by AquaNerd | Jun 21, 2013 | Equipment, Events, Industry
With the recent transfer of exclusive distributorship of Elos products from Elos USA to CoralVue, there is an overabundance of leftover products at Elos USA that are in need of liquidation. The former distributors are now offering up deep discounts on their remaining stock, with most of those discounts exceeding 50%. The remaining products include a wide variety of aquarium equipment and foods, including protein skimmers, light fixtures, substrates, test kits, and more. The skimmers and light fixtures, in particular, are the most heavily discounted items. Of course, supplies are very limited, and they won’t be restocking any of those items. So, if you’re in the market for any of those products listed on the Elos USA liquidation site, you better act fast. That list is shrinking on a daily basis and once they’re gone they’re gone. by AquaNerd | Jun 12, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
Buckeye Field Supply has just announced the availability of a 3-probe inline TDS meter for reverse osmsis equipment, called the HM Digital TRM-1. While the industry has been full of TDS meters from various manufacturers, this is the only inline TDS meter to feature three different probes. Like it’s dual probe and single probe siblings, this new TRM-1 will sport the widely used John Guest fittings, is factory calibrated with a 342 ppm NaCl solution, and can be recalibrated with a mini screwdriver. Buckeye is currently fielding pre-orders at a special introductory price of $49.99 for the three probe meter, which are expected to be in stock by mid-July. Water purity is of the utmost importance for reef keeping aquarists these days, and the best way to deliver that water is to use reverse osmosis filtration. But even the best RO filters need regular maintenance and cartridge replacements, and the only way to determine when those are due is to use TDS meters, which ultimately measure how effectively the filters are removing contaminants from the incoming tap water. For the really serious aquarium keepers, the standard two probe inline TDS meters became the industry standard, as they can be plumbed into the filter tubing to measure incoming and outgoing water purity. While this has been adequate for many years, it isn’t exactly ideal, and users needing to measure the effectiveness of specific filters have often utilized multiple dual probe meters. In most cases, however, four probes is a bit excessive, making it hard to justify the extra costs for two meters. We have a feeling that the three probe meter will be welcomed into the hobby with open arms, and we are already fans of the concept based of our own experiences. by AquaNerd | Jun 10, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
Our pals at Aquarium Specialty, an online retailer of aquarium equipment and livestock, recently announced on their blog that they have secured a distributor agreement with CeramEco for their VidaRock. Long on the hunt for an affordable, well-made ceramic rock product, Aquarium Specialty was tired of the high prices associated with importing ceramic products from Europe. So, they took a greater interest in the American made CeramEco brand, eventually reaching an agreement to inventory and distribute their products to retail and wholesale customers. And from the looks of it, the Vida line of rock will really bolster what Aquarium Specialty has to offer, especially for aquarists looking for a more eco-friendly solution to their marine setups. CeramEco is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah and they currently offer products for both gardens and aquariums. Their aquatics product line, called VidaRock, features ceramic wall panels, frag stations and plugs, stackable rocks, various artisan shapes, and even fake barnacles. The Aquarium Specialty website currently lists the VidaRock frag stations and artisan rocks, and that offering will only grow from there. So what’s so special about ceramic rock alternatives, especially the CeramEco VidaRock? For starters, it’s eco-friendly. This rock is made on land and not mined from living or dead reefs. The rock is made from the same clay that bricks and pots are made out of, and it crafted right here in the US. Another major benefit is that the rock is completely free of pest and nuisance algae. So, there’s not “cooking” required. In addition to being pest-free, the rock is also quite porous, which aids in biological filtration. According to CeramEco, the VidaRock was designed with a specific internal porosity and microstructure to support bacteria growth. The last major benefit to using this rock, as if you needed another, is the fact that it has such interesting shapes that you would normally have to stack, glue, and drill normal live rock just to get. The VidaRocks were designed with stacking in mind, and many of the products are solid, pre-assembled structures that can be dropped right into an aquarium and instantly look good. The retail prices for the VidaRock vary extensively, but they are quite affordable. The VidaRock Frag Stations, for example, start off at $29.99. Each product comes in multiple sizes, with varying number of coral frag mounting areas. by AquaNerd | May 20, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
