TimberC Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 34G Solana It was time to downsize tanks and after much thought and checking out different potential tanks I decided to go for a 34g Solana. The Mini Elos was a contestant too but I just could not justify paying that kind of money for such small tank when the Solana is almost identical but bigger. The other set up that I looked at was the Cadlights but it didn't take me long to discard that option. I thought I would start a thread to show and track the progress of this set up. The transferred from the 50g into the 34g Solana was done in June. It basically took me all day to successfully take down the 50g and set up the 34g Solana. There were buckets with corals and liverock all over my apt. Luckily, I didn't lose any fish or coral during this process. I must mention that the 50g tank was my first saltwater reef tank and it ran skimmerless extremely successfully for over 6 years. All the corals that you guys see in there started from a tiny little frag. I am sad to see this set up go but at the same time excited about the Solana. Here is a picture of the 50g gallon before it was shut down. I want to run the Solana in the same way as the bigger tank. It will be a very simple set up with no skimmer. The goal is to have the liverock as the main biological filtration system. This is what worked for me very well for 6 years and am planning to stick to this formula again. Empty tank shots. As you guys can see, the custom made stand was designed similar to the Elos Mini Next, is a list of the equipment I'll be using for this set up and as you guys can see, it's all very basic and simple. Equipment 34G Solana Skimmerless Custom made stand 24" 5 bulb Aquactinics T5 fixture Ecotech Vortech MP10 Nano Glow LED (for refugium) Heater Livestock Fish Black Saddle Clown Tailspot Blenny Black flameback (wish list) Midas Blenny (wish list) Still looking for other couple of fish that would do well in this small set up. Corals 4 Rock flower Anemones Coco Worm Softies LPS Link to comment
MGDMIRAGE Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hard to dislike a Solana Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hard to dislike a Solana Yeah, you are right. This tank is pretty sweet and it looks great on the custom made stand which was pricey but well worth it. Link to comment
_Mitch_ Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Awesome tank. Can't wait to see this up and running! Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 Awesome tank. Can't wait to see this up and running! Thanks, your set up looks great too. Link to comment
_Mitch_ Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Thanks, your set up looks great too. Thanks! Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 Ok, it's time to upload a full tank shot. This is what the tank looks like right now. These shots were taken with all bulbs on. These shots were taken with only ATI Blue+ on. Link to comment
GOODgREEF Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Wow instant reef. Nice. Why did u want to get a smaller tank? Link to comment
Trick Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Love the beadlet anemone's. Pm me if they split and you need a buyer. Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Wow instant reef. Nice. Why did u want to get a smaller tank? It is an instant reef and isn't. This is a new set up but all the liverock and corals came from my 50g tank that had been running for over 6 years. The 50g tank was shut down because after over 6 years of having it in my apt, I realized that it was a bit big for the area it was in. I was sad to see this tank go because it ran very successfully for a long, long time but I am happy with the new set up. I personally feel that this 34g Solana looks better in my apt as it has cleaner lines and it's more sleek. Link to comment
shan Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Beautiful tank!!! Welcome to Solana world!! Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Love the beadlet anemone's. Pm me if they split and you need a buyer. There are 4 Rock flower anemones and they are my favourite critter by far. I have not been able to find a lot of information on them but it seems that they don't split. Apparently, there has to be a male and female for them to reproduce. What's great about these anemones is that they don't get too big and if you find a good spot for them, they'll stay put forever. Here are some close ups of the 4 anemones :happy: Link to comment
FlCandy Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Beautiful. Makes me want my cycle done NOW! LOL Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Beautiful tank!!! Welcome to Solana world!! Thanks, I look at your thread and your set up is pretty sweet too Beautiful. Makes me want my cycle done NOW! LOL Thanks, I like it too Link to comment
nickjqz Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Wow! Where did you get your rock flower nems? Link to comment
Giga Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Nice, when my tank has water in it-I'm so getting a rock anenome Link to comment
