by AquaNerd | Feb 14, 2014 | Science
Have we ever mentioned just how much we like contests and giveaways where free aquarium gear is involved? Well ladies and gents, we like them a lot and do our best to share them with all of you whenever we come across them, especially the good ones. In celebration of launching their highly anticipated Radion XR30w Gen 3 LED fixture, the crew at EcoTech Marine decided to just give one away in a little promotional Facebook contest. And they didn’t just stop at the light fixture, as the winner will receive other prizes like a bottle of Elements Coral Glue and T-Shirt. Like most Facebook friendly contests, the way to enter is to “Like”, “Comment”, and “Share” the contest post on the EcoTech Marine Facebook page. The contest will end February 28th at 11:59 pm and the winner will be announced March 3rd. Simple contest with an amazing prize…count us in. If you do hit up their contest via our link, be sure to let them know. by AquaNerd | Feb 12, 2014 | Corals, Fish, Science, Tanks
Nano aquariums are so much fun. It’s as simple as that. The tiny little glass boxes can be put just about anywhere, and while they can’t house every fish or coral, they can be personalized in so many ways. One such nano that we’ve recently gotten to play with is the EcoPico from Ecoxotic. This tank measures 10”x10”x12”, which translates to just a shade over 5 gallons, and has a small LED light and filter that make it pretty much saltwater friendly out of the box. We have a hard time calling it reef ready, which for the record is not one of Ecoxotic’s claims, but it certainly has a lot of features to get it off to a good start. by AquaNerd | Feb 7, 2014 | Science
The substrate conneuseurs are back with a brand new product. CaribeSea recently announced their Life Rock, an an aragonite based live rock substitute that is infused with live bacteria and made to look like the coralline laden live rock that you often find well-established aquaria. And because the rock product contains no cement or decaying material, it requires no curing prior to use. The CaribSea Life Rock will come in 20 pound and 40 pound boxes, though retail pricing details have yet to be released. The rock is currently available, at least at the distributor level, and we expect it to start trickling out to hobbyists in no time. by AquaNerd | Jan 30, 2014 | Fish, Science
Announced earlir this week, Jebao has released a brand new Twins Controller for the unsually popular Jebao WP Series and FS Type next generation pumps. After sorting through the poorly written announcement, here are the details of the controller that we were able to come up with. The new Twins Controller, which was designed by Fish-Street engineers, provides more flow patterns and a higher output than its predecessor while using up one less power outlet and controller port. Where the old controller had three preset flow rate settings (50, 75 and 100%), this new controller has a range of 30-100% with far more steps in between. In terms of functions, the Twins Controller also allows for alternating pump mode and a switch mode, which allows one pump to act as a stream and the other as a pulsing wavebox. As far as all of the buttons and indicator LEDs go, Fish-Street provided a pretty thorough breakdown of what each does. And not trying to re-invent the wheel, here is there descriptions: MODE/NIGHT: Press the “MODE” button once to select the function, long press to enter into Night mode. FEED/LOCK: Press the “FEED” button once to get into 10- min feed mode, long press to lock the knob. P1_FLOW: Setting the flow rate of P1 Pump. P2_FLOW: Setting the flow rate of P2 Pump by AquaNerd | Jan 17, 2014 | Science
A week removed from the news that the Apex Lite was being discontinued, Neptune Systems has announced that they would be packaging their popular Apex controller into a new gold bundle. This new gold package doesn’t include any new products that we haven’t seen before. Instead it is comprised of several popular items rolled into one pakage, providing more savings for hobbyists looking to purchase a controller with a few more accessories instead of having to piece things together over time. So what’s included in the Apex Gold Package? According to the Neptune Systems Facebook page, for the retail price of $799.95, controller happy hobbyists will get: Apex Base Unit Energy Bar 8 Apex Display Module Long-life Temperature Probe Lab Grade pH Probe Lab Grade ORP Probe PM2 – Salinity Module Lab Grade Conductivity (Salinity) Probe For those not entirely familiar with all of the Neptune Systems controllers and their accessoires, the previously most robust Apex Controller package was priced at $524.95 and included everything above except the Lab Grade ORP Probe, the PM2 Salinity Module, and the Lab Grade Conductivity Probe. Priced individually, these three add-ons total almost $283. This means hobbyists will enjoy approximately $10. Not a huge discount, but at this point in the game, any savings helps a ton. But the package goes beyond just the savings aspect. Where the highest level Apex bundle offered up just the basics, this package is one that many hobbyists are applauding because it contains all of the stuff they need and none of the stuff they don’t.
