by AquaNerd | Nov 13, 2013 | Equipment, Science
BuildMyLED, an Austin-based aquarium equipment manufacturer that specializes in custom LED lighting options for marine and freshwater aquariums, recently announced their latest product, LED refugium lighting. In typical BML fashion, the light fixtures are offered up in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, with several different beam angle options, a couple of different colors, and in three different spectra also being available. While LED refugium lighting isn’t anything new, BuildMyLED is doing something that most others don’t. They really did their homework, and have designed three different versions of their lights to each grow a particular type of algae. Instead of just making a single catch all type fixture, which is one of the options, their refugium lights are designed to specifically grow either red or green macroalgae. The Universal Spectrum refugium LED might seem like the best choice on the surface, but today’s hobbyists are finding that certain types of algae perform better than others in their specific systems. In my personal tank, I’ve found that my Dragon’s Tongue algae does far better than Chaetomorpha or Caulerpa, though in another system that is similarly designed the green macroalgae have done better. So, we definitely see significant value in targeting a specific type of algae. The custom refugium lights come in eight different lengths, with the shortest being 12″ and the longest being six feet by AquaNerd | Nov 11, 2013 | DIY, Science
The Majano Wand, Paul Baldassano’s DIY solution to inflict death upon pest anemones that eventually became a mass produced death dealing device, quickly became a favorite among aquarists seeking to indulge their sadistic side. For once, saltwater hobbyists had a nearly surefire way to eradicate Aiptasia and Majano anemones, and now there is a more compact model hitting the store shelves. The Mini Majano Wand, as it is called, sports all of the same features that made the original so popular, but has a shorter staff that is a mere 5″ long. This length gives the shorter wand a little more flexibility for nano aquarists, preventing them from having to use too big a tool for the job. The Mini Majano Wand is priced at $110, which is just $5 less than its bigger brother, the original Majano Wand. Considering that the only difference between the two is the length of the wand, the price point isn’t much of a surprise. The mini version isn’t quite available, though Marine Depot has them listed with an expected availability within the next few days by AquaNerd | Nov 11, 2013 | Science
GHL, the company responsible for such great products as the ProfiLux controller and the various Mitras LED fixtures, is filling out their accessory line with some fancy new probe holders. The probe holders come in two versions, with the smallest holding a single probe and the largest accommodating up to four. Both models sport clear acrylic wrapped around embedded neodymium magnets, which allow the units to be placed anywhere in the aquarium or sump. Securing the probes within the holders are nylon thumbscrews, which simply tighten down on the probes. For the sake of visual continuity, we would have preferred to see titanium thumbscrews, but given the fragile nature of glass probes, we can certainly appreciate GHL going with function over style. The magnets are clearly visible from within the probe holder, a design not unlike the Vertex probe holders. Each probe holder can work on glass or acrylic that is up to 15mm thick. by AquaNerd | Nov 7, 2013 | Science, Tanks
Since our initial reveal of the new R420R Razor 300w LED fixture came to us via poor quality video from a random trade show in some other country, we felt that this official announcement from Maxspect was a far more proper introduction. This new Razor is the largest in the lineup, sporting six clusters of LEDs across its nearly four foot wingspan. Besides the length and number of LED clusters, little is different from the other Razor models. In fact, the 300w verion sports the same control panel, the same LED colors, and all of the other features that have made the Razor such a popular choice for aquarium keepers. Priced at $899, the Razor measures 43.5 inches long, making it a perfect match for four foot long aquariums. With the mounting legs, which are included, the fixture stretches it reach by another four feet, allowing hobbyists even with eight foot tanks to join in on the fun. Despite its size, the R420R 300w fixture weighs just 9 lbs, allowing the hanging options to be virtually limitless. The fixture isn’t quite available to purchase, but it is showing up on the websites of retailers as they start taking pre-orders. You might remember from our previously released writeup on this fixture that it is actually replacing a 200watt prototype that was shown off at MACNA, as Maxspect felt the 200watt version just wasn’t going to cut it on larger tanks by AquaNerd | Nov 7, 2013 | Corals, DIY, Equipment, Fish, Industry, Science, Tanks
For years, all-in-one aquariums have been limited to small volumes and insufficient out-of-the-box features. Most of tanks that saw mainstream success stayed around 30-gallons or less, with just about all of them coming with inadequate filtration for a fully functional reef aquarium. Even adding extra equipment proved to be difficult, as the rear chambers of these tanks were often too small and the built-in lid limited what you could put in the back. Innovative Marine changed all that when they introduced their NUVO line of aquariums. The sleek, open-top aquariums had huge rear chambers for additional equipment, and they even made solid performing protein skimmers and media reactors that could easily fit. After a couple of very successful years, IM has expanded their initial lineup to include the all new Shallow Reef (SR) series, which was designed specifically from a hobbyist standpoint. The new SR tanks come in three beefy sizes of 60, 80 and 120 gallons
