice the fans together so the run off the same power supply, use a thermal tape/adhesive to stick the LED banks back to the heat sinks, use some paint thinner to widen the clear areas on the acrylic cover, and put the whole thing back together again!

Voila! 24" Solaris!!!

Pics:

Wow friggin' awesome job on the light man, looks perfect!

sweeeeet

Thanks guys! I was really happy with how it came out. It took a little longer then I expected it to but it was worth the wait. Now I just need to get the rest of it going.

This is going to be awesome. Might I suggest something? Check out this tank http://www.marinedepot.com/Mr._Aqua_Rectan...-FIAQRA-vi.html 24X 18X18, low iron glass and frameless... Considerably cheaper than an ADA as well. PurpleUP is picking one up, but it looks like something that might make a pretty breathtaking display. Plus it's a bit taller so you don't scorch your softies as much in a 13" tall tank...

That is a nice tank, I will consider it! Shipping is going to suck because I am in Canada though.

Any updates TJ?

TJ, looking forward to this build coming together. I really liked your last tank; this one should be just as nice.

A mostly softie reef would be something to see - as much as I like SPS, recently I've come to like a lot of the softies too, mostly xenids. Hopefully in a few months my blue cespitularia could be fragged - maybe it can find a home with you. I've also got some powder blue anthelia, and a pulsing xenia with super long polyps. Somethings to think about

Yep! Sorry for the delay!



That would be really cool! I think blue xenids are real show pieces as far as softies go. I am also a big fan of blue anthelia! Thankfully you are in the GTA cause xenids don't ship very well



UPDATE:

"So TJ, why haven't you gotten this damn tank started already?"
Well, to be honest I had bought a motorcycle which set me back about $5,500 which obviously pulled some funds away from my reef obsession.

"Ok, that makes sense. Do you have any other excuses for taking your sweet time?"
Actually I do! I am renovating my basement where the old 40br was, and have decided that I want to renovate the new tank into the room as a partial divider. (more or less just have it jut out from the wall and be viewd as a 3 sided tank). I will be doing those renovations shortly which has prompted me to finally update my thread and give you all a heads up for what to expect!

"I saw you had your Solaris up for sale on another forum, does this mean you are not using it anymore?"
I have been thinking about selling the Solaris and going with a 4 or 6 bulb HOT5 fixture because I still really like HOT5 and because I could probably make a little bit off of it that I could put back into the tank setup. So yes I am considering it provided I get a good offer. If I don't get what I want for it I will be using it for sure!

"Can I buy your Solaris?"
If you want to pay for S&H to your area, or you want to pick it up locally, sure! Just send me an offer via PM. I didn't post it on the classifieds here because it is heavy and I wasn't sure our American members would want to pay for the light and shipping. I also have a spare ballast and complete LED array for the unit I can sell along with it (will not sell seperately though).



All that aside, I am pretty excited for the tank to be a part of my new room in the basement. As soon as I start the renovating that incorporates the aquarium, I will be sure to post some pictures and updates etc.

And since threads suck without pictures I drew a quick diagram of my idea.


The top line is the ceiling, so it's as iff you are looking down at it through an invisible roof. The box around the top is to be done in drywall and painted the same color as the room, just like the "stand" is. The stand is basically a partition coming from the wall which will have access panels on one side.

Overall should be cool. This will be my first time attempting something like this - and I am hoping I do a good job! The reef itself will most likely be simple on the inside, done in a sort of "spot reef" type aquascape.

This is going to be one amazing build! I really love the idea you have there!!!

The ball is officially rolling. I purchased an Aqueon (All-Glass) 30 Breeder which is 36"x18"x13" and actually closer to 36 gallons in volume. I opted for this aquarium instead of the Perfecto 30 Breeder because the Perfecto is tempered on the bottom, and it also has a center brace which I don't want.

I still think I am going to remove at least the top trim and euro brace the ends to have that rimless look. I want it to look like a clean "top down" style spot reef with a good amount of open sand bed for plates and clams.

Still figuring out how I am going to plumb it, but as soon as I have some diagrams etc. I will post them for peer review!

Well here is a quick diagram of what I was thinking. I would use a return pump around 1200gph to make sure the returns are kicking out some good flow. I could always supplement with a MP10 if I had to, but I would rather not since that end of the tank is where I wanted to showcase some clams.

This is a pretty simple first draft so feel free to criticize!

Are you going to partition off the flow in the sump so you don't have 1200gph ripping through the skimmer and fuge section? Sounds like a lot of flow through the sump. What about a closed loop?

Baffles make all the difference!

I had roughly the same flow going through my 40br sump. I have considered a closed loop as well, and If I do go with one I am going to be using a couple SCWDs again to create random currents

If I do the closed loop thing I will probably run a Quiet One 4000HH (980gph I believe) as a return pump and a Quiet One 4000 (1017gph) closed loop like I did on my 40br. If I decide to dump a little more coin in I will go with an Eheim 1260 (635gph) return pump and 1262 (900gph) closed loop.

I have always had great results with excessive flow, so I am going to continue the trend. I do this because I hate using power heads in my systems. I don't think I have had any power heads in any of my personal display tanks since my original 20g reef (excluding the Solana).

Take a look at the Maxijet Utility pumps if you want to live dangerously and try something different. I have an NJ5500 on my closed loop. Small, low power, and dead nuts quiet (5W less than the 1262, and 500gph more).

