February 2010 - nTOTM - murphreef's 25g solana

murphreef · 02/03/2010, 09:49 PM

First off thank you everyone that participated in the monthly contest its always close and it's great to see all the cool nano's out there!

History

I started this tank about 7 months ago now I have been in the hobby about 7 years i had a 180G mixed mainly SPS reef tank but maintenance cost and just time it spent me weekly to keep it in check became overwhelming and costly. I ended up breaking that tank down and always new I wanted to get back into the reef hobby. I took about a 9-10 month break regrouped and got my little 25G solana.

Maintenance

This tank is so simple I love the AIO setup all i do is a water change of 3-4 gallons every 2-3 weeks. I put carbon in from time to time. I dont run any of the prefilters as they always clog and slow down the flow through the back chambers. I still have the stock skimmer seems to do just fine so far. One thing that is a defffinate on this tank is an auto top off I use the JBJ which I have a top off container in the stand that you can not see it holds about 4 gallons and last about 5 days until i have to refill. As far as additives I use B-Ionic 2 part solution and I add 20ml of alk and 20ml of Ca daily this tank uses alot! I also dose Mg salt and Iodine weekly.

Water Parameters

Am, Ni, na, PO4 all zero or undetectable
Alk - 7.0-8.0dkh
Ca 400-420
mg 1250-1300
ph 8.0-8.2
Sg 1.026
Temp 79-81 (fan controlled - no skimmer)

Lighting

I run one single 250W XM 20K HQI bulb in a lumenmax III pendant ran by a bluewave ballast. This was left from my old tank and it works great I am also surprised that a fan can keep the tank cool I was figuring I would need a chiller but the fan works just great!

Live Stock

A little bit of everything from SPS to Acans to a clam and a hammer coral I like having all types of corals as they all have cool different attributes that they add to the tank!

I have 5 fish in the tank 2 green chromis, a black clown, wrasse and a orange spotted goby (he hides alot) I also have a little red starfish and a shrimp along with a few snails and hermits

Tank Pictures

Well here are some pics of my tank i snapped this evening!

murphreef · 02/03/2010, 09:53 PM

Continued....

Here is a pic from the first month of this tank as you can see many corals have grown large even the LPS and clams!

And this is tonight 7 months later

here is a picture of my old 180 before i tore it down boy i do miss this tank but not the cost...

Thanks again everyone for the votes and all that enjoy this hobby it's such a fun hobby to share with all of you!

If anyone has questions feel free to ask me!

Justin

dan10342 · 02/03/2010, 10:05 PM

I love it!

jackson6745 · 02/03/2010, 10:20 PM

Justin, coming from a bigger tank to an nano I can totally relate to you. Your nano is a great, clean display of nicely colored SPS. I love the aquascape and coral placement. Glad to see you win

SawdustInTank · 02/03/2010, 10:27 PM

That 180 was a great looking tank.........

nona · 02/03/2010, 10:48 PM

Well deserved! Congrats!

ReeferChick85 · 02/04/2010, 02:39 AM

Congratulations Justin!! Love all the pics and all the colors!! You did good lol. Oh yea when do you wanna give me that pink yuma???

!! Your old 180 was pretty sweet too but don't you just love having your nano...low maintenance,low costs but never enough room which is the only downfall

.

Anyways DEAR...

...beautiful tank and congrats on the getting nTOTM!! Welcome to the club

Chiefsurfer · 02/04/2010, 10:14 AM

Both tanks are awesome. Those are some CRAZY colors on that birdsnest.

murphreef · 02/04/2010, 06:44 PM

thanks again everyone for the kind words

jackson thanks your tank is lookin killer love the upgrade thread that was the first i had seen it keep up the great work!

thanks reeferchick

yea i love the nano its awesome its better then not being in the hobby thats for sure i missed it too much during my little break from my big tank that i had to get something! I think in the next few years ill get a custom cube made probably 30x30x20 these corals are just filling in too much already!! thanks again

chiefsurfer its a tubs purple polyp birdsnest awesome i agree and a fast grower and cheap price of frags sicne they grow so fast

