MedRed's 60 Gal Solana XL: The End of an Era

[MedRed]

That crappy gluing aided me TREMENDOUSLY in being able to cleanly remove the overflow panels. Luckily, I wasn't too keen on using the sump as designed.

[Mitch619]

I must say, I'm extremely jealous of your LED lights! Do you think one of those would be enough for the 34? I'm thinking about saving up a bit and selling my nova extremes to buy one of these...

[MedRed]

There's a guy on RC (txbonds) with one over a 34...

 

 

 

[Mitch619]

Did you buy your's online?

[MedRed]

yes. I bought mine from premium aquatics. I think socaltropicalfish has the best price on them if I remember.

[Mitch619]

That's a good price. I can see myself selling my nova early next year. One more question, how long do the LEDs last, and when they do wash out, can you replace them? If so how much would it be?

[MedRed]

10 year bulb life, no spectrum change or intensity drop off, the AI system has the LED's mounted in pucks. These pucks are plug and play and can be replaced at anytime (for instance, someone with pucks that are 2 white leds and one blue can change out their pucks to the two blue one white version if they so choose).

 

The last upgrade kit was $250 for the full kit and was really comprehensive, basically like getting a whole new fixture minus the housing. I don't know how much it'd be to replace pucks without all of the other equipment, or to replace one puck if it were to burn out or something.

[bangaiicard]

one puck is not to bad. the highest ive seen them for is around $30

[MedRed]

cool... thanks bangaii for the info

[bangaiicard]

no prob.

[MedRed]

I just tested for the first time

.5 ppm Ammonia

.25 ppm Nitrite

somewhere less than 5 ppm Nitrate

 

With my new pump, I can't reach deep into the tank without causing water dribbles on the outside. I have to turn the return pump off in those instances. This was raising the water in the sump high enough to set off the high water alarm. I added a 2nd magnet holder and moved the tunze high water sensor higher in the sump. No more shrill alarm!

 

I feel bad for those zoas having to deal with all of that Ammonia and Nitrite.

 

I've been playing with the white balance. I've gone to the other extreme, but I can show more detail this way. I'll keep playing with it.

 

Diatoms are in full swing. everything in the tank is dusted with light brown.

 

[kevantheman35]

almost there! i can't wait to see it loaded

[MedRed]

Thanks kevantheman35!

 

I'm just ready to see some microfauna in the tank.

[kevantheman35]

hey, just started putting a monti collection together, wondering if you had much growth with your monti rock in the 34 under the 150w mh. its the same set up i have basically

[MedRed]

hey, just started putting a monti collection together, wondering if you had much growth with your monti rock in the 34 under the 150w mh. its the same set up i have basically

 

Actually yes. I had a lot of growth towards the end. I don't think anything in that tank suffered from light issues. none of the pictures are touched p.

[kevantheman35]

great! you had them fairly low to it looks like, and i was worried about keeping them down there so thats good to hear. Your tank was one of the main solanas i followed when planning mine out last year, ill definately be following the new one

[d'Espresso]

[MedRed]

So I seriously screwed up... I caused my cycle to finish a month early. -__-

I'd been dosing the Microbacter7. I just set up my quarantine tank and used some SuperBac to get the cycle in it going. I dumped the rest of the bottle in the display tank. The result... no more ammonia or nitrites... -__-

 

I decided I'll just start feeding the tank some expired pellet food I have to keep the cycle going.

I just started on my clean up crew. I have 5 Astreas thus far (wanting their covered coralline shells to help seed coralline on the rock). I also picked up 5 nassarius snails to eat the pellet food. I think snail poop will be easier for the system to digest than the unadulterated pellets. I will begin fleshing out my CUC as soon as Donatello lets me know what he needs for his crew. I'm going for diversity this time around. However, there will be no crabs!

 

Proposed Clean Up Crew

5 Astraea Snails

5 Nassarius Snails

5 Florida Ceriths

5 Dwarf Ceriths

5 Spiny Star Astraea snails

3 Fighting Conchs (1 each Tongan, Asian, and Papau/New Guinea)

1 Fuzzy Chiton

 

It's kind of a smallish CUC, but I want to see how little I can get away with.

 

I'm also going to start seeding the tank with the fauna I'm missing from using dry rock. The cheato in the display will be there for the next two months. I'll use it as a bed for the copepods and amphipods I'll be introducing. These will be the things I'll seed the tank with...

 

Stomatella (already added 5)

Mini Bristle Starfish (already added 2... have a source for more)

Copepods

More Copepods

Amphipods (need a source)

Saltwater Mysid Shrimp

 

These pics are taken under the 4% blue 0% white full moon setting for the LEDs.

You can see the diatoms on the sides of the glass. The Astraea are munching on it already

 

 

Astraea on the glass, nassarius in the sand

 

Chateau Cheato... where the pods don't use condoms

 

My SMR1 pump started leaking again. NextReef is sending me a replacement top and fittings.

[Mitch619]

is that a cpr intank refugium?

[MedRed]

It's a Reef Ready Acclimate

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem.asp..._source=1609763

[kevantheman35]

"where the pods don't use condoms" lmao

[animalmaster6]

Looks like you should be getting some life soon with all those pods and other microfauna. IMHo I would still put another established piece of live rock in there tot ry to get some diverse species.

 

Can't wait to see the chiton!

[MedRed]

"where the pods don't use condoms" lmao

 

;-)

 

Looks like you should be getting some life soon with all those pods and other microfauna. IMHo I would still put another established piece of live rock in there tot ry to get some diverse species.

 

Can't wait to see the chiton!

 

I agree with you on another piece of live rock, but I'm not willing to risk introducing pests along with a new piece of rock. I will address the sterility with the added micro fauna. The tank will be fallow for another month and a half at least. That should give plenty of time for things to get underway. I will be addressing the diversity issue long term as I add corals overtime. the various plugs and rocks that come attached to the corals usually harbor hitchhikers.

[animalmaster6]

Yeah there should be some decent hitchhikers on the plugs and rocks.

[MedRed]

I have seeded my copepods.

 

I thought I'd share my QT tank

 

I use an Eclipse system 5 corner tank with a biowheel (can't beat biowheel for wet dry biological filtration)

Small, so easy to move around, rinse out, use less medication, etc.

Full cover hood, so no carpet surfing fish

No substrate, No Rock (nothing to trap detritus or cover parasites... easy to siphon clean)

I use a small 50 watt stealth heater

I keep a Tetra Whisper air stone going with a small Rena micro bubble airstone (keeps water oxygenated and ready for medicating... some medications can reduce the oxygen content in the water)

 

The first time I fill it, I use water from the display tank. Water changes there after are fresh saltwater.

Separate siphons, nets, and buckets (orange buckets for quarantine, white buckets for main tank)

Fish are quarantined for 1 month before going in the main tank.

If a fish is introduced any time while another fish is in quarantine, the clock is reset for the original fish.