by Marcin Smok | Oct 26, 2015 | Equipment, Industry, Technology
Sicce Syncra Nano was introduced in Europe back in 2014, and is finally showing up in North American markets. It is a compact return pump, designed and manufactured in Italy by a company known for making high-quality, long-lasting... by Saltwater Smarts | Oct 23, 2015 | Corals, Equipment, Science
It’s easy to cheap out on aquarium cleaning brushes, but it makes sense to spend a bit more for qualityWhile there are certainly sexier marine aquarium topics I could be writing about, I’d like to dedicate today’s post to one of the more mundane, albeit essential, elements of our hobby—aquarium brushes. This subject came to mind recently after I threw my ten-thousandth brush kit into the trash because, once again, the brushes had begun to fall apart. Now, I’m a well-known cheapskate (or as Caribbean Chris is fond of pointing out, I’m “a whole rink full of cheapskates”), but even I understand—and often preach—that buying the least expensive aquarium equipment often ends up costing you more in the long run. Still, for some inexplicable reason, I continue to cheap out on everyday tools like aquarium brushes, scrapers, tongs, algae magnets, and the like. This has not served me well.A quick, completely informal audit of aquarium brushes sold online revealed prices ranging anywhere from well under $5.00 for three- to five-piece assortments from various manufacturers to over $16.00 for a five-piece Tunze kit. There might be higher-priced kits out there as well, but as I said, this was a quick audit. So, is it really worth paying the long dollar for something as commonplace as a set of aquarium brushes by danireef | Oct 19, 2015 | Equipment
Last year at the Nuremberg Interzoo, Teco launched its new chiller, the Teco TK 150, part of its new Tank Chiller Line. Teco had already given us a preview during a visit to their office, where we had the chance to see it alongside the other chillers, one of which,... by Saltwater Smarts | Oct 17, 2015 | Equipment, Fish, Science, Tanks
The Avant-Garde Marine Aquarist – now available in print and eBook formatsThink you’ve got equipment woes? Imagine what it would have been like trying to equip a marine system back at the dawn of marine fishkeeping! Well, hobby pioneer Paul “Paul B” Baldassano doesn’t have to imagine that because he was there to witness it. (Actually, he may have been there when our first human ancestor slithered out of the primordial ooze—we’re looking into it.) To get a sense of the equipment challenges early hobbyists faced, check out this excerpt from the first chapter of Paul’s new book, The Avant-Garde Marine Aquarist: A 60-Year History of Fishkeeping, now available in both electronic and print formats:Equipment limitations Early tanks had other concerns besides parasites, and the majority of those concerns were due to the aquarium hardware at the time. As I said, tanks had metal corners up until the early 60s, which was when all-glass tanks were sold. That led the way for larger tanks to be manufactured. My first all-glass tank was a 40-gallon, which was considered large then by Marcin Smok | Oct 16, 2015 | Equipment, Industry, Technology
Two Little Fishies has just released a new product, the PouchFeeder, as part of their expanding feeding-accessories line. Based on the proven design of TLF’s previous fish feeding gadgets, which include various food holding clips, rings, and blocks, PouchFeeder... by Francis Yupangco | Oct 13, 2015 | Equipment, Fish, Science, Tanks
These may be some of the dumbest criminals ever. These twenty-somethings in Britain were caught on camera trying to steal an aquarium in Britain from Contact Pets aquarium store in Wales. The three bandits are decked out in hoodies, and can be seen smashing into the...
