Dutch27's Solana build/mod

[dutch27]

Starting to dose alk, finding the tank floats down around 7, sometimes lower before a wc, step one was to successfully maintain 7, now I'm going to start trying to increase it and maintain it at 9. Ca demand per week is only about 20ppm right now, and the tank stays around 420/400ppm so don't see a need to dose that just yet.

 

Found a new toy in photoshop... photomerge! Used it to get a good shot of the bottom 1/3 of my tank:

 

 

Took some progress pics, was interesting to see:

1/31 (admittedly tank is less blue in this pic)

4/19

 

Side shot, notice the DIY Mag Rock I'm making a zoo rock out of :

 

[dweebikus]

How's this tank going? Gotten any farther on your ATO? I've been seriously considering tearing down and doing basically the same thing with my Solana, though I'm a wuss about drilling so I'd considered a HOB overflow box.

 

Did you build your sump yourself or pick it up from somewhere?

[dutch27]

The tank is doing great! Recently started dosing Alk and will soon start Ca now that I have stable Alk above 6.5-7 dkh. Also started dosing some brightwell coral amino, not sold on the effects yet. I didn't document the before look terribly well, but I do have an acan that I'm pretty sure is looking much better.

 

I just installed an ATO a couple of weeks ago. I ended up getting the JBJ ATO system and so far it works great. I keep a 20g rubbermaid around the corner in the other room and use the pump from my old JBJ nanocube. Easily one of the best things I've done for the system. Daily top off was such a PITA. I'll try to get some pics of the ATO up when I get the chance.

 

I did have a minor setback a couple weeks ago with a leak. When I removed the backwalls I accidentally cut into the silicone between the back pane and the side pane, months later it turned itself into a leak. I siliconed it and let it set for 2 days, no problems since (knock on wood). When I drained the tank to below the leak though I forgot about the light. When it turned on it was too intense and freaked out the corals, I lost about 90% of the polyps and flesh on my red millepora, what's left is kinda green now. Dumb mistake.

 

I built the sump myself from acrylic sheets I picked up at Lowe's. I couldn't find any standard size tanks that would fit in the stand. It was pretty simple, it just took access to a good blade. My father has a nice table saw and carbide blade, the Weldon work was pretty straight forward. Definitely need a well ventilated area though.

 

I was scared to death of cutting the glass too, but someone in the local club here had done the same cut with a 70g cube and detailed the exact dremel bit to use and how he did it. After flooding my bathroom trying to keep the tank wet during the cut I ended up going to his place to finish the cut.

[aklee987]

I was scared to death of cutting the glass too, but someone in the local club here had done the same cut with a 70g cube and detailed the exact dremel bit to use and how he did it. After flooding my bathroom trying to keep the tank wet during the cut I ended up going to his place to finish the cut.

 

Can you give me some more info on the dremel bit? And advice on how to cut it?

[dutch27]

Can you give me some more info on the dremel bit? And advice on how to cut it?

 

The bit is number 7144. It's a diamond bit. I'm at work so I can't get pics etc but I'll try later.

 

Basically what you need to do is trace out the area you want to cut, and provide a steady stream of water over the work area to keep everything cool. Using the diamond bit to make the cut, go slow. Basically you're slowly grinding away the glass, not actually cutting it. You don't have to apply much pressure at all, and move the bit up and down as you move to keep the bit clean. Run the dremel as fast as it goes, the key is keeping it wet and advancing slowly. Let the tool do the work.

 

What we did was the put a bucket down with a pump, and pump water up to the work area, let it drain back into the bucket where it would get pumped back up.

 

It may take a little bit of time, but slow and steady wins the race.

 

Mine cracked a bit when I was doing it, but I ground a hole at the end of the crack and it didn't spread, and it hasn't caused any structural issues with the tank.

 

Here's a link to the page where the guy who helped me did a custom 70g cube. This should jump you right to the page where he did his cut with the dremel.

 

http://hvreef.org/yabb/index.php?topic=8527.100

[aklee987]

The bit is number 7144. It's a diamond bit. I'm at work so I can't get pics etc but I'll try later.

 

Basically what you need to do is trace out the area you want to cut, and provide a steady stream of water over the work area to keep everything cool. Using the diamond bit to make the cut, go slow. Basically you're slowly grinding away the glass, not actually cutting it. You don't have to apply much pressure at all, and move the bit up and down as you move to keep the bit clean. Run the dremel as fast as it goes, the key is keeping it wet and advancing slowly. Let the tool do the work.

 

What we did was the put a bucket down with a pump, and pump water up to the work area, let it drain back into the bucket where it would get pumped back up.

 

It may take a little bit of time, but slow and steady wins the race.

 

Mine cracked a bit when I was doing it, but I ground a hole at the end of the crack and it didn't spread, and it hasn't caused any structural issues with the tank.

 

Here's a link to the page where the guy who helped me did a custom 70g cube. This should jump you right to the page where he did his cut with the dremel.

 

http://hvreef.org/yabb/index.php?topic=8527.100

 

Thanks so much. I may be trying this in the future.

[dutch27]

Best of luck if you give it a shot!

 

Pic of the dremel bit, up close and personal:

 

JBJ ATO pics:

 

Zip tied the tubing to the return pump's line

 

You can make out the outlet of the ATO line in the back right corner

[dutch27]

New FTS, once I get some glue I'm gonna move things around a bit.

 

[dutch27]

Rear pane of glass cracked. I was wedging stuff in to push back the support for the light to center it better, it held for a couple days, but the glass already had a small crack I had arrested when I was building it. The pressure from the spacers I was using to hold back the light was too much for the already weak glass, and it cracked vertically right to the bottom. This came 3 days after setting it back up from a complete break down to fix a bad seam between two panes.

 

Working on getting a new tank. 18"x18"x18" Marineland cube, reef ready. Going to change the mounting point for the pendant so I can center it on the tank better, and am trying to return to basics. Going to keep some easier sps (Setosa, ORA green birds nest, maybe one other if it survives the temporary housing). And focus on a few nice pieces of LPS with room to breath (galaxia, elegance, duncans, one or two chalices, acans, torch, hammer) and a few nice zoos.