Jadams · 02/04/2010, 09:36 PM

Congrats!! Great looking 180 too

pimpinitup6969 · 02/04/2010, 11:26 PM

i just picked up a 25g solana. I just hope i can make it look half as nice as this! Gorgeous tank and congrats! If i have any questions about the tank can i shoot you a pm?

murphreef · 02/04/2010, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pimpinitup6969

i just picked up a 25g solana. I just hope i can make it look half as nice as this! Gorgeous tank and congrats! If i have any questions about the tank can i shoot you a pm?

any time please feel free its a good setup for a tank but there are a few things i would recommend doing to make it easier on u and run smoother so hit me up any time and thanks for the comment!!!

FishyBiz · 02/04/2010, 11:48 PM

Great growth. Fantastic tank!

murphreef · 02/08/2010, 12:58 AM

thanks fishybiz for the kind words! i was gone for the last few days up in the bay area and left the roomy in charge of dosing luckily all went well

parishilton · 02/08/2010, 08:48 AM

well deserved

j2707ah · 02/09/2010, 02:53 PM

Love the tank. I have been thinking about going with one of these. Do you have a picture of it with the stand and light and everything?

murphreef · 02/10/2010, 12:21 AM

thanks guys it filling in fast now not sure what im guna do in a few more months had an issue tonight with the undata touching a stag and dying a lil

j2707ah.... here u go a full setup shot i have everything hidden in the stand and painted the back of the glass black so u dont see it all makes it look clean!

Lurking · 02/10/2010, 09:50 PM

Have you used a 20k the whole time? And if so what has your growth been like?

Lagger · 02/10/2010, 11:01 PM

Agreed, well deserved. Your 180 was the shiz....what ever happened to that huge squammie you had?!?

murphreef · 02/10/2010, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lurking

Have you used a 20k the whole time? And if so what has your growth been like?

for the first few weeks during setup i ran an old phoenix 14k i had from my old 180 i changed it to the XM20K right away since i wasnt concerened about growth more just about color and look... growth has been ok its actually picking up pretty fast now... i am dosing alot of alk and ca these days about 25ml of each daily its getting kinda ridiculous haha i need a dosing pump for when im gone but dont want to spend the $$$ for it!!!

murphreef · 02/10/2010, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lagger

Agreed, well deserved. Your 180 was the shiz....what ever happened to that huge squammie you had?!?

i know looking back at old pics i am amazed at how nice it really was and how big my corals got!!!

that clam was crazy it was about 15" or so i sold it to an aquarium store out here for $250 they put it in there huge 800g sps tank and it was dead within 3 months

i was pretty bumbed to say the least!!!

RIP squammy

fstar25 · 02/11/2010, 10:28 AM

Your tank has a symmetry to it that I haven't seen in very many tanks. +10

murphreef · 02/11/2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstar25

Your tank has a symmetry to it that I haven't seen in very many tanks. +10

thanks fstar25 thats an awesome compliment i realy appreciate that!

sahin · 02/15/2010, 05:12 PM

Well done Justin. I have admired your tank so much since I first saw it. You deserve totm for your nano.

The coral colours look amazing. Growth looks good too. Does the 20K halide actually burn as blue as the first few photos show or is that due to the camera etc?

I have a Phoenix 14K and it has a decent hint of blue, but I am after even bluer tint.

Keep up the good work.

dyer_maker · 02/15/2010, 08:06 PM

Looks great. Are you using some magnet mounts for any of the corals? Looks like the birdsnest is growing out of the false wall.

