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Monthly Archives: December 2012
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Product Review: AquaMaxx biopellet reactor
When I first got the AquaMaxx Biopellet Reactor, I was very interested in how it worked because the demonstration unit on display showcased something unseen by other similar devices. Unlike its counterparts, this one causes the media to spin at a strong rate — the pellets orbiting a vertical riser tube provide one-way directional flow. It looked really neat, but I didn’t know how the media would do under such conditions. The reactor itself is made of acrylic and PVC fittings. The inlet and outlets are glued into place, which I personally don’t like as it forces the hobbyist to plumb it specifically to its configuration. I’d rather have the freedom to run lines as they suit my needs, but I’m quibbling over a very minor design decision. The fittings use hose barb connectors, and I used two different sizes of flexible vinyl tubing to match that connection. If you’d prefer to hard plumb it, the hose barbs can be omitted, but you’ll have to use unions with nipples to remove the reactor for maintenance. … More:
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Tagged demonstration unit, design decision, directional flow, flexible vinyl, plastic screws
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Jellyfish Can Make for Some Great Pendant Lamps
Jellyfish are elegant, simple organisms that have inspired everything from beautiful art to various feats of technology, and it looks like they make for great pendant style lamps as well. Recently shared on Offbeat Home, this Medusae Collection from Roxy Russel Design brings the underwater flare to your dining room, or just about any other place that requires a little elegant lighting. Each jellyfish is made from gloss white powder coated aluminum and polyester mylar,and each beautifully mimics a different type of jelly. The price for these lamps ranges from $325 to $425 and professional installation is highly recommended. Read More… More:
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Tagged beautiful art, dining room, fish gallery, professional installation, style lamps
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Our Favorite Fish That Made an Appearance in 2012
Over the past 12 months, we have written all about new aquarium equipment releases from a whole bunch of different manufacturers, and we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about all of the exciting rare livestock that showed up this year. After all, it’s the livestock that is the driving force in this hobby. So, we’ve compiled a year long roundup of some of our favorite fish that we wrote about in 2012. Some of the fish in our list are showing up as one-of-a-kind aberrant individuals, while others are just so rare in the hobby that their presence is deserving of our attention. Either way, the list is full of fish that we’d only be lucky to see in a public aquarium or in a video online. Read More… More:
Public Aquarium Bursts In Shanghai, China
This last Tuesday an enormous aquarium at the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall in Shanghai, China burst sending patrons to the hospital and fish to the ground. Weighing in at 33.5 tons with 6-inch acrylic panes, the burst sent huge pieces of acrylic smashing to the ground and onto one mall-goers leg, sending him to the hospital. 15 people total were injured including staff members of shops on one side of the tank and mall patrons on the other. 
Photos courtesy of shanghaitimes.com The 7-meter-long by 3-meter-high aquarium was installed as a windowpane between indoor shops and the outside streets. The two year old aquarium housed various fish and sharks but unfortunately two of the sharks did not live through the ordeal. The aquarium has encountered problems before with a broken water pipe that caused the death of two sharks and forced the owners to remove four turtles. This is just another example of other failures that have plagued public aquariums in the past couple of years. Read more here and check the video here!… More:
Posted in Conservation, Fish, Opinion, Tanks
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Neptune Systems Releases Apex Firmware v4.20
Lots of people have been testing out the new version of the Apex Dashboard, but some of us have held off for the official release. Today Neptune released the official software upgrade on their website, and the rush is on to upgrade these devices. Remember, you cannot upgrade over Wifi, you have to have a wired connection in order to complete the transfer. Have fun!… More:
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The ORA Gold Nugget Maroon Clown is Really Starting to Live Up to its Namesake
Back in September, ORA shook up the clownfish world with the commercial release of their captive bred Goldflake Maroon Clowns. In that announcement, they also teased us with images of another striking fish, the “Gold Nugget” maroon clown, which we were told wouldn’t be available for quite a while. The Gold Nugget clownfish, at the time, looked like a maroon clown with the same bar patterns as a Platinum Picasso clownfish…meaning it had an awful lot of white coloration. But as the months have passed, that same little Gold Nugget is starting to show its real colors, revealing more and more of that beautiful gold coloration that will eventually take over its entire body, less the maroon parts of course. We’re still not sure when these stunning Gold Nugget maroon clownfish from ORA will be available to the public, but we’re definitely keeping our eye on them. We will also be keeping on eye on that gold coloration as the fish matures and we hope ORA will continue to update us on their blog and Facebook page. 
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Tagged beautiful gold, gold nugget, maroon clownfish, picasso clownfish, striking fish, stunning gold
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JBJ Gives Us a Sneak Peak at Their New Pacifica LED Fixture
JBJ USA is back at it in the LED department, and they’ve given us a sneak peak at their latest creation, the Pacifica LED fixture. According to JBJ reps, this Pacifica falls outside of the Unibody family and was designed specifically to be packaged with the JBJ 30L rimless nano aquarium.. The goal for this pairing obviously being a way to give aquarists a plug-n-play package right out of the box. And as most of us know, JBJ has been quite successful in this realm as they’ve been moving all-in-one nano aquariums for years, and with this light and tank combo, we can get some serious LED power in a sleek new nano package. Read More… More:
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Tagged functionality, nano aquarium, power consumption, press release, release date
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Marine Depot Offers Informative Protein Skimmer Infographic
At the core of most reef aquarium filtration approaches lies the protein skimmer. This ingenious method of dