by Paul Whitby | Sep 6, 2013 | MACNA, Tanks
Earlier I posted a few examples of the plethora of show tanks at MACNA 2013. Below are a few more examples of the range of displays. Some vendors went large, with huge displays, excellently aquascaped and full of fish, others went minimalist with nano systems- and all... by AquaNerd | Sep 6, 2013 | Equipment, MACNA
If you’re a fan of magnetic algae scrapers, then Flipper has some news you might enjoy. They are following up their popular Flipper magnet with a nano sized model, which has all of the same features but at a fraction of the size. Called the Flipper Nano, this little scraper can hold onto tanks up to 1/4″ (6mm) thick. Unlike the Flipper, the nano version will only be suitable for glass aquariums, as there is no plastic scraping blade to replace the metal one. We haven’t been told specifically if an acrylic friendly version will hit the market, but since this is still a prototype, we are definitely not ruling it out. We haven’t heard when this little flipping scraper will hit the market, or at what price for that matter, but it’s obviously advancing well through the prototype phase and will likely be scraping algae in customers’ tanks in no time. 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 | 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 by AquaNerd | Aug 16, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Opinion, Tanks
Vertex Aquaristik recently loaded us up with a whole bunch of their products for review, and in an attempt to work methodically and at a sufficient pace to properly cover each item leading up to MACNA later this month, we are going to take things slowly and start off with a preliminary review of the Cleaner-Mag lineup. Like the rest of the Vertex product line, the visual experience (e.g. style and simplicity) are held right up there with function. Simply put, these magnets are probably the best looking ones around and they work like a charm. Currently, the Cleaner-Mags consist of four models, the Simplex, Duplex, Triplex, and Hexaplex, all of which range in size and shape from a quarter to an index card. All of them share many of the same features, which include a clear plastic housing that allows hobbyists to see the stylishly powerful magnets.