02/03/2010, 09:49 PM	#1
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	February 2010 - nTOTM - murphreef's 25g solana First off thank you everyone that participated in the monthly contest its always close and it's great to see all the cool nano's out there! History I started this tank about 7 months ago now I have been in the hobby about 7 years i had a 180G mixed mainly SPS reef tank but maintenance cost and just time it spent me weekly to keep it in check became overwhelming and costly. I ended up breaking that tank down and always new I wanted to get back into the reef hobby. I took about a 9-10 month break regrouped and got my little 25G solana. Maintenance This tank is so simple I love the AIO setup all i do is a water change of 3-4 gallons every 2-3 weeks. I put carbon in from time to time. I dont run any of the prefilters as they always clog and slow down the flow through the back chambers. I still have the stock skimmer seems to do just fine so far. One thing that is a defffinate on this tank is an auto top off I use the JBJ which I have a top off container in the stand that you can not see it holds about 4 gallons and last about 5 days until i have to refill. As far as additives I use B-Ionic 2 part solution and I add 20ml of alk and 20ml of Ca daily this tank uses alot! I also dose Mg salt and Iodine weekly. Water Parameters Am, Ni, na, PO4 all zero or undetectable Alk - 7.0-8.0dkh Ca 400-420 mg 1250-1300 ph 8.0-8.2 Sg 1.026 Temp 79-81 (fan controlled - no skimmer) Lighting I run one single 250W XM 20K HQI bulb in a lumenmax III pendant ran by a bluewave ballast. This was left from my old tank and it works great I am also surprised that a fan can keep the tank cool I was figuring I would need a chiller but the fan works just great! Live Stock A little bit of everything from SPS to Acans to a clam and a hammer coral I like having all types of corals as they all have cool different attributes that they add to the tank! I have 5 fish in the tank 2 green chromis, a black clown, wrasse and a orange spotted goby (he hides alot) I also have a little red starfish and a shrimp along with a few snails and hermits Tank Pictures Well here are some pics of my tank i snapped this evening! __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

02/03/2010, 09:53 PM	#2
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	Continued.... Here is a pic from the first month of this tank as you can see many corals have grown large even the LPS and clams! And this is tonight 7 months later here is a picture of my old 180 before i tore it down boy i do miss this tank but not the cost... Thanks again everyone for the votes and all that enjoy this hobby it's such a fun hobby to share with all of you! If anyone has questions feel free to ask me! Justin __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

02/03/2010, 10:20 PM	#4
jackson6745 Yeah Yeah Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Rockaway Park, NY Posts: 5,822	Justin, coming from a bigger tank to an nano I can totally relate to you. Your nano is a great, clean display of nicely colored SPS. I love the aquascape and coral placement. Glad to see you win __________________ Richard - Officially done shipping coral. Don't ask! http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2357196"]http://www.reefcentralcom/forums/showthread.php?t=2357196 Officially Done Shipping

02/03/2010, 10:27 PM	#5
SawdustInTank Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Homestead, FL Posts: 423	That 180 was a great looking tank......... __________________ Willing to learn................. Current Tank Info: 75 gallon Shallow Rimless, 20 gal.sump, Full spectrum LED lighting, Reef Octopus Skimmer 110 INT, RKL Plus.

02/04/2010, 10:14 AM	#8
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	Both tanks are awesome. Those are some CRAZY colors on that birdsnest. __________________ Chief Current Tank: 20 Gallon tall, 4-bulb t5 HO, Eshopps psk75H, ac-70 fuge. So far, green clown goby, striped goby, more gorillas than I wish I had, 5 SPS frags, 3 LPS Frags, 1 Softee, Turkey Wing Clam. Plan for the future: 120 gallon 4ft glass tank. Current Tank Info: 20 gallon tall Reef Tank

02/03/2010, 10:05 PM	#3
dan10342 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Geneseo, NY Posts: 3,331	I love it!

02/03/2010, 10:48 PM	#6
nona Moved On Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 171	Well deserved! Congrats!

