by AquaNerd | Dec 17, 2012 | Equipment
Here’s a bit of tough news for Elos fans. According the Elos USA, the Amercian distrubtion arm of the Italian aquarium equipment manufacturer, the prices on many of the items they offer will be seeing a price increase for 2013. The increases apparently come as no surprise though, at least for the guys at Elos. It is commonplace for prices to increase after Interzoo, the single largest pet trade show in the world. And while prices did increase on Elos products this year, the crew at Elos USA chose to eat those increases in favor of giving a break to customers. Unfortunately, the price increases mean that Elos USA won’t be offering any special holiday discounts for 2012 and they will be increasing the prices on “some of the Elos products sold in the US” for 2013. The price increases are expected to be anywhere between 7-10%, and Elos USA has decided to make the announcement now so that customers an take advantage of the prices as they are, before any increases. This is obviously an exceptional approach to providing customer service, especially in a time where money is tight for most companies. To view the full announcement, please visit the Elos USA blog . by AquaNerd | Dec 14, 2012 | Equipment, Technology
Yesterday, EcoTech Marine released what they are calling a “significant update” to their EcoSmart Live software, the web-based platform that allows users to control their Radion LED fixtures. After months and months of beta testing, and after tons of customer feedback of course, the EcoSmart software is said to have gained improved stability, simplicity, and functionality. Numerous bugs have apparently been corrected as well, and for the first time, EcoTech Marine has become confident enough in the software to release it to anyone and everyone who wants to utilize the tool, though it will still only be available as a beta program. In terms of new features, the updated ESL software will include: Single Schedule Programming – Artificial and Natural Mode are no longer simultaneously programmed to the Radion. Only one schedule is programmed to the Radion, but both artificial and natural are still available. This improves programming speed. Aquarium Setup Wizard – effortlessly takes you through the process of identifying and grouping Radion LED lights. New Pre-Programmed Lighting Schedules – Seven pre-programmed schedules including High Growth Schedule and Deep Color Schedule. Improved Schedule Creation – Improved tools to design and export your own custom schedules with other Radion owners. Share with friends. Lunar Cycle – A basic lunar cycle is now possible which will vary your moonlight schedule along the natural lunar cycle. Acclimation Mode – Acclimate your aquarium to your Radion lighting effortlessly over a set amount of time. Release Notes – located in the lower right corner of the ESL screen lets you know what’s new. These are all much needed features for the Radion platform, and we’re particularly excited about the new “Acclimation Mode”. Too often have aquarium keepers burnt new corals because they either forgot to scale back on the lighting or intentionally left that part out because it’s just so daunting sometimes. To access the ESL software from EcoTech Marine, please visit the EcoSmart Live webpage . by AquaNerd | Dec 10, 2012 | Equipment
At the beginning of the year, an image was posted on the JBJ USA Facebook page that showed three different sizes of the popular Unibody LED fixture. At the time of the image’s release, only the Unibody 54 was available to purchase, though the Unibody 108 and Unibody 36 both appeared to be close to production. Unfortunately, those other two models weren’t quite ready for store shelves when they were first revealed, but the good news is we have just found out that they 108 is currently being tested and its release is imminent. Along with that, we’ve also found out some of the finer details. According to sources at JBJ, the Unibody 108 will have basically the same configuration of the 54 watt model, though it will be double in size. The 108 will have the same 3watt Edison LEDs, which will come in royal blue, blue, and 10000K, though now there will be 36 of them. Each of the colors will be on a separate dimmable channel, totaling three channels overall. This will be the higher end LED fixture in the JBJ USA lineup, and we’re told that it will be offered with wireless capabilities and in a budget friendly option. No word on price or final availability quite yet. by AquaNerd | Nov 5, 2012 | Corals, Eye Candy, Photography
By: Brandon Klaus We’re digging deep into the archives of the AquaNerd Blog for this week’s Picture of the Week. This image of a neon green torch coral has always been one of our favorites, so much so that it has adorned our laptops and mobile devices for years. The coral consists of a single polyp that is packed with long tentacles that are tipped with white bulbous ends. And because the aquarium was let with moderate blue lighting and had a black background, it stood out so sharpy as it waved back and forth in the water current. The picture was taken at a local fish store roughly three years ago (the same year we started the AquaNerd Blog), and despite the fact that our photography skills have only gotten better since that image was taken, this torch coral photo is still one of the better quality images in our library. Perhaps we fumbled with the camera settings and just got lucky, but either way it’s one that we’ve heavily favored…and we’ve taken thousands upon thousands of photos in the last couple of years.
