tidalsculpin Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 So at long last I finally set up my first home tank. Many of you know that I began reef keeping in my classroom and have longed to enjoy it at home as well as at school. I started to get my equipment in January this year and finally set up the tank in July. I picked up the solana for a great price and considered the upgrades. I am still not there yet but am well on my way. The tank I picked up was a regular glass 34g rimless tank and I also got a used disco ball halide. The disco ball halide is not running currently because I chose a more powerful light for this tank from the start. Here is the profile: Display: Solana Standard Glass 34 gallon tank Stand: Custom Alder Stand 26 X 25 X 36 (Sold the Stock stand to Jadams7) Skimmer: Moved to a Sapphire Skimmer. So far, not working right. 10/3/09 Water Movement: 1 Koralia One Pump. 1 Koralia Two Pump (For Now) Vortech Upgrade Planned (MP20) Lighting: 24" Maristar 250 W HQI, XM 15k DE Bulb, 2 Super Actinic T5 UVL. Chemical Filtration: Chemipure Elite with GFO Biological Filtration: 30 pounds of live rock. Mainly 3 large pieces. Chaetomorpha in the rear chamber. Calcium Supplementation: Currently using ESV B-Ionic. I have liked it for the last month. Monitoring and Control: Ac Jr. Neptune Systems Livestock Plans and Implementation: Live Rock added July 9th. Hermits:3 various species. (Stocked July 27) Two Red Banded Trocus Snails (Stocked July 27th) Five Nerite Snails Stocked (August 20th) Five Nassarius Snails Red Fire Shrimp Symbiotic Red Striped Pistol Shrimp Reef Safe Brittle Stars Fish: Tailspot Blenny Stocked August 4th. Doing Great. 3 Trimma Goby To be stocked once found. Candy Striped Species 1 Assessor or Reef Safe Basslet (Not a Royal Gramma!) 1 Scooter Blenny with tank maturity maybe 5 months down the road. Coral: Acropora and Montipora mostly. Some Favia, Blastomussa, and Acanthastrea on the lower portions of the reef. Perhaps one nice chalice. As the name suggests, the tank is in the garage. I do not have a chiller but will by next summer or will be moving the tank indoors by then. Garage is not insulated but I will probably have some type of meth lab tarp/ foam setup to try and reduce temp swings. My plan is to stick to my guns and not add corals too quickly. I am going to let the algae blooms and coralline growth tell me when it is time. Bimonthly water changes with Seachem Reef for now. Here are some pics of the initial setup. Enjoy. FTS: Side View: Side View 2: My Tailspot Blenny: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c24 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I love tailspot blennies!! I added one to my 125 about 2 weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c24 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Great looking tank by the way. Looks like your off to a good start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 reminds me of med (red)(scratch) tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Yes, I first saw some tailspot blennies in some NR tanks. They are a quite unique fish. I am going for a very passive community tank fishwise. Trying to keep away from wrasses and such in this tank. I appreciate the comparison to Med Red's tank. His is great and I really like his rock work. My rock has been cooking for 9 months and I really like the three large pieces I put in there. They create a nice shelf look. I went through about 6 different rock-scapes before this post. I am finally happy with this one and believe the it provides plenty of space for sps to grow out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedRed Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 great looking tank! how do you like the maristar fixture? I <3 tailspot blennies. I knew I had to have one the moment I saw one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Med Red, thanks. The Maristar is very powerful. The 250 on the solana is a lot of light. The xm15k bulb has about 7 months of use on it but it is great in color imo. I think the blue is about right. I do not have coral's under it yet and will probably have to acclimate them slowly. It is pretty quiet, much quieter than my stock skimmer but hey, it's the garage, "my" humble kingdom. The Blue Wave Ballast is huge but packs a nice punch. My bulb perks right up when the Ac. Jr says fire up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedRed Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 super cool... too bad they don't make that fixture anymore. I was just looking for it. Check out the sapphire nano skimmer from sapphire aquatics. They make one specifically for the solana that's on it's 2nd or 3rd revision. I'm using one on my Solana. It's the perfect height and fit and has a silencer to make it quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 Nice tank. I love these small tanks. I am sometimes tempted to downgrade the 75g for one of these that is better set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gradth Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I love the cubes. If the wife would let me, I would find one just for a small set up. Looks great, keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 Thanks gradth. I am thankful my wife "let me" setup this tank in the garage. It is fun to watch the subtle changes and enjoy it's slow progression. Small tanks are great for viewing the little stuff you sometimes miss in the 75+ tanks. I debated for a long time whether to go cube or shallow and long. I really like the 33 long and might set up a low one someday. The nice thing about cubes are their compact footprint + volume. Medred, I am still thinking about the sapphire skimmer but I want to see if my used deltec mce600 hob does the trick. It is currently having a nice vinegar bath. I am going to test it for effectiveness. I think it is a beast for skimming as they are rated for 125G tanks. It is black though kind of big. I will keep you up to date when I install it. I might not install it until I start stocking sps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 where is a good place to get one of these tanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 21, 2009 Author Share Posted August 21, 2009 I got mine at Liquid Sunshine here in Eugene. I would say that any local fish store that carries Current USA products could get it in for you. One big problem with the rimless tanks is their breakage. I have seen at east 4 threads including MedRed's where UPS or some other shipper broke these tanks. If you go through a local guy it may cost a bit more but you won't have the headache of a broken tank shipped to your door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 Unfortunately, I just got home and found that my tailspot had gone missing. He went concrete surfing. I lost him behind the tank. Not a good omen. Pretty bummed. I must get an adequate cover for this tank. Rimless is cool but not safe for jumpers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 Well, My Coralline started kicking in sooner than I thought so it was time to go get a coral! I believe this is an Acropora valida (Tricolor Valida) The guy in the shop did not know the acro species. He did say it spread out flat. This coral had died off a year ago and was starting to grow back quickly. Second, I picked up a Randall's Goby to pair up with a Tiger Pistol Shrimp. The pistol has not paired up yet. He hid in the back corner pf the tank and buried himself. Watch the quick video. http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l37/tidalsculpin/?action=view¤t=P8270011.flv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tertansin2 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Maybe I should of kept the light, just kidding. Looking good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Looking good Joel! Too bad about the tailspot, I'm going to make something out of acrylic with either fishline or netting that will sit just inside each side. Should still be able to keep the nice rimless look but not lose fish! Will be easily removable for pics or when people are over etc......We could make a couple of them, 1 for your tank and 1 for mine. DIY shop time!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 just ordered a 34 solana yesterday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 oh awesome! where did you order it from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 pet solutions. Dono if they are a good company but the price was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 haha thats where i bought mine from yeah there pretty good and the price is better than anywhere else i found when i was looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 I just cant decide what lighting to buy. The sunpod on Marine depot went up in price. So I dont think I want that now. I am thinking maybe a pendant with hanging arms that I could make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 i bought my sunpod on ebay for 280 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finch6013 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 the sundial is tempting me. I would get actinic that the sunpod does not have and I could still hang it with some nice arms to keep it clean looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 lol yeah it is a nice pendent but kinda spendy..like 350-400 yeah i just decided to go with the 250w sunpod..i dont really need any more watts to increase the heat cuz its gonna be hot already with the 250w lol that sundial would be cool though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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