When it comes to stylishly functional lighting, there are few that hold a candle to Giesemann. They’ve introduced some of the best looking light fixtures that the aquarium industry has seen, and in recent years they’ve only added to their allure with products like the Teszla and Futura LED. In keeping with the same styling cues that made those too fixtures so darn beautiful to look at, Giesemann has revamped their Matrixx T5HO fixture, giving it a very similar look. Appropriately dubbed the Matrixx-II, this T5HO fixtures has a body made of heavy duty extruded and formed aluminum alloy that comes either coated in an anti-corrosion anodized silver finish or painted in a high gloss white. But the corrosion protection doesn’t stop just there. Each item that makes up the outer body of the light fixture (e.g. all joints, faces, internal faces, etc.) receive the same treatment and are either anodized or painted prior to the production of the fixture. While still on the topic of the fixture’s externals, a rather snazzy looking glass panel adorns the top of the Matrixx-II and, as we sort of mentioned, the bodywork is borrowed directly from Giesemann’s flagship LED fixtures, the Futura LED. Getting into the internals, the Matrixx-II doesn’t employ all of the same run-of-the-mill products found in other, far more boring T5HO fixtures. Where most other manufacturers might battle with quality versus price in an attempt to keep their products within a certain price range, Giesemann didn’t skimp on anything. According to the German aquarium equipment producer, each Matrixx-II is assembled using only the finest quality internals from ballasts, to lamp holders and wiring. The reflector, long thought to be the most important aspect of any T5HO system, is made from highly polished aluminum that is 99.8% reflective. Additionally, it was designed in such a way to maximize the light transfer back into the aquarium. Of course, protecting all of these internals and keeping the reflector clean is an acrylic splash guard. Temperature control was also an important aspect that Giesemann included in the Matrixx-II. This stylish T5HO fixtures uses both passive and active cooling, with the passive coming in the form of the aluminum chassis and glass panel facilitating heat transfer, with circulation fans forcing air through the system. Both of these types of cooling techniques make sure the lights are run at their optimum temperature to prolong their lifespan. The last major feature of the Matrixx-II is it’s flexibility with illuminating your aquarium. Lamps are grouped onto several power cords, allowing for added control over with the use of timers and aquarium controllers. Also, a dimmable version of the Matrixx-II is available. In terms of sizes and bulb configurations, the Matrixx-II will come as two, three, four, and five foot models, with layouts ranging from four bulbs up to eight. The goal of the Matrixx-II, as with most Giesemann products, is quality and reliability over being affordable. While this approach prices the fixture out of the hands of most aquarists, it’s hard to argue with the quality and style this fixture brings to the table. by AquaNerd | Apr 14, 2013 | Equipment
Aquarium controllers typically change the operation of specified aquarium equipment based on things like the time of day or a host of water parameters (pH, conductivity, or temperature for example). Such is the case for the Italy-based Aquatronica controllers as well, but they are adding one more input to their system for even more control options. Their new digital Light Sensor allows the Aquatronica controller to manipulate water pumps, filters, alarms, or any other piece of equipment attached to the system based on whether the lights are on or off. While many of these functions can be driven by time based controls, having the controller physically detect if the lights are off or on makes a huge difference, especially if you want to have certain safeguards in place to protect your valuable aquarium livestock. Aquarium controllers using time based controls usually work very well. But the drawback to using just this parameter to control various equipment is that the controller doesn’t actually know if the lights turn on or off. Sure, the controller can tell the lights to turn on at 10 am, but what if a bulb just never turns on? The light may have gone bad, or maybe it broke. That’s where a ight sensor comes in handy. If the lights are programmed to turn on, but don’t actually do so, you can receive an alarm letting you know of such a situation or you could preimptively program other equipment to respond to a lights out scenario. Or, say you have made some adjustments to the timers and made a mistake. Well, if the lights come on too soon, the Light Sensor would be able to detect that and adjust other pieces of equipment to appropriately respond to that situation. It’s just another form of control for the control freak aquarist in all of us, and it adds another layer of security to help protect our delicate aquarium systems. The Aquatronica Light Sensor (ACQ325) is compatible with the Tunze (ACQ460) and Koralia (ACQ455) modules for controlling their respective pumps.
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