by AquaNerd | Dec 4, 2013 | Equipment, Science
When it comes to aquarium equipment, it’s hard to demand instant gratification and not be disappointed. Certain items have a break-in period that can last days or even weeks in length, while others never live up to expectations and are doomed to fail on many levels. We’re happy to report, however, that neither of these is the case for the Vertex Aquaristik Titanium Ground Pole, which we recently got to spend a lot of time with. We were experiencing a great deal of stray voltage in one our systems, and the ground pole took care of them instantly. Not a few days down the road, not after a week of breaking in, but instantly. And for that reason alone, we are happy to sing its praises. For those of you who have been in the aquarium hobby for any real length of time, you are probably quite familiar with stray voltage. It comes from all types of equipment, both submerged and external, and can wreak havoc on all sorts of marine organisms. While it may be easy to pinpoint which equipment is throwing off the voltage, usually by process of elimination, it’s not always easy to just remove that item from operation. by AquaNerd | Sep 18, 2013 | Equipment, Industry
Vertex Aquaristik wasn’t short on new products for MACNA by any means. In addition to new sumps and skimmers, a brand new water pump was announced. Called the V6 Flow Pump, this new water pump is powered by the always reliable Askoll motor and cranks out 1584 gph at a power consumption of approximately 65watts. Besides reliable water flow, the V6 also promises to be virtually inaudible in the typical aquarium environment. This is due to the fact that rubber feet dampen any vibrational noise that could be transferred from the pump’s base to the hard surfaces of the sump. A custom volute sits at the business end of the V6, and it’s decked out in the typical Vertex colors, red and white. Besides that, there aren’t many more details to discuss. And unfortunately, we were too distracted with the Cerebra controller to get an expected price point or release date, but we’ll find those out as soon as possible. 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 | Jul 8, 2013 | Equipment
A couple of days ago, we spied a photo of the new Hexaplex Cleaner Mag from Vertex Aquaristik, but at the time, we had literally zero details about the magnetic device. Fortunately, Vertex reached out to us shortly after our article went live to offer up a few more details (mainly price and glass thickness), though it appears we’ll still be left without certain ones for the time being. According to their statement, the new Hexaplex will be rated for glass up to 15mm thick, or about 5/8″. As far as pricing goes, the magnet has a European retail price of just under 60 Euro, which includes the German VAT. This price translates to roughly $65-70 US, which is slightly less than what we anticipated. That’s about it on this product for now. We’re still going back and forth with Vertex getting details, and we will continue to update with whatever they send our way. The overall size of the magnet was not stated, though we firmly believe that it’s about the size of a business card, give or take. But again, that’s one of those details we’re waiting to hear back on. by AquaNerd | Jul 2, 2013 | Equipment, Industry, Tanks
It’s sleak, it’s stylish, and it’s big. We’re talking about the new Hexaplex aquarium magnet, and it’s one that Vertex Aquaristik recently teased on their Facebook page. Now, there’s no product description or any reference to size of the latest addition to the Cleaner-Mag line, so anything we say about this new magnet is going to be purely based on assumption…and assume we shall. From the looks of it, the magnet will be around the side of a credit card, and it carries the same design cues from its smaller siblings. Six magnets adorn each side of the magnet, which can be easily seen through the clear body of the stylish algae scraper. The magnets are a little different than what are seen in the other products of the Cleaner-Mag line. Instead of just a few uninspiring circles of metal wrapped in clear resin, Vertex decided to be a bit more creative. Their magnets are connected to each other with a thin piece of metal, making the overall look of the cleaner resemble the connections on a circuit board. It may not appear like much, but it just goes to further show how Vertex is attuned to making their products stand out visually. Getting back into the realm of assumption, the retail price of this new Hexaplex magnet probably won’t be cheap. We are thinking it will retail somewhere in the range of $75-100. We based this off of the fact that the second largest magnet in the line, the Triplex, retails for $35. This new magnet is easily double the size of that model, if not larger, and it’s magnets probably have to be a bit stronger as well. Still, considering that other less visually appealing magnets can easily cross the $100 barrier, if our assumptions hold true, it’s not a bad price at all. This Hexaplex magnet will probably be suitable for aquariums with 3/4″ glass. We are awaiting more detail from Vertex, and we’ll be sure to update accordingly once those have been revealed.
