by AquaNerd | Sep 12, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
Tunze had some news for us at MACNA this year, and while it may not be ground breaking, it certainly is telling about what’s possibly in store for the future. The German pump makers quietly announced that their LED strip lights will receive an infusion of graphite, upping the percentage to around 75%. The remaining percentage is made up of plastic, keeping the fixture waterproof. This move is mostly due to heat dissipation, as the higher graphite percentage comes pretty close to the dissipating abilities of aluminum. While the improved efficiency of the cooling is good news, it’s the possibilities for future fixtures that have us more interested. As the cooling ability improves, Tunze can now up the intensity of the strips, and possibly even incorporate larger models. The Tunze LED should start seeing the higher graphite models later this year, or possibly even at the beginning of next year. by AquaNerd | Sep 9, 2013 | Equipment
The nano enthusiasts at Innovative Marine are continuing their pre-MACNA product announcements with one more addition to their Auqa Gadget lineup. The MagnaFuge LED light fixture, as its name so perfectly eludes to, is a refugium light for the all-in-one Nuvo aquariums. It mounts directly to the back of the tank via neodymium magnets, and after a little peeling off of the black film, illuminates the rear chambers of the tank so that beneficial algae like Chaetomorpha can be grown. It’s not wholly dissimilar from other refugium lights available for AIO nano tanks, but its magnet mounts and powerful LEDs make it stand head and shoulders above the rest. One of the major benefits of the MagnaFuge, besides supplying a thriving refugium with light, is the fact that it sits behind the tank, out of view. Lights mounted above a rear chamber refugium would be far too distracting, especially if the tank sits in your bedroom and prevents you from getting to sleep in a dark room. In terms of firepower, this low wattage and small stature fixture maximizes its function by using a total of six 1 watt LEDs and 120 degree optics. The output is around the 6500K spectrum, which is definitely a good color for growing algae. The retail price for the MagnaFuge is set at $99, and we’ll be getting plenty of one on one time with it at MACNA next week. Specifications: LED Watts: 6 x 1 Watt Kelvin: 6500K Optics: 120 Degree Lumens per Watt: 120 Current: 350mA 4 Rare earth neodymium magnets Fixture Dims: 4.09” x 0.82” x 7.24” Magnet Dims: 2.76” x 0.82” x 1.77” MAP: $99 embedded content by AquaNerd | Sep 5, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
Maxspect has a brand new LED hitting the show here at MACNA, and it’s their smallest yet. Their new Celestial LED pendant will be available in three models, and all sport a five channel multichip LED. The fixture is smaller than most of today’s camcorders, to give you a sense of scale, and it looks great over the tanks here at the show. The Celestial sports the same on-board controller and interface seen on the Razor fixtures, allowing users to navigate through the settings with a simple push and twist of the button. A 30, 60, and 70 watt model will be available, though we don’t have a firm timeframe just yet. We are expecting more information from Maxspect later this evening, but haven’t gotten the full details since the lights show up at MACNA just this morning. by AquaNerd | Aug 21, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
When it comes to aquarium illumination, LEDs may be the hot item right now, but older technologies like T5HO fluorescents still have a very loyal following. Because of this, aquarium lighting companies are still cranking out the T5 fixtures, with the latest being the Diurna from Pacific Sun. While not much has changed in the way of fluorescent lighting tech over the years, many of the newer fixtures are getting some swanky features that still make them very competitive with all of the LED products. Pacific Sun is no stranger to high end, feature rich lights, and the Diuna represents the pinnacle of fluorescent lighting for aquarium use. The Diuna has all of the standard top shelf features like high quality anodized aluminum reflectors and dimmable ballasts. But where it really stands apart is in its interface. Where most light fixtures these days have on/off switches and perhaps some controller connectability, the Diurna has a built-in Wireless Controller that uses Bluetooth to connect with nearby devices. Additionally, it has native apps for Apple iOS, Windows and Android. The fixture is available in three different lengths (three, four, and five foot), with each holding an array of either 8 or 10 T5HO tubes. Additionally, the bulbs and ballasts are configured in such a way that only two bulbs are on one of the controllable ballasts by AquaNerd | Aug 20, 2013 | Equipment, Events, Industry
It would appear that JBJ USA just couldn’t wait until MACNA to officially debut their latest string of aquarium products. Instead, they showed off item after item at SuperZoo in Las Vegas, which is a trade show geared more toward pet product vendors than hobbyists. We have already covered their new LED pendants and rimless frag tank, and now we turn our attention to the big new Pacifica DX multi-chip LED fixture. Like the smaller version of the Pacifica, the DX model will sport a healthy array of diodes all packed into a super thin housing. The big difference with this new model is mostly that of size, as it measures 17.75”L x 9.5”W with an effective coverage area of 36″ x 24″. A total of 150 watts of Edison LEDs make up the business end of the Pacifica DX, each of which has its own set of optics. The LED colors are broken down into 24 watts of morning/moonlighting at 420nm, 63 watts of 10k and 63 watts of 20k lighting. A trio of cooling fans keep the fixture’s internals operating at optimum temperatures.
