by AquaNerd | Nov 20, 2013 | Fish, Science
At MACNA this year, we were introduced to the aquarium hobby’s first controller friendly automatic fish feeder with Neptune Systems’ Automatic Feeding System. The AFS was a big hit at the conference, and priced at $99, this Apex accessory is a welcome sight for those ultimate aquarium control freaks looking to automate and customize their feeding process. And thankfully the wait for the Apex AFS is finally over. We just got word from Neptune Systems that it will start shipping out to retailers starting today. Probably the safest and easiest fish feeder to use, the AFS is compatible with the Apex, Apex Lite, and Apex Jr. AquaControllers and communicates via the AquaBus-mini. The feeder can handle various types of dry foods, such as pellets and flakes, and both the amount and frequency of the feeding activity can be adjusted to better suit your aquarium inhabitants’ needs. In addition to that, the food is stored in a “Stay Dry” system that keeps the moisture out the food as fresh as possible. by AquaNerd | Nov 15, 2013 | Industry, Science
The aquarium hobby is teeming with all sorts of water pumps, with most of the industry’s best focusing on medium to large sized aquariums. There is a healthy offering for the smaller side of the hobby, and that segment is about to get a little more crowded. Sicce, the Italian creator of plenty of popular aquarium items, is now offering up a nano model of their crowd favorite Voyager pump. Aptly called the Voyager Nano, this pump comes in two different models, which both have an incredibly small size with a total length around 6.5 cm (barely over 2.5 inches). The flow rates for each model are 1000 and 2000 liters per hour (approximately 263 and 526 gph, respectively). Another interesting feature, which isn’t unique to the Voyager Nano but can be found on all of the newer Voyager models, is an automatic cleaning and lubricating system of the impeller chamber. In addition to keeping the motor and impeller clean and free of bubbles, the system also keeps the motor block cool, prolonging its life. This is especially important for those times when the pumps are being used on pulsing wave makers. In addition to the aforementioned features, the Voyager Nano also includes a vibration absorbing magnet mount, which is capable of handling glass thicknesses up to 12mm. The magnetic support also gives the pump a rotation of 360°, letting nano aquarists get the flow wherever they need it by AquaNerd | Nov 15, 2013 | Industry, Opinion, Science, Tanks
Several months back, Current USA debuted their Satellite LED lighting for freshwater aquariums, and the whole time we were thinking when they would release a set of stylish, low-profile, tank mounted lights for to the saltier side of the hobby. Sure, they already had the True Lumen and True Lumen Pro strip lights, but these were bare bones setups that, in our honest opinions, sacrificed aesthetics for pure function. Ideally, those lights were meant to hide inside of canopies or tank hoods. Well, the (somewhat) new Orbit Marine LED fixtures is Current USA’s response to that question, as they look pretty sharp, mount over an aquarium with built-in legs, and are loaded to the brim with some really useful features. According to Current USA, the Orbit Marine LED fixtures sports the aquarium industry’s first dual daylight and dual actinic multi-chip LEDs. They accomplish this by combining 8,000K and 12,000K white into one chip and 445nm and 460nm actinic blue into another. by AquaNerd | Nov 14, 2013 | Science, Tanks
One of the biggest concerns with aquarium hobbyists is accidentally introducing chemicals and other harmful substances into their precious aquariums. While many of us are aware of these risks of cross-contamination and go to great lengths to clean our hands before getting into our tanks, we have been limited to soap products that aren’t exactly aquarium safe…until now. Reef Suds is a brand new aquarium-safe soap that is all-natural and designed specifically for aquarium hobbyists. It is so safe, in fact, that you can place the soap directly into an aquarium (as pictures), though we don’t recommend it. Expected to launch later this month, each bar of Reef Suds will retail for $9, though there is currently a special introductory price hovering just above $6. And better still, $1 from every bar of soap sold is donated directly to the Coral Reef Alliance. In addition to the soap, Reef Suds is also hoping to build a community around their product. They have already been active on Nano-reef.com and will start sending out regular newsletters that will include hobby news, tank of the month, coupons, and giveaways. Special thanks to Jarod for sending us this info. by AquaNerd | Nov 13, 2013 | Science
Reef Dynamics, the offspring of EuroReef’s dissolution a few years ago, has a beefy new multi-use media reactor that just became available. With a footprint of 9″ x 17″, this reactor is suitable for aquariums up to 1000 gallons and can house several different types of media. Though very large, the Multi-use reactor uses an in-sump design, where an Eheim pump draws in water and forces it to the bottom of the reactor and out of plumbing located in the opposite side. All that said, the reactor does appear to have the ability to be run external to a sump, which would make sense given the “multi-use” descriptor, but we haven’t been able to confirm that and our emails to Reef Dynamics haven’t been returned as of yet. The Reef Dynamics Multi-use Media Reactor Model MMR100 has a retail price of $800, and it is currently the only model available, though we’d love to see a few smaller models show up soon. Specs:-Footprint: 9 x 17-Height: 28″-Reaction Chamber Diameter: 8″-Reaction Chamber Height: 18.5″-Reaction Chamber Volume: 4 gallons-Access: 4.5″ Opening with easy access JAM-LOC quick disconnect.-Bio-Load Capacity: +/- 1000 gallons system volume; 750 gallons to 1250 gallons-Media Capacity: Varies with media, but should not exceed 1/2 of reaction chamber-Native Flow Through Rates: +/- 1000 gph capacity-Pump: Eheim Compact + 5000-Power Consumption: 86w @ 110v AC 60hz The problem with a lot of media reactors in the aquarium hobby is that they are typically limited to certain types of media. While general purpose media reactors have done a great job with housing activated carbon and GFO, aquarium keepers have always had to buy additional reactors for specific types of media, namely biopellet media. It isn’t uncommon for hobbyists to have multiple reactors on a single system, but they don’t always do this, and can’t always afford multiples of the same item for that matter.