ericm1205 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 very nice tank. great shots of the tank. what happened to the midas that was in your 50? i noticed your wish list. you shoulf get another saddle clown to make a pair and be careful they dont try to host in the flower nem. flower nems sometimes eat clowns and other fish. mine has a bleached flame tip, hosted by a pair of tricinctus, midas, carpenters wrasse and a swalessi basslett. Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 29, 2011 Author Share Posted August 29, 2011 Wow! Where did you get your rock flower nems? I got the anemones from a LFS (Vancouver, BC). This vendor brought a bunch of really nice ones and I ended up buying the best looking ones. Coralmorphologic has some wicked ones (Red, Green and other colors) not long ago and at very good prices. I thought about some more but there is really not a lot of room in my tank. Get in touch with them and ask them to let you know next time they have some more in stock. Cheers Nice, when my tank has water in it-I'm so getting a rock anenome You should get some. These anemones are super wicked, don't get too big and tend to stay put for the most part. very nice tank. great shots of the tank. what happened to the midas that was in your 50? i noticed your wish list. you shoulf get another saddle clown to make a pair and be careful they dont try to host in the flower nem. flower nems sometimes eat clowns and other fish. mine has a bleached flame tip, hosted by a pair of tricinctus, midas, carpenters wrasse and a swalessi basslett. Hi Eric, Thanks for your kind words. The midas blenny was in my previous set up for years but died not long ago from an unknown disease It was eating well and swimming normally and next day he died for no apparent reason, perhaps he was old. Now with respect to the saddle clown suggestion. I am not a big fan of clown fish because I find them a bit boring. The saddle clown that's in my tank has been with me for over 5 years and I don't get rid of him because when I buy a fish, I buy it for life. I worry that if I sell it or give it away the next person might not look after him as well as I do...I know this is lame but that's just how I feel Right now there are only 2 fish in the tank, a Tailspot blenny and the Black saddle clown. I would like to have a Dwarf Angel but I am afraid that it might go for the corals or anemones. It would suck to have to take the tank apart to catch this fish if he decided to misbehave. Other options are the McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Yellow Candy Hogfish, Purple Firefish and Royal Gramma but I heard that this last one is on the shy side and might hide all the time and there is no point to have a fish that you rarely see. I am open to suggestions so keep the ideas coming. Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 You guys better like Ricordeas because I am uploading lots of pics of my Ricordea collection. There are about 15 different colors of Rics in my tank. I'll be slowly uploading pics of the different corals that I have in my 34g Solana. Feedback is always welcome. :happydance: :happydance: Link to comment
Squared Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 beautiful blenny. and nems. Link to comment
MedRed Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 ok... i'm going to make a mini nem and rock flower nem tank. It's settled. Thanks for showing me beautiful things that make me spend money. and your ric garden is amazing! Link to comment
_Mitch_ Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Wow, awesome ric's! Let me know when you want to sell some of them. Link to comment
TimberC Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 beautiful blenny. and nems. The Blenny sadly passed away a while ago. It lived for about 4 years and died of an unknown infection It was my favourite fish by far. I have been looking for another one but they don't come around very often where I live. ok... i'm going to make a mini nem and rock flower nem tank. It's settled. Thanks for showing me beautiful things that make me spend money and your ric garden is amazing! I had Mini anemones and I personally didn't find them as much fun as the Rock flower Anemones. These last ones are awesome and come in many different colors. Another great quality about the RFA is that they tend to stay put for the most part, which makes them very much reef safe There are about 200 Rics and 15 different colors in my tank right now. They just love my tank and do extremely well for me. Wow, awesome ric's! Let me know when you want to sell some of them. Thanks, I like them a lot too. Sadly I can't sell you any because I live in Canada and you are in the US. Shipping corals across the border is not easy. If you are looking for some wicked Ricordeas, I highly recommend Coralmorphologic. These guys are super nice and have great Rics in stock. Very nice Thanks for stopping by to check out my tank Link to comment
gena Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Your reef is stunning, totm worthy! This thread definitely needs more attention Link to comment
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