02/04/2010, 02:39 AM	#7
ReeferChick85 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 894	Congratulations Justin!! Love all the pics and all the colors!! You did good lol. Oh yea when do you wanna give me that pink yuma??? !! Your old 180 was pretty sweet too but don't you just love having your nano...low maintenance,low costs but never enough room which is the only downfall . Anyways DEAR... ...beautiful tank and congrats on the getting nTOTM!! Welcome to the club

02/04/2010, 06:44 PM	#9
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	thanks again everyone for the kind words jackson thanks your tank is lookin killer love the upgrade thread that was the first i had seen it keep up the great work! thanks reeferchick yea i love the nano its awesome its better then not being in the hobby thats for sure i missed it too much during my little break from my big tank that i had to get something! I think in the next few years ill get a custom cube made probably 30x30x20 these corals are just filling in too much already!! thanks again chiefsurfer its a tubs purple polyp birdsnest awesome i agree and a fast grower and cheap price of frags sicne they grow so fast __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

02/04/2010, 09:36 PM	#10
Jadams Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4,475	Congrats!! Great looking 180 too __________________ Jeremy

02/04/2010, 11:26 PM	#11
pimpinitup6969 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Elmira, Ny Posts: 2,503	i just picked up a 25g solana. I just hope i can make it look half as nice as this! Gorgeous tank and congrats! If i have any questions about the tank can i shoot you a pm? __________________ I'd rather burp and taste it than fart and waste it! Current Tank Info: 125 Gallon, 150 Gallon

02/04/2010, 11:48 PM	#13
FishyBiz Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alta Loma Posts: 2,708	Great growth. Fantastic tank! __________________ Neal Current Tank Info: 20 Gallon Rimless

02/08/2010, 12:58 AM	#14
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	thanks fishybiz for the kind words! i was gone for the last few days up in the bay area and left the roomy in charge of dosing luckily all went well __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

02/08/2010, 08:48 AM	#15
parishilton Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Thailand Posts: 279	well deserved

02/09/2010, 02:53 PM	#16
j2707ah Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 59	Love the tank. I have been thinking about going with one of these. Do you have a picture of it with the stand and light and everything?

02/10/2010, 12:21 AM	#17
murphreef Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: simi valley Posts: 3,208	thanks guys it filling in fast now not sure what im guna do in a few more months had an issue tonight with the undata touching a stag and dying a lil j2707ah.... here u go a full setup shot i have everything hidden in the stand and painted the back of the glass black so u dont see it all makes it look clean! __________________ Justin Current Tank Info: 25G cube (finally back in the hobby in a small way)

02/10/2010, 09:50 PM	#18
Lurking SCRK Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: El Segundo Posts: 1,267	Have you used a 20k the whole time? And if so what has your growth been like?

02/10/2010, 11:01 PM	#19
Lagger Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Costa Mesa, CA Posts: 1,068	Agreed, well deserved. Your 180 was the shiz....what ever happened to that huge squammie you had?!? __________________ mad-hyphenated euro-braced deep-dimension bare-bottom 90g

02/11/2010, 10:28 AM	#22
fstar25 Getting there Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Friendswood, Tx Posts: 884	Your tank has a symmetry to it that I haven't seen in very many tanks. +10 __________________ The only thing I know for sure is nothing! Carrie, why do you want someone in need to die? -iCam Current Tank Info: 29G BioCube with LED lighting, media basket, fuge (chamber 2), MJ1200 return pump, K nano & K 1 power heads, 32# LR, ~2" SB

02/15/2010, 05:12 PM	#24
sahin Ultimate Reefer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,540	Well done Justin. I have admired your tank so much since I first saw it. You deserve totm for your nano. The coral colours look amazing. Growth looks good too. Does the 20K halide actually burn as blue as the first few photos show or is that due to the camera etc? I have a Phoenix 14K and it has a decent hint of blue, but I am after even bluer tint. Keep up the good work.

02/15/2010, 08:06 PM	#25
dyer_maker Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 51	Looks great. Are you using some magnet mounts for any of the corals? Looks like the birdsnest is growing out of the false wall.