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 6, 2013 | Equipment, Science, Tanks
Good news AquaIllumination fans. The long awaited AI Director controller is now available to pre-order through any one of a number of different aquarium equipment retailers. Priced at $99, the AI Director allows hobbyists to control any of the wirelessly enabled AI modues with any web enabled device from any part of the world. Users will be able to access the controller via AquaIllumination’s cloud-based service, myAI, and native apps for both iOS and Android will also be available soon. A single AI Director can manage up to 10 tanks and up to 30 different AquaIllumination LED modules. Users can also take advantage of all of the features of each light, being able to adjust weather patterns (rolling clouds and lightning) lunar cycles, and coral acclimation cycles. The Director can also control up to 100 time points per LED color per group for a given day by AquaNerd | Oct 28, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
Here’s a product we spotted at MACNA back in September that we totally overlooked in our coverage. It’s the Reef Spectrum P47, and instead of wrapping a bunch of LEDs in a plastic housing molded around a gaudy heatsink, ReefLEDLights chose instead to put their chassis under a stylish carbon fiber shell. The fixture comes packed with 47 Cree LEDs, two of which are meant to be a moonlight, and a controller that adjust the intensity of the white, blue, and moonlight channels independently. In addition to the manual controls, this well rounded fixture can also be controlled via Neptune Apex and Reef Angel aquarium controllers. The Reef Spectrum P47 isn’t a small or lightweight fixture. It has a footprint of 18 1/4″ x 9 1/2″, and although the product description didn’t mention weight and we didn’t have a scale with us a MACNA, we assume it tips the scales at probably 25 pounds or more. This is an assumption, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it weighed more than that. Refocusing on the business end of the fixture, Carclo optics are offered in a couple of different varieties to direct the light downward, into the aquarium. Aquarists can choose between Ripple Wide Optics for greater depth penetration or Wide Angle Reflectors for those shallower tanks. by AquaNerd | Oct 3, 2013 | Equipment
Image Credit: Bulk Reef Supply If you’ve been holding off on upgrading the lighting scheme over your aquarium, here’s a great opportunity to save a few bucks. EcoTech Marine is allowing various online vendors to sell their Radion XR30w and XR30w Pro LED fixtures at discounted prices. Normally, EcoTech employs a minimum advertised price (MAP) campaign that forces all retailers to sell their products at the same price, regardless of whether the store is online only or a brick-and-mortar. So, we were pleasantly surprised to see this price drop. Unfortunately, it won’t last forever. There’s no word on when it will end, but it has been going on for a couple of weeks now, and who knows when the prices will return to normal. The price drops on the XR30w and XR30w Pro are $100 and $150, respectively. If you’re looking to buy the fixture at the discounted rate, we recommend hitting up Bulk Reef Supply, who seems to be the most vocal about the sale, or our friends at Aquarium Specialty . Both companies offer a pionts based rewards program, so it’s a win win either way. by AquaNerd | Sep 27, 2013 | Equipment, MACNA, Technology
When it comes to good looking and well designed aquarium lighting products, there are few out there that rival the Giesemann Teszla LED fixtures. Besides their stunning design, the lights are also loaded to the brim with features, and it looks like they’ll be getting a key accessory to make their use so much easier. Announced at MACNA, Giesemann is releasing a Bluetooth interface, simply called the BT-Interface, that allows users to control up to four Teszla or Teszla-XT LED fixtures with their PC, Mac, smartphone or tablet. With the software interface, aquarists can fully adjust all three color channels using the multi-point time and intensity plot system, create elaborate storm and cloud simulations, and enact a 28-day real-time lunar cycle. The BT-Interface does require a physical connection to each of the fixtures that it controls. This is done through any of one of four on-board USB sockets and their associated cables, but once connected, the lights can be controlled via Bluetooth connection with any capable device. The LEDs in the Teszla lights are controlled by microprocessors, which receive their operating instructions from the interface system. The BT-Interface has a European price tag of € 199.00, and we haven’t seen an official price for the US Market. The software, on the other hand, is available free of charge. Giesemann’s use of Bluetooth instead of WiFi has both its ups and downs
