onux20 March 22, 2008 Share March 22, 2008 Okay everyone, I started talking about this tank a few months ago. http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=20152 After a move from San Diego here to Springfield, and a few issues along the way, I am proud to say the tank is finally up. Here is the background.... I bought the Solana Nano from Current USA. http://current-usa.com/solana.html Nice setup. On Weds, i put the stand together and added the first 10gal of RO/DI. On Thurs I finished filling the tank and fired up the equipment. I removed all of the bio balls that came with the tank. And don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Reefer March 22, 2008 Share March 22, 2008 Sharp looking setup. I can't wait to see how it progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country March 22, 2008 Share March 22, 2008 I was out at Marine Scene on Wednesday, their liverock tanks were full to the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 March 22, 2008 Author Share March 22, 2008 I was out at Marine Scene on Wednesday, their liverock tanks were full to the top. SWEET! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadgets March 22, 2008 Share March 22, 2008 Nice setup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak March 22, 2008 Share March 22, 2008 neat halide, nice set up ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 March 26, 2008 Author Share March 26, 2008 Hello WAMAS. An update on my Solana. I put 40lbs of CaribSea Live sand in the tank on Monday night. I placed some filtering cloth in the area designed for mechanical filtration in the back of the tank and the water was fairly clear by the time I was up Tuesday morning. I made a mad dash from work to get to The Marine Scene before they closed to pick up some live rock. Once I got there, Wes guided me to choose the Tonga vice the Fiji rock that I had planned on using. I knew it was more expensive than the Fiji but I quickly found out it was much more interesting to aquascape. Wes pulled out 30lbs of Tonga and put together a great looking formation. As I predicted, I was not able to reproduce it once I was standing in front of my tank. Anyhow, here is where I started and ended Tuesday night. All the rock laid out Front of tank Right side Left Side So far it looks like I have pretty good flow in and around the rock. Hopefully I can see and eliminate any dead spots before I start stocking. I know it looks like THE GREAT WALL OF RON's LIVE ROCK, but there are quite a few caves and overhangs. I swear! This morning, the basement has the distinct aroma of curing live rock. Ahhh the smell of progress!!! Waiting as patiently as I can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 March 26, 2008 Share March 26, 2008 Dont worry you will prob keep moving the rock for the first few months before your happy with it. We all have done this Looks good so far keep it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA March 26, 2008 Share March 26, 2008 Ron, Congrats!!!! Don't change a thing with the rocks, you got some AWESOME shelves there to put corals on later for sure!!! Another place in the opposite direction for LR was Roozens off Exit 4 I believe in Ft Washington MD. Keep the story going and pictures too! Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 March 27, 2008 Author Share March 27, 2008 Ron, Congrats!!!! Don't change a thing with the rocks, you got some AWESOME shelves there to put corals on later for sure!!! Another place in the opposite direction for LR was Roozens off Exit 4 I believe in Ft Washington MD. Keep the story going and pictures too! Welcome aboard! Thanks for the compliment/advice. I will definitely check out Roozens, the site looks great. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy953 March 27, 2008 Share March 27, 2008 Very cool tank! I really like the reflector. Gives a modern look. Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 March 29, 2008 Author Share March 29, 2008 D+3 Pretty cool today I saw the first signs of life. Several tiny snails and what I can only guess to be pods in the tank!! I took a turkey baster to the rock and blew off a lot of dead/dying stuff. I also used the opportunity to check the flow around the rocks. As I suspected, the flow in the back corners is not too great. But there is some flow. I will just have to make sure I get the crud out that settles back there. I also added some carbon. Hopefully it will clear the water up. I am trying really hard to be patient...but I am going to ask this anyway. Since there are signs of life, pods and snails, does that mean the cycle is complete? I have the Red Sea Reef lab test kit. I checked for NO3 last night and got a reading. But upon further reading of the instructions it says that if NO2 is present it may give a false reading. Any thoughts? All for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbittner March 29, 2008 Share March 29, 2008 I use the Salifert test kits because I've heard that they are more accurate. With the Red Sea lab kits, I could never get a reading of zero on ammonia. It's very doubtful that your tank is cycled yet. Typically it takes a minimum of 3 weeks, but it can take as long as 6 weeks. What I do to help make the cycle stronger is throw in a grocery store shrimp and let it rot. That gives the nitrifying bacteria something to convert and it really gets your bacteria levels up. When you finally add a fish, it won't be a shock to your system and cause a mini cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 April 2, 2008 Author Share April 2, 2008 Not much to report. The tank is still cycling. I spend a bit of time looking at it each night. My wife and daughter think it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 