dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Never messed with the stock ATO. Heard bad things about it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 ok thanks! what kind of bad things did you hear about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 what are your favorite things about your solana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Just that depending on how much evap you have, you may have to refill the bottles a couple times a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 i kinda like the rounded corners of the AP though..just curious as to why you like the rimless look better? hehe sorry about the "20 questions" lol but im in such a dilemma and need to be persuaded hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Just that depending on how much evap you have' date=' you may have to refill the bottles a couple times a day.[/quote'] how much does it hold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I think the best thing is how it looks. I think it looks so much better then most of the other AIO's. The rimless look is awsome, the glass+black silicone look is sweet. The stand is amazingly well built and looks good also. The back compartments are a nice size, I can fit my entire hand inside all of them which makes it easy to clean, unlike biocubes and the like I couldnt even fit a few fingers in there. The falsewall on the back is angled which I think is super cool looking. Gives it a nice dept look to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 but aren't all the AIO's using a black background? yeah they looked like they were a good size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Check out the megathread on reefcentral about solana, its 30 pages but they describe them so much better then I could. They truly are amazing tanks and after reading that thread I decided it was what I wanted. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1341848&perpage=25&pagenumber=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 What do you mean black background? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 you said it looked cool with the glass and black silicone..but dont they all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I think it just comes down to what you like to look at. I don't like biocubes/aquapods much because of the plastic hoods and rounded corners. Ive always liked the rimless look with black silicone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 does it come with a glass top? and ive seen people with eggcrate tops but whats the point when they are open so they still would evaporate alot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 No one uses the glass top. The only point of the eggcrate top is to keep fish from jumping. I just cut out a like 3" eggcrate top to fit around the tank and spray painted it black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 No one uses the glass top. The only point of the eggcrate top is to keep fish from jumping. I just cut out a like 3" eggcrate top to fit around the tank and spray painted it black. do you have jumping fish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 My lawnmower blenny tends to jump yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectra Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Just run the Solana it is a sweet set up compared to a AP24. I was going to pick one up but ended up going another direction. If you ask me for a nano set up the Solana is a sweet little tank. Also a 150 will work just fine for sps in that set up. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 ok thanks alot everyone!! i think ive made up my mind..im going with the solana ..here are the mods i wanna do: 1) swap out the stock return pump with a MJ1200 2) use my bak pak skimmer instead of stock 3) add a K1 4) add a HOB fuge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef-fisher Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 spectra is correct. the 150w lighting is sufficient. I have had clams and sps at the bottom of the tank with no issues. The stock pendant is hideous, but the light it puts out is great! If I had to start over, I would definitely get the 250w and a lamp tree. much better looking, and I already run a chiller:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Also if you are going to use the stand that comes with it, you could put rice paper over it and it looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 thanks ...that RC thread did help..there are some pretty sweet Solana's on there ..did you swap out your return pump too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstoneburg Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Yeah I tossed in a mj1200. I took off almost all of the loc lines also. Those things are ugly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef-fisher Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 The pump change is a good idea. I like the stock stuff, but it is a bit noisy. The Tunze skimmer will be my next upgrade(whistle) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 spectra is correct. the 150w lighting is sufficient. I have had clams and sps at the bottom of the tank with no issues. The stock pendant is hideous' date=' but the light it puts out is great! If I had to start over, I would definitely get the 250w and a lamp tree. much better looking, and I already run a chiller:D[/quote'] ok because i want a mixed tank and was wondering if i could keep some clams or SPS at the bottom..but you guys have answered that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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