Actually I will consider those as an option if you are telling me they are good! The 4500 & 3000 models seem very comparable to the Eheims. Thanks for that tip!

I am currently debating using a different overflow method that requires less in-tank components. I still want to use the Herbie method, but I will settle for a Stockman / Durso if I can't figure out a slim alternative for the Herbie.

If anyone has any interesting ideas feel free to post'em up!
When I come up with something worth showing you folks I will get some pics up.

So it turns out my renovations are going to cost more than I had planned (as if that never happens) which has understandably affected my budget on the tank. Rather than not starting the tank, and just having it sit empty for an unacceptable period of time, I am going to set it up as a saltwater planted/macro tank with the use of a Tom PS4 (the newer grey version without the luft pump). Not sure what will happen with the lighting as I have someone coming to see the Solaris tomorrow. I luckily had some live rock and sand donated to me as well, so that really helps out with the cost of things.

Also, it will give me the chance to keep some interesting and attractive marine life that is not reef safe. Some neat crabs, reef lobster, fish that would probably mess up corals and clams. Should be fun!

I will post pics of the renovated room on Monday with the tank in place! I am sure I will have the tank up and running within the next few weeks.

Sorry about all the flip-flopping hahaha; I seem to change my story with this tank on a weekly basis...

make up you're damn mind Burton; I'm tired of getting excited for you only to have yours plans change. Also, I don't like you on a personal nor professional level. Also, you have sub standard personal hygeine habits.

Oh Chris, you are as cuddly as a porcupine sometimes, you know that? Remind me to hoof you in the nuts next time I see you

HA. Now you can't have my liverock.

Fine, you can't have my respect... Just kidding! I need that rock so... here:

Stop polluting my thread with your nonesense! Ah hahaha

Ok, so I finally have some pics of the build!!!

Basement is 70% completed. Just need to finish taping, do the inside of the closet, build the closet door, and room door jam, prime, paint, baseboard, and then that is that.

Aquarium stand frame is officially built. I am going to throw some vapor barrier over the frame and then use drywall on the stand's exterior as well. The stand is free from the wall so that if I move I can just repaint the outside of the stand to match the new room and it will fit right in. It is going to look like it is attached or part of the wall.

I never ended up selling the Solaris, so this is going to be one cracked out macro tank lol...

Ok, here are some pics!



















More when the stand is finished!

Love how the tank is the main focus of the basement. Really going to look great once it's finished and the tank is up and rolling.

So what sort of macro are you planning on keeping in there? Any ideas on livestock?

-Adam

Macro wise I will probably just use whatever I can find. I don't particularly want to use caulerpa; would rather stick to nice looking red macros, halmedia, sargassum etc. For livestock I haven't really put too much though. I know I want to add some neat crabs, reef lobster etc. that I would normally avoid in a reef. Also was considering some sort of dwarf angel, chalk basslet, etc.

If I think of anything I really must have, I will post it.

Here is a quick mock up of the layout of the room the aquarium is dividing.

edit: I also added some alternative and more realistic labeling for the room.

lol I wanna live in the second one. Not with you, but AS you. Ahem...yes. I'm not gay. Screw yooooou Burton!

Just a thought... Get some sargassum... and a sargassum angler! It might distract from the second rendering of your room, as they are ugly as all h3ll, but they're pretty freaking awesome! Won't jump either... And don't do the caulerpa. Never caulerpa.

Also... I may have laughed at your diagrams. Awesome man.

I was really considering a Histrio histrio, but they have big mouths and big appitites. I wouldn't be able to keep much with it without it being eaten... too bad though cause I think they are cool as hell!

It's true, but so do reef lobsters and oddball crabs. Maybe a smaller angler? Really can't tell you how neat they are! They all will have big mouths and appetites, but at least you can get some neat snails. They really won't bother them much. I'll always remember having a hand trained angler that would eat silversides straight out of my hand. Just don't do what I did and feed it too much.
Or I bet an aggressive tank with lots of macros would be really neat. Most people don't do the whole damsel / pseudochromis thing. And both could more than hold their own against an arrow crab or something like that. Plus, if you have a pseudochromis you have very little to worry about from most pests.

Good suggestions, will certainly consider it. I want a few fish in there and some cool inverts, so the pseudochromis could work for sure. I had an Orchid Dottyback in my 40br, it can definitely hold its own! Might go with a neon dottyback this time around if I decide to get one.

Finarry TJ Miyagi has come back like a phoenix from the ashes!

Your Tank Dishonord my famiry... So jearous...

Keep gurd work and post more picture!

Hahaha thanks!


I am actually going to be working on finishing the stand up tonight so I may have some more pictures very soon. The longer it sits on that naked stand, the more anxious I become to finish it!

Decided to do one of my infamous MS Paint mock ups of the stand so I can see if I like how my idea is going to turn out. Turns out that I do like it lol. I am going to use the same casing for the baseboards around the bottom and top of the aquarium stand to tie it into the room. The room is being painted a desaturated navy blue color, almost boardering slate. It is going have a really nice nautical feel to it. The accents of the room (cases, door & window frames, etc.) are going to be a slightly warm off-white color. I have tried to simulate that best I could with the colors on MS Paint. The brown ledges around the tank, and on the top of the plumbing cover are going to be stained the same color (or as close as I can get) as the hardwood floor. The ceiling cap is going to match the stand.

It should work out nicely.