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Don's 34 Gallon Solana


dmarkham

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I am started this tank on 1-30-10. It was between the Solana and the Cadlights. I went with the Solana because it was local and I like the way the packaged looked. I also did not want the chance of a tank being broke in shipment. My LFS had the Solana on sale for $650 with the Tank, Stand and MH light ( disco ball ).

 

The stand was not as hard to put together as I have read in the posts. I will say this BUY YOUR OWN WOOD SCREWS. The ones that come with it are crap. Other than that it took about 30 minutes to put this together.

One thing that I liked was it is real wood not the MDF crap other nano stands are made of.

 

One other thing if you are new to this hobby do not rush things. My tank is well stocked for the age of the tank. This is because I have moved tanks before and understand what is involved with the risk of doing so. All of the water, rock, sand, and livestock are from a tank that was over a year old. The transfer was made over two days time. Will do a 10% water change on day 3 and day 5. After that 10% change every week.

 

Below is what is stocked in the tank.

 

30 plus pounds of live sand

50 or so pounds of live rock

 

Fish

 

1 Bi Color Blenny

1 Six Line Wrasse

2 Percula Clowns ( mated pair )

1 Sunshine Chromis

1 Sapphire Devil Damsel

2 Yellow Tail Damsels

 

CUC

 

1 Cleaner Shrimp

1 Emerald Crab

1 Yellow Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber

10 Red Leg Hermits

2 Turbo Snails

4 Trochus Snails

10 Astrea Snails

 

Coral and other livestock

 

1 Hawian Feather Duster

Green Hairy Mushrooms

Red Mushrooms

Green Mushrooms

Yellow Polyps

Green Button Polyps

Brown Rhodactis

Green Rhodactis

Green Zoas

Green and Blue Zoas

Yellow Green Toadstool

Standard Toadstool

Green Fogspawn

Pink Fogspawn

Dark Green Pagoda

Light Green Pagoda

 

Mods done

 

Glued the air line to the skimmer pump

Removed the Bio Balls and the stock ATO

Added rotating head to one of the return lines

Added a K1 and K2 for flow.

 

Here is a FTS and the Donor tank.

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Changes to come

 

Moonlights

ATO unit

Tint the glass on the stand

Add a clip on fan to help with cooling

Add a pump to help with water changes

Change the K1 for another K2

Add media rack

 

 

I am also open to ideas that other people have done.

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Everything has made it from the tank move. The Corals are starting to open back up. Will do my first 10% water change tonight. I am still getting use to the stock skimmer. It produces enough bulbs to be effectived. I am just not sold on the rubber band adjustment. I would have to add a ATO before I do any mods to this skimmer. Water level plays a large part in the way it works. I have a old corallife skimmer rated for 75 gallons. I need to look and see if this would be an option.

 

I am added some more pics from last night

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ATO is critical in order for anything to work right in this tank and the little inverted water bottles aren't worth using them to water a hamster. I use a Tunze osmolator and it has made keeping the skimmer working right much easier. Do you find the K2 too much flow for the tank? I have 2 K1's (and a K nano flowing across the back of my rocks) and I'm thinking about moving up a size. Maybe just one? How did you rig up the rotating head to the return locline? Where did you get it?

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ATO is critical in order for anything to work right in this tank and the little inverted water bottles aren't worth using them to water a hamster. I use a Tunze osmolator and it has made keeping the skimmer working right much easier. Do you find the K2 too much flow for the tank? I have 2 K1's (and a K nano flowing across the back of my rocks) and I'm thinking about moving up a size. Maybe just one? How did you rig up the rotating head to the return locline? Where did you get it?

 

I trashed the bottles and I agree they are a joke. I did see that a ATO is a must and this will be my next mod to this tank. The K2 is perfect for this tank I am going to change the K1 over and run two K2's. The rotating head was picked up at a LFS. I paid around $20 for it. It is a snap to put on. There is an adapter that comes with it. All you have to do is take off the stock nozzle and replace it with the rotating head. I remove most of the line from the other side of the return. That side is aimed downward behind the rock to keep dead areas from forming.

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Water change is done. I pick up two standard Nassarius snails and two Tiger Nassarius snails. I am attaching some pics of the Tigers. They are larger then the standard. Anyone else have these?

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Today I had to move some of the rocks around. I needed to make sure that there are no land slides. After the dust clears I will get some more pics.

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Are you goingn to have 8 fish in your Solana? Just curious.

 

Bruce

 

I have eight in there now. I had the same eight in my 40 gallon tanks. I will have to watch the water and stay on top of water changes. The LFS here by me keeps more then eight in the Solana and the RSM they keep on the floor. It is a good LFS also. They sell mostly high end product and are well known here in the Dallas area. I think it also helps that these fish are small in size. You can not put eight Tangs in this tank. LOL.

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SpankythePyro

You can keep a lot of fish in small tanks as long as you feed enough and export enough...

 

pending they all get along, which is usually the case with enough food. Full Tummies = No Fish Gummies (on the floor)

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After I moved the rocks to make it a more stable and the dust has settled here is what the tank looks like now. I will be doing five gallon water changes once a week. Also the hunt for frags begins. If anyone has any comments on what should be the next coral I am open.

 

 

Here is the new FTS

 

Here is some other pics. All the pics are taken with a Blackberrry so they are not the best.

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Today I emptied the skimmer collection cup. The skimmate is starting to get darker. This is the product after day nine from starting the tank.I can not wait to till it becomes dark green.

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Also today I picked up two frags. One is about five heads of a red zoa and the other was two head of a green hammer. The pics are of the coral two hours in the tank.

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Well My wife got me a Orange Dounut Coral as part of my V Day presents. I placed it on the sand bed and it seems to be doing good. Here are a couple of pics

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Also the K1 pumps went out. I had a spare and it saved me from having to get one. I have had it for around a year so that was not too bad. I known something was wrong when the Bicolor Blennie was swimming in and out of it.

 

Also added five Zebra hermits today.

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Tank looks great. I have a question on post 15 you had a whole tank shot, was the bright spot from the picture or is that they way it always looks. The reason I am asking is that I am leaning towards getting this tank.

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Thanks. All the pics are taken with a Blackberry. There is no photo shop and sometimes the pic makes the light look brighter then it is to the normal eye. Go to a LFS that has the Solana and look at it next to the others. I have one local in the DFW area that has the Solana, RSM, JBJ, and Biocube set up side by side. That is what sold me. It would be good for you to see the light for yourself. Go with what fits your taste and needs. I have had a RSM and a Biocube in the past. I looked at the JBJ, Solana, and CAD lights this time. The Solana fit the look and need for me.

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I like the setup. I also have the disco ball. you mentioned that you would like to do something with moonlights how do you plan to do that with the disco ball? I am asking because I would like to do the same thing.

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