April 17, 2008 Author Share April 17, 2008 Well it has been a while since I posted so here goes. Things have gone fairly well. The tank finished its cycle about two an a half weeks ago. I moved fast ( I know, patience) but things have worked out fairly well. Two issues I am having are a yellow clown goby that won Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar April 17, 2008 Share April 17, 2008 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 April 29, 2008 Author Share April 29, 2008 28 Apr I was able to finally trade the Coral beauty for a Stag frag from Phisigs. Once all the rock was out of the tank the netting was fairly quick and painless. I had a couple of deaths. The yellow clown goby never ate and didn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 May 4, 2008 Author Share May 4, 2008 Here is a rock of Shrooms from Carla. From the top it looks blue... From the front it looks purple... Either way I am happy! Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 May 10, 2008 Author Share May 10, 2008 Not too much to update. I added the Koralia Nano powerhead and a PH monitor to the tank this week. Flow is better. Hopefully it will help with the cyano outbreak. I also added a filter pad. I am not sure if it is a coincidence, but he skimmer seems to be skimming a lot more over the past few days. Question about the Ph monitor. The readout varies a few decimals all day. It will jump around the 8.1 mark but never settle on number. Is that right or should it settle? I also did a round of tests tonight. If something looks out of whack please chime in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 June 8, 2008 Author Share June 8, 2008 First a funny story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohlke June 9, 2008 Share June 9, 2008 Nice tank Ron. I think some ph monitors have issues with floating grounds so there could be something to your power issue. Did you get a UPS already? I am not sure this will work for you but I have been looking at getting a generator for years but I couldnt justify the costs. This is going to be my backup plan the next time we have a power outage as I think I could only afford a UPS that lasted for 30min or so. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...;tag=slickdeals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore June 9, 2008 Share June 9, 2008 I am having serious ph problems. I am not sure I can trust the American marine ph monitor. Due to way the tank is physically setup and wired, the ph monitor is on the same power strip as the return pumps. When I do water changes I have to power them down. Without fail after the water change, ph reads a few points lower. Today for instance, before the power down, ph ~7.9 after 7.6. It steadily has climbed and now 1 hour or so in to the light cycle ph reads 7.9. Does anyone know if powering the monitor down will lead to bad readings? I've talked to the folks at American Marine and they recommend to only run the pH monitor with a battery if you want to avoid any interference. It will last ~3mo continuous duty on a battery, but you really only need to turn it on periodically to check it every few days. Install a fresh 9v battery and recalibrate it using 7 and 10 solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 June 9, 2008 Author Share June 9, 2008 I've talked to the folks at American Marine and they recommend to only run the pH monitor with a battery if you want to avoid any interference. It will last ~3mo continuous duty on a battery, but you really only need to turn it on periodically to check it every few days. Install a fresh 9v battery and recalibrate it using 7 and 10 solutions. Some times the simple answer is the best. I did rewire the monitor to a different power strip. We'll see what happens after the next water change. But I think I may also try the battery route. Never thought about that! Nice tank Ron. I think some ph monitors have issues with floating grounds so there could be something to your power issue. Did you get a UPS already? I am not sure this will work for you but I have been looking at getting a generator for years but I couldnt justify the costs. This is going to be my backup plan the next time we have a power outage as I think I could only afford a UPS that lasted for 30min or so. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...;tag=slickdeals Thanks I like it alot. Just wish it were bigger...darn stimulus check HURRY UP!!!!! Any suggestions on how to test for stray voltage? I have to some looking first on the UPS. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 August 25, 2008 Author Share August 25, 2008 (edited) I just wanted to post a few pix. Here are a couple my favorites. Look right side in front of the plate coral. Not sure if this is from the spawning event of my snails a few months back, but here is a little guy. I have seen two so far. Center, is a frag I picked up that has been brwon sice I got it two months ago. A little green starting to show...very exciting! My Koralia 1 mod. Having a hard time reproducing! This guy is a monster. I had that rubbeband wrapped 3 times around the rock to feed nori. He pulls it to where he is then eats himself full. Two of my best The biggest camera hog of all. If you find one of these in your tank remove immediately! They do very well but I have been told they become an issue as they mature... I Edited August 25, 2008 by onux20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vader August 25, 2008 Share August 25, 2008 That light is wild looking....... looks like you're off to a great start, keep the pics coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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