by AquaNerd | Sep 23, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
MACNA is always a playground for new products, and the high end aquarium equipment manufacturers from Elos didn’t disappoint. Although their typical vehicle for new product releases has traditionally been the internationally renowned aquarium show, Interzoo, they treated MACNA attendees to their latest developments in the LED world. Elos unveiled their Plant PRO while shacking up with CoralVue in one sprawling booth. CoralVue recently took over exclusive distributorship of the entire Elos line for North America, hence the announcement at this year’s show, but I digress. The new Planet PRO is absolutely packed with features, including impressive modularity of the LED components, programmable NFC tags (a first for the aquarium industry as far as we are aware), an on-board timer, WiFi connectivity, and Bluetooth. It’s basically got all of the most popular methods of wireless control, and the fixture looks oh so sexy to boot. The new Elos Planet PRO comes packed with 24 LEDs, but that number can be tripled (up to 72 LEDs total) by swapping out the LED strips. With this option, users can not only customize the intensity of the fixture, but they can also pick and choose which colors to use to give you the most control over how the aquarium looks. The color options include white, red, blue, green and UV. The fixture comes stock with 120 degree lenses, but they can be easily exchanged with a variety of available lenses that include 15, 25, or 80 degree optics by AquaNerd | Sep 12, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
After a few years of development, the Hydor Smart Level Controller is finally ready to hit the aquarium equipment marketplace. The automatic top-off unit uses the same form factor as their popular Koralia Wave Controller, but instead of controlling pulsing powerheads, it monitors the water level of a sump or aquarium and starts a top-off pump when necessary. The Smart Level controller can handle pumps up to 50 watts, though for top-off situations, that is a bit excessive. The Smart Level probe has three ports that indicate a maximum and minimum water level, as well as an alarm level, all of which have indicator LEDs. It operates on temperature changes that occur when water fills the probe chamber, causing it to turn the top-off pump on or off as needed. The probe has a magnet/suction cup hybrid mounting system, with additional cable clamps to keep the probe horizontally positioned. The magnet can handle a wall thickness of 10mm or less. The Smart Level controller will see a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $105.95, with minimum advertise prices falling somewhere in the mid-$80 range. by AquaNerd | Sep 11, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Technology
The Radion has been one of the most popular LED fixtures on the market, just as the Apex has been one of the most popular aquarium controllers. But for the first two years of coexistence in the aquarium equipment marketplace, the two weren’t exactly a match made in heaven, despite the fact that Neptune Systems has heavily supported EcoTech Marine products. The Apex controller worked relatively well with the Radion from the onset, but the lack of wireless control was always a big issue for aquarium keepers. Fortunately, through continued development of wireless communications in the aquarium industry and the release of the new Apex Fusion dashboard, the Radion and the Apex can now work hand in hand without requiring the use of unsightly wires. Announced at MACNA 2013 just a week ago, Neptune Systems has finally broken through the previously mentioned wireless barrier for the Radion, and for users of VorTech wireless pumps, it may not cost them any extra. The WXM module, which has been around almost as long as the pumps with the wireless drivers, can now communicate with the Radion and allow users to implement all sorts of LED control with the Apex Fusion dashboard and the associated lighting wizards. by AquaNerd | Sep 10, 2013 | Equipment
Vertex packed their booth full of MACNA goodies this year, with some of their biggest news being the availability of a brand new line of PVC and acrylic sumps. As is obvious from the photos, these new sump are designed to match both the aesthetics and functionality of the rest of the Vertex product line. The majority of the sump’s body is made from white PVC (top, bottom, and all but one side) with a large acrylic viewing window for viewing. Each model comes with a variety of different accessories, which could include filter sock holders, probe holders, tubing that stylishly connects dosing systems, an adjustable baffle leading into the return section, and several more. The new Vertex sumps, which are quite similar the Royal Exclusiv Dreambox, at least in appearance, are welded together with PVC welding solvents that find their way between joints. The sumps are also eurobraced, a design that typically just adds rigidity to the structure to prevent unwanted bowing, but with these sumps it’s a little different. by AquaNerd | Sep 5, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, MACNA
The E-X-T canister filter from Cobalt Aquatics isn’t exactly new to the aquarium scene, but it’s so unique that it is certainly worth a mention. While it does push water through a series of contained media packets, as with any other canister filter, it is different in that it uses an externally located inline pump. Instead of using a pump built into a big, gaudy canister body, the E-X-T uses a tiny little pump that is plumbed inline with the tubing. Locating the pump externally allows for two things, more room for media and the ability to remove/replace the pump without tearing into the equipment and breaking a bunch of stuff. And it doesn’t even matter where in the plumbing you place the pump. It can stay near the body of the filter, or you can move up near the top where water is sucked in. Either way works just as well. Like with most canister filters and media reactors, water is brought to the bottom of the chamber and allowed to flow upward through the media
