darrellw

Any maybe with a picture? I think I understand, but I want to make sure. -Darrell

According to their site, the spread is about equal to the height above the bottom: http://www.solarisled.com/FAQTechnical/SolarisLightSpread/tabid/64/Default.aspx So the 14" light, which has one grid of 30 leds, ought to cover my planned 20 x 20 x 20 cube. According to the data sheet, the light spread is 40 degrees: http://www.solarisled.com/Portals/0/Solaris%20I5%20Datasheet.pdf Note that this will leave dark areas along the top edges, but I don't plan to put anything up there anyway.

The cool thing is they actually assemble the Solaris units in Vancouver. I'm seriously considering a 14" unit, which should be between a 150 and 250 W MH. It cost about 3x what a MH does, but if I factor in not needing a chiller, separate moonlights, light controller, annual (at least) bulb replacements, and energy savings, it does pay for itself pretty quickly.

Will do. I've been thinking of how I could put something together from conduit, but no way it would looks a trick, or be as solid as what you put together. -Darrell

From a strictly economic perspective, you should have sold it, that is what many would have done. But I applaud you for doing the right thing. Perhaps that customer will later appreciate your honesty. I know that I wish the person who sold me a mandarin 2o years ago would have explained that I was just going to watch it die a slow, sad death!

Have you tried baby brine shrimp? You will have to hatch them yourself, but that is easy to do.

+1 on the setup and light mount! I was pretty much set on getting a Solana, but pantherguy's and this thread have me rethinking. I will be watching both very closely! -Darrell

Hi Panther, Looking good! What size is your cube? Can you post some pictures of how your overflow is set up? Thanks! Darrell

Thanks everyone for the welcome! Does anyone know if any of the shops in the Portland/Vancouver area carry Current USA products, in particular, the Solana? I'd like to support a local shop, and besides, shipping a 20" cube made of glass doesn't seem like the best plan! -Darrell

Hi All, Another new member here from Vancouver. I'm just in the planning stages, but I've had aquariums of various sorts pretty much my entire life, from the goldfish I tried to pet when I was 4, to my big idea of raising guppies for sale (I at least covered my equipment costs), to some monster Oscars in college. I've even done some saltwater, first was some dwarf seahorses from Aqualand in the 70's (remember those ads in the back of magazines like Boy's Life and Popular Science?). Anyway, about a month ago my wife looked at my 20 year old, 20 gallon hex freshwater planted tank as said that I could get a new one for Christmas! So I started looking into nano reefs and was quite impressed where the technology is today. While my plans may change (they certainly have changed a lot so far), right now I'm thinking about the Solana 34 gallon all in one cube. I'm also seriously considering splurging on an LED lighting system, mostly because I don't want a chiller, but also because of the flexibility of adjusting color temp and intensity. I'm sure I'll have a ton more questions, but just wanted to say Hi! -Darrell