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New Solana 34G


phamily

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I moved to a new apt back in the end of Sept of last year and found an excuse to upgrade my tank from a Aquapod 24 (~18 months old) to a new fine looking rimless Solana 34G. I moved everything from the Aquapod over and added some rocks and corals from my 75G.

With this new tank, I decided to advance to new stage and start growing SPS instead of LPS and softies. In addition, I always loved clams and luck for me I found a guy that was selling a band new 24" Aqualight Pro with 250W MH + 2-65W CF for half of the retail price. So I basically have the ingredients to start my new venture with this rimless tank. So here is my official introduction:

 

Equipments:

1) Solana- everything is stock (I will switch my Sapphire skimmer in after the stock skimmer breakdown)

2) Aqualight Pro light fixture (250W MH + 2-65W CF)

3) Current primechiller (1/15H) temp is set at 79

4) Koralia 1 and Koralia nano

5) 35-40Lbs figi LR

6) second chamber turned into a fuge to grow macro and pods

7) 100W heater

 

Live Stocks

1) High fin Gray bar goby

2) Royal gamma

3) Yellow watchman

4) Unknown goby

5) Pair of true percula

6) Cardinal

7) neon goby

 

Inverts:

1) Clams: Derasa(3"), Corcea (3"), Teardrop Maxima (2")

2) Shrimps: Scarlet skunk cleaner, Blood Red fire

3) Sea Stars: Blue Linkia, red/orange spiny?

4) Crabs: 5-7 blue legs, 5 red scarlet, 2 emerald, 5-7 red legs, pom-pom, porcelain

5) Snails: 5-7 margarita, 2 turbo, 5 cerith, 3 nassarius, 2 bubble bee, 2 tiger cowries, 1 queen conch, 2

spiny star Astraeas, 4 Astraeas, 4 banded Trochus

 

Corals:

1) SPS: pink birdnest, Blue hairy milli, red mili, green slimer, kryptonite candy cane, Trumpet, pink

jade, (red, purple, and orange digi), tri-color acro, and a few more undefined, Australian

blastos, orange montipora,

2) LPS + Softies: pulsing & pom pom xenia, red-purple mushrooms, zoas, neon fungia, green finger

leather, button polyps, neon green frogspawn, open and close brain , xmas tree, assorted

rcordea

 

 

Routine/Schedule:

1) 5G water change every week

2) Feed fish with spirulina brine shrimp or arcti-pods every other day

3) Feed corals and clams phytoplankton+marine plankton alternate with fish feeding cycle

4) Dose B-Ionic and lugo's iodine

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  • 2 weeks later...
Amazing, i really like the open brain and the frogspawn. The clowns host in that right?

 

 

Yup the pair really like the them. Those frogspawn is really multiplying- expand really big...

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isn't 8 fish in a solana a bit much even though most of them are gobies?

 

 

the unknow goby disappeared I havent seen for days and checked the back chambers but nowhere to be found. Cardinal got beat up by the royal gamma and didn't make it. Sad:-( i am down to 6 fishes now. It is alot but i try to change water every week and decide to put my sapphire skimmer in there to pull out more junk.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Haven't update for awhile...a few goods and bad news.

 

Bad news:

Was busy two weeks ago with work and volunteering. Did not have much time to care for the tank. My water was out of balance...calcium was too high and Alk and Mag, was too low. Lost a teardrop clam and an acro. Did a quick water change and start to does Mag and 3:1 Alk/ Ca. Current measure Alk 8 and CA 380. Need to start dosing B-Ionic daily now.

 

Good news:

Things are starting to grow fairly well. Australian Acan added 3 heads to colony, krytonite candy cane double with 4 heads now. Both pink birdnest colony starting to spread and dominate the tank. Starting to have problem with coral being to close to each other, might have to start trimming this week.

 

Additions/changes:

1) took out my nano Koralia and added Kor1. There are two kor1 in tank right now

2) 4 frags: ORA green birdnest, more acros, chalice

3) Rearrange stuff around check out photo later

4) fish: sixline wrasse(one of my fav) and a tiger goby

 

 

Things to do in coming weeks:

1) switch out stock skimmer and add in my old sapphire from Aquapod24

2) thinking about taking out my 2 koralia1 and add in a Vortech mp40w(would be use for my future big

150gal+ thank) or a Tunze nano wavebox. I really like to look at the wave action! Any advices ???

