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The Official All Solana Owner's Thread


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TriggerHappyDude
guys,

I'm thinking of upgrading the disco ball from my Solana to a better output fixture,any recomendations?

thanks

 

I bought the 24" 4x24 ATI Powermodule, its T5, I really love it.

You can see it in my build thread link below, adds a nice look to the tank.

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So looks like I had to settle for the Tunze skimmer over the sapphire one. Been without a skimmer for almost 2 months and it's been really bothering me. Been trying to get it through premium aquatics since early December and every time I talk to them they say any day now >.< So I checked with another one of there retailers and they said it would take about 6 weeks to get it and I'm not going to wait that long. So I hope that ships out monday. Also went ahead and ordered the InTank Skimmer Cup for it as well. Has everyone that has one been happy with the Tunze? I've been thinking that i'll use it for a few months and see how it goes. If anything fails I'll get the Shapphire and put the tunze on my frag tank.

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So looks like I had to settle for the Tunze skimmer over the sapphire one. Been without a skimmer for almost 2 months and it's been really bothering me. Been trying to get it through premium aquatics since early December and every time I talk to them they say any day now >.< So I checked with another one of there retailers and they said it would take about 6 weeks to get it and I'm not going to wait that long. So I hope that ships out monday. Also went ahead and ordered the InTank Skimmer Cup for it as well. Has everyone that has one been happy with the Tunze? I've been thinking that i'll use it for a few months and see how it goes. If anything fails I'll get the Shapphire and put the tunze on my frag tank.

 

No Sapphire product is going to out perform a Tunze product, you'd be going backwards...like comparing a Mercedes to a Ford...

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I though sapphire > tunze, I didn't like the tunze when I had it in my BC29

 

and yea I just got your pm aj, I'll reply in a bit

 

This is not a question of what you like but that you cant compare German engineering to some guy in his garage sorry...

Edited by DAHNIC561
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SpankythePyro

lol the tunze9002 in my BC was a pita to keep consistent, even with keeping the water lvl the same.

 

when it did pull it did pull!! I loved my reef octopus extreme 200 on my breeder though, that thing pulled sand/silt out of the water

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TriggerHappyDude
This is not a question of what you like but that you cant compare German engineering to some guy in his garage sorry...

 

I'm confused on if you guys are agreeing or disagreeing on the Sapphire Aquatics being better than the Tunze or not? And I guess Tunze is German and SA is a guy out of his garage?

 

I haven't had any issues really with my SA unit, the first gen they made, besides when the power goes out on it, and it comes back on, I have to manually pull it out of the water and let it drain to a certain point when the bubbles kick back in, but it pulls skimmate pretty well...I've been happy. Its my first skimmer though so I don't really know what to compare it to. :)

 

Spanky,

did you get my pm?

 

Trigger,

I saw your set up which BTW is sweet though I trying to avoid to do any hanging cables set up.

 

The light power cable that hangs could be avoided if you wanted to run the power up into your ceiling, I didn't so the one cable hanging doesn't bother me. If you get any other light fixture you're gonna have some cables that hang, but could be hidden behind part of the fixture. The ATI just has the one, but I chose the floating light fixture look with one cable hanging over something mounted to my tank.

Edited by TriggerHappyDude
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TriggerHappyDude
Seems like everyones fish are jumping out of their solanas :(

 

Good news, I traded in the suppos'ed "peppermint" shrimp that really was a juvie, spiney blue lobster for another Yellow Watchman Goby. I didn't want a shrimp or lobster in the tank, I am going to go with nudibranch for my aiptasia control, and can't have those in there...

 

When I bought the peppermint, they said it was a peppermint, but it wasn't. He was put in for aiptasia control, but hasn't been doing his job, no wonder its not a peppermint, I trapped it and took pics and posted online for trade or sale or giveaway and everyone said it wasn't a peppermint...so back he went.

 

Since my YWG jumped this past week, and I had a sad wife, I got her a new one, all is good in the world.

I've had him in the tank a few hours now, with the lights off, and its just sitting in the front corner of my tank with his face in the corner, he's moved from the back corner to the front corner. Guess its a little stressed from the new move...hopefully it'll be ok tomorrow.

Edited by TriggerHappyDude
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SpankythePyro

Haha! I can't comment on the SA, but you can't say tunze is better just because of german engineering, german engineering does have its flaws lol

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TriggerHappyDude
Haha! I can't comment on the SA, but you can't say tunze is better just because of german engineering, german engineering does have its flaws lol

 

Especially if they are all blonde hair and blue eyed...hehehe...jk.

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well got my solana all set up now, I bought the tank Wed, set it up Thurs, and filled it with a 55G I bought on craigslist on Friday. I can't believe all i got for $100 (RODI filter, rock, livestock, and several boxes of other goodies). The solana is all set up now, the 2 clowns, 2 sand shifting gobies, and the blenny are doing well. On friday after I got it set up, I checked the salinity and it was super high 1.03, so trying to slowly bring down. I checked the water yesterday at the LFS and PH was on the low side and nitrates through the roof (somewhat expected as I'm using the sand and rock from the tank i bought), doing water changes and treating with amquel (sp?). Rock came with a ton of mushrooms and some feathering type things. Now just waiting for the algae bloom.

 

Quick question: the tank i bought had two Koralia 2 pumps in it. I'm using one in the tank, is that too much flow for a Solana (vs a Koralia 1)? Is it needed?

 

Also rock came with bristol worms as well, god those things are ugly and will give me nightmares (they are like 3 inches long), i'll need to research if i can easily get rid of those.

 

Will post thread on my build soon, right now just hoping everything doesn't die.

 

- James

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SpankythePyro

you won't be able to easily get rid of them.

 

You can get some pantyhose and shrimp and catch them in that though.

 

A K2 is fine, I use an MP10 at full blast reef crest and my tank is fine.

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thanks for the answer on the K2.

 

man those worms are ugly, i feed the fish for the first time tonight (since putting them in Friday night), and when i did about 3 large worms came out as soon as i put the food in (very creepy). when i moved the tank over, i thought i got rid of them by sifting them out of the sand with my hands , but some i guess were in the rock.

 

gotta figure out the solana skimmer thing next, i'm a bit confused on what raising the cup up or down does.

 

- james

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Does the Tunze fit in the 1st chamber with the stock cup on it?

 

No...only in the 3rd...

 

thanks for the answer on the K2.

 

man those worms are ugly, i feed the fish for the first time tonight (since putting them in Friday night), and when i did about 3 large worms came out as soon as i put the food in (very creepy). when i moved the tank over, i thought i got rid of them by sifting them out of the sand with my hands , but some i guess were in the rock.

 

gotta figure out the solana skimmer thing next, i'm a bit confused on what raising the cup up or down does.

 

- james

 

I liked the Solana skimmer if it were not for the noise i would have kept it...and the fact that i got the Tunze for free...lol...

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back of the solana..chamber 2..the stock blue filter pad...w/o it or something you hear trickles unless you keep water level=to skimmer output

 

When it starts backing up you have to change it that means its dirty...I took out the plastic piece with the little holes and replaced it with egg crate because the holes are larger and it does not clog so quickly...

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SpankythePyro
When it starts backing up you have to change it that means its dirty...I took out the plastic piece with the little holes and replaced it with egg crate because the holes are larger and it does not clog so quickly...

 

LMAO well I know that....

 

I'm asking what people use...

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