Is it best to solo mine or, if not, which is a reliable pool?
I recommend solo mining at this point. None of the pools are that reliable.
Solo mining provides the maximum value to the network by running a node and decentralizing control away from pools (even if other people do use them). Solo miners are the true heros of any coin.
The down side is that you need to be extremely patient and not have unrealistic expectations of getting coins on a consistent basis (or with a low hash rate, ever). If you view it as providing a service to the network and look at any coins you do get as nice prize or bonus, you will enjoy solo mining. If you check every 15 minutes to see if you got some coins, you will find solo mining very frustrating.
but all the rest), it was very early on coinmarketcap - it was much harder to set up and use counterparty that days than it is today for monero. 