3) Really need to get a ATO. Any suggestion?

4) move out most of the softies and lps to my 75gal tank. really love that brain and frowspawn...but they just

take up lots of space:-( Maybe just focus on SPS.

5) Clean equipments: pumps, chiller, lights, stand.

6) Transfer royal gramma to my 75g, he is getting very aggressive toward his tankmates

 

 

 

Here are some pics:

sea_star2.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

coral16.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

crab8.JPG

post-25629-1234156365_thumb.jpg

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TriggerHappyDude

Sweet tank! Studying up to one day join all you Solana owners! I'd like to follow along with your thread, and would love it if someone would suggest an ATO that would fit inside the Solana stand, my goal is to keep the display of my tank as clean as possible, without all the equipment being an eye sore.

 

So skimmers, ATO's, controllers, etc, that work well and stay within the stand confinements, would be great information to have.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally got some free time from work and everything to update on my Solana...So last week the Vortech finally arrived. This thing is awesome! I took out my two Koralia 1 and installed the wavemaker. and things start to really move in there. At the beginning nothing in the tank like it,especially the mushroom and xenia. I ran it with out the cover but decide that it would be best to put the cover on to reduce some of the action. There was some micro bubble the first few days but it is running smoothly now, very quite:-) I noticed that the chiller is coming on a lot more than often the power comsumption is ranging from 9-30w. My favorite mode is the short pulse. Havent been able to tweak it to create a constant wave like that of a tunze wavebox.

 

All the SPS is really enjoying it. I am starting to see more polyps extensions and faster growth. Since everything is starting to mature in the tank (plus just got my bonus) I decide to go shopping. Bought 3 ORA frags(red planet, pearl berry, and tri-color valida) from Jake @ RCA and a maxima clam a few day ago. The frogspawn started to get too big and is releasing it tentacles and poison whatever it lands on. I moved it to my 75g to make room for all the new additions. My pair of true perc is not so happy with me right now.

 

Enough said here are a few pics that i took a few day ago before i added the new pieces and the rearrangements. Will take some pics tomorrow...be on the look out!

 

thanks

 

ric13.JPG

 

 

 

 

leftside6.JPG

 

 

 

 

rightside4.JPG

 

 

 

 

size.JPG

post-25629-1235627034_thumb.jpg

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Sweet tank! Studying up to one day join all you Solana owners! I'd like to follow along with your thread, and would love it if someone would suggest an ATO that would fit inside the Solana stand, my goal is to keep the display of my tank as clean as possible, without all the equipment being an eye sore.

 

So skimmers, ATO's, controllers, etc, that work well and stay within the stand confinements, would be great information to have.

 

 

Trigger for right now i am still using the stock skimmer but will get the Euroreef nano skimmer for Solana when it comes out...i think there is a model out but not sure if it will fit Solana. I have the sapphire from my aquapod 24 that i could test out in there, but for now the stock skimmer is working fine...

 

I thinking of getting an ATO but decide not to cause this will force me to spend time each day taking care of the tank by manually top off hehehe:-)Plus the chiller took all the space in the stand

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TriggerHappyDude
Trigger for right now i am still using the stock skimmer but will get the Euroreef nano skimmer for Solana when it comes out...i think there is a model out but not sure if it will fit Solana. I have the sapphire from my aquapod 24 that i could test out in there, but for now the stock skimmer is working fine...

 

I thinking of getting an ATO but decide not to cause this will force me to spend time each day taking care of the tank by manually top off hehehe:-)Plus the chiller took all the space in the stand

 

I ended up buying the Sapphire Aquatics Solana skimmer, is Euroreef a good brand? Not heard of them, course I'm new to this game...

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I ended up buying the Sapphire Aquatics Solana skimmer, is Euroreef a good brand? Not heard of them, course I'm new to this game...

 

 

Euroreef has been around for a long while they just focus on larger tank skimmer but start to get into the nano niche...I have one of their skimmer in my 75gallon. The reason why i like their skimmers is that you dont have to adjust the o-ring like that on the sapphire and remora...they just have a turn knob to adjust the air intake.

 

Do you have a picture of the Sapphire on your Solana? how is it working for you?

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  • 5 months later...

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