by AquaNerd | Jul 28, 2014 | Equipment, Events, Industry, Science
Reef-A-Palooza, one of the most attended aquarium trade show in the US, is looking to conquer another state. The show originated in California, headed east to sunny Florida, and now makes the trek north to New York. There is absolutely zero info about the show at this point, besides a date and an address, but we are sure that this event will be just as massive and successful as the other two Reef-A-Palooza events. If the other shows are any indication of how the New York version will be, then we can expect the same $15 admission fee (kids 12 and under are free), tons of aquarium equipment and livestock vendors, a boatload of family friendly activities, and a bevy of industry hardened guest speakers. Again, none of this has been released, and what little info we could find came from the show’s Facebook page. We will keep updating the blog, however, as those finer details emerge. Update: We did find a location for RAP New York. It will be held at the Meadowlands Exposition Center located at 355 Plaza Dr in Secaucus, New Jersey by AquaNerd | Jul 25, 2014 | Equipment, Events, Science
The IceCap brand is continuing its expansion with the release of their new single channel dosing pump. Based on the popular peristaltic pump design, the IceCap Liquid Dosing Pump is great for adding all sorts of supplements to your aquarium, including two-part supplements, kalkwasser solutions, top off water, and pretty much any other type of liquid. The pump will be offered in the form of a master unit, seen above, and a slave unit that presumably lacks the onboard controls. Instead of those controls, it will receive all of its operating instructions from the master unit, and up to four units can be linked together. The Liquid Dosing Pump can dose anywhere from 1-99ml of solution per cycle, with a maximum of one cycle per hour and a minimum of one per nine days. As for other features, the dosing pumps have a Delayed Mode Operation which prevents the dispersal of liquid whenever the unit loses power, being especially useful when more than one dosed is being used. Additionally, the doser can be calibrated in order to keep up with its accuracy and it even has a service door latch that makes maintenance quick and easy. by AquaNerd | Jun 3, 2014 | Corals, Events, Funny, Science, Tanks
More new products from Tunze today, as they’ve unveiled their magnetic algae scraper at Interzoo. Called the Care Magnet, this new scraper sports a thin, ergonomic handle to which plastic blades are attached at either end. This patented algae scraper has an inconspicuous profile within the aquarium, making it less obtrusive to the look of the tank while also letting it slip behind rocks, plants, and corals with ease. The Care Magnet’s patented features center around the scrapers themselves. It uses plastic blades of varying lengths, which place different pressures on the glass or acrylic during its use. This allows the narrow blade to remove tough algae, such as coralline, while the wide blade allows the magnet to tackle larger areas or places where the algae is easier to remove. This unique design allows the Care Magnet to work in tight corners and even on curved aquariums, while at the same time not scracthing up the inside of the tank. The inner magnet is said to be 3mm from the walls of the aquarium, which prevents sand from getting stuck between it and the glass. That said, the strenth of the magnets is said to make separation of the scraper “nearly impossible”. In addition to that, the blades on one end can be removed, effectively turning the Care Magnet into a handheld algae scraper by AquaNerd | May 7, 2014 | Equipment, Industry, Tanks, Technology
Innovative Marine is back with another ground breaking product for the world of all-in-one marine aquaria. Announced just yesterday, and in a far too subtle fashion in our opinions, the SkimMate Ghost is a new protein skimmer that looks to bring serious performance to IM’s AUQA GADGET lineup. The SkimMate Ghost is a drop-in skimmer that will be available in three distinct sizes, each of which will fit nicely into the rear chambers of the NUVO aquariums whose name they bare. For example, the SkimMate Ghost DeskTop skimmer is designed to function seamlessly with the DeskTop model of the NUVO aquariums, and so on. In terms of features, the Ghost will sport a compact design that recirculates bubbles passively to increase dwell time. Additionally, the skimmer has an enlarged inline air silencer box, a bubble diffusing plate, an adjustable air valve, and a needle wheel impeller. The design keeps the air line tubing neat and kink free, and the collection cup design isn’t all too different from other popular drop-in skimmers that have been around for a while. by AquaNerd | Apr 30, 2014 | Corals, Eye Candy, Industry, Photography
You may not be a fan of Japanese anime or even remotely understand the reference, but if you’re a reef keeping hobbyist, none of that will matter when you set your eyes on this amazing Acroporid. Named after the popular Pokemon character, Pikachu, this vibrant coral sports a yellow coloration that is unmatched by any other colored stick in the hobby. Throw in its rich red polyps and the slightly neon green tint at some growth tips and corallites, and you’ve got yourself a top shelf piece that is very likely to become a future centerpiece. The coral comes to us from The Coral Kings, who posted the news of their TCK Pikachu Acro over on Reef2Reef. Only two frags will be released for the time being, with R2R members getting a special price of $200 shipped per frag. After an undisclosed amount of time, the frags will be loaded up to the TCK website for $250 each.
