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Pacific Sun’s Kore 5th Magnetic Stirrer Automates Yet Another Time Consuming Task

by | Nov 11, 2014 | Equipment, Science

Last year, Pacific Sun debuted the smartest, fanciest dosing pump system on the planet in the Kore 5th, so it only makes sense that they develop accessories that will boost the effectiveness of that system. One of the major drawbacks to automated dosing is the fact that the bottles of chemicals sit in an aquarium stand, untouched and forgotten, allowing the critical components of the solutions to settle on the bottoms of the bottles. While the responsible hobbyist might come by and shake the bottles regularly, let’s face it, not all of us do that step. To answer that conundrum, Pacific Sun has released some teaser info on their Kore 5th Magnet Stirrer, which as its name suggests keeps the solutions at their freshest by keeping them mixed up prior to dosing. If the Magnetic Stirrer is anything like what we see in other applications, then the hobbyist will have to drop a magnetic stir bar into each bottle and place it on the rack to let it do its thing. The stir rates and times are all controlled through the actual Kore 5th dosing pump, which attaches to the top of the rack, as seen in the photos

Pipefish For The Reef Aquarium: Part Two, Husbandry

by | Sep 19, 2014 | Corals, Equipment, Fish, Science, Seahorses

Scribbled Dragonface Pipefish Corythoichthys instinalis Photo courtesy of Aaron Down Now that we’ve discussed which pipefish are appropriate for the reef aquarium in Pipefish For The Reef Aquarium: Part One, The Pipefish, we can look at acquiring and caring for your pipefish. Picking Your Pipefish When purchasing pipefish, there are a few things you can look out for to ensure you get healthy pipefish. Pipefish are susceptible to bacterial infections, so look for areas of cloudy skin, fins or eyes. Rapid breathing is frequently a sign of distress; although it can be situational i.e. fear from recent acclimation, or it can be a sign of a bigger problem such as parasites or bacterial infection. Flagtail Pipefish should be swimming above the substrate, not resting on the bottom.