Review of Solana Many people are looking to get into the hobby of keeping saltwater aquariums. In doing so, they search for an all in one system that will make setup much more simple. Tanks such as the Nano and Bio Cube are ok, but do not really cut it for those who want to have a good system to start off with. I was one of those people until I found the Current Solana. This tank is a step above other all in one tank, and is for sure one that you should check out.
The Solana is a 34 gallon all in one aquarium that is manufactured by Current. I have owned one for a year and 7 months and have overall been pretty pleased with it. You can choose to get no light, a disco ball looking 150 watt metal halide pendant that hangs over the tank, or a 150 or 250 watt metal halide fixture that sets on the tank. I personally went with the disco ball because it looks very good on the tank. The tank is a cube that is 20″x20″x20″. The filtration system is build into the back of the tank. You also get a stand and a glass top with the system.
I love the look of the tank. It is a very stylish tank, and with some like SPS growing in it is a great centerpiece for a living space. The pendant light provides adequate lighting for any corals that I could want, including a clam that sits in the sand of my tank. The protein skimmer that comes with the system has not been good enough for me though. It could easily be upgraded though. My pump actually needs to be replaced already. I also wish that Current had incorporated a fuge into the tank for growing chaeto and putting some live rock in. Unfortunately they did not. You can make your own in the chamber that the auto top off bottles are in if you decide to not use them. I have seen many different examples of it on sites such as www.nano-reef.com. The auto tops off bottles, that the tank comes with, are good enough to only have to be refilled every few days if you have the glass lip on. This is a step up from having no auto top off system in place, but is still not near as convenient as having an actually auto top off system on your tank. The flow in the tank was also not adequate for me. Installing a Koralia 2 fixed that those, and I have been very pleased with my coral growth over the past year. The cabinet that comes with the tank is also a very sturdy one. I have had no problems with it moving at all. It provides enough space to store various supplements. The Solana is a great viewing tank. It is frameless so it provides you with a clear 3 sides of viewing of your saltwater system.
This system is definitely not the cheapest all in one that you can get. However I do know that from all the others that I have seen it is overall a much better system. For those of you that are new to the hobby, this is an excellent beginner’s tank, for those of you that have been in the hobby for a while; this is a great show tank. You will find that everyone who comes over to your house will have to go over and see what you have in it. If you have any questions feel free to post them in the comment section.
