by AquaNerd | Jan 10, 2014 | Science
Here’s a bit of a surprise from EcoTech Marine. They just announced the imminent release of the 3rd generation of the wildly popular XR30w and XR30w Pro LED fixtures. The fixtures will be available to the public starting next week, via your favorite authorized retailer of course, and there are plenty of new features for us to gush over. The big updates come in both form and functionality. The XR30wG3 and XR30wG3Pro will come with an updated look that is sleeker than previous generations, and part of that visual updates is illuminated tactile buttons, which make them a lot easier to see. In terms of performance, the new generation Radion XR30w will now include indigo/UV LEDs that will allow for greater output and a wider spectrum. by AquaNerd | Dec 24, 2013 | Corals, Equipment, Fish, Science
This year is quickly becoming a thing of the past, and as we creep forward to 2014, we couldn’t help but stop and reflect on all of the stories that made 2013 so memorable. While we have a handful of recap articles on the way, we wanted to first take a look at the top 10 most visited articles that hit your computer screens and mobile devices from the AquaNerd Blog. The list has a few shockers on it, at least from our standpoint, and they weren’t all good news for the aquarium hobby. So, check out the list and let us know what aquarium related stories had the biggest impact on you and your hobby. Continue below for the full list… Mindstream Aquarium Monitoring System Measures Twelve Parameters with One UnitThe Mindstream aquarium monitor came out of nowhere and news of its abilities took the hobby by storm. Able to monitor twelve different water paraters using fluorescent technology, this tiny device looked like it would be the perfect solution for hobbyists looking to get away from test kits. The Mindstream is set to debut sometime next year, as beta testing is still underway, and we can’t wait to see how well it performs. There is a ton of excitement around this product, so it’s no surprise to see it on our list…we just didn’t expect it to shoot to the top only because it wasn’t published until November. Newer, Bigger Maxspect R420R 200W Displayed at MACNAAlso making its debut in 2013 was a much larger version of the R420r from Maxspect. by AquaNerd | Dec 23, 2013 | Equipment, Science
When they’re not dabbling in LED and T5HO lighting, apparently the guys from Pacific Sun also spend their spare time tinkering with other high end aquarium equipment…namely this 5-channel “intelligent” dosing pump. In February 2014, Pacific Sun will unleash this beast onto the aquarium marketplace, making it the largest dosing pump on the market as far as we know. Most dosing pumps come in three and four channel flavors, with the four pump systems usually being a slave unit with no on-board controller. Pacific Sun’s dosing pump, on the other hand, sports five independent channels AND a built-in controller. According to the teaser info, this new dosing system is said to be “super-accurate” with dosages ranging from 0.1ml to 1500ml and the unit cranking out up to 24 doses per day per channel. The Pacific Sun intelligent doser up the bar even further by incorporating a built-in top off with water level sensors and a computer controlled DC pump for topping off up to 300 liters per hour. Stepping up the game even further, the on-board controller allows the unit to be controlled wirelessly using an iOS or Android app, along with both PC and Mac versions of the software. Available in version with silicone tube / Viton tube – provides great accuracy and configure using the wireless controller – using an application on the PC / Mac / Android by AquaNerd | Dec 19, 2013 | Science
Want a chance to win some free gear? Well, thanks to the crew at Ecoxotic, you’re in luck. The LED specialists are giving away not one, but ten EcoPico aquariums in their latest social media promotional contest. To enter, all you have to do is go to their PunchTab powered giveaway page and like, tweet, and pin the contest to your own social media pages. For each of those steps, in addition to answering a question or two, you get one entry into the contest. You will get additional entries for every person who enters the contest by clicking on the link that you originally posted. by AquaNerd | Dec 16, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
In a world seemingly fixed on LED lighting and little else, it’s nice to see that T5 fluorescent technology is still developing and hasn’t been cast to the wayside. Pacific Sun, a company that specializes in aquarium illumination, must follow the same train of thought, as they have a brand new offering of specially designed T5 lamps coming out in January. Specifically designed for even the most demanding of aquaria, the lamps will be offered in five different color choices and in all of the standard sizes (24″ to 60″). Interestingly, Pacific Sun is describing these T5 lamps as being “very high output” or VHO. Based on the wattage of each lamp and their intensities (see spectra below), we would actually not consider these to be true T5 VHO lamps, which are typically driven to much higher wattages. For example, a traditional four foot T5HO bulb runs at 54watts resulting in 5000 lumens of intensity. A VHO bulb, on the other hand, peaks at 95watts with an output of 7200 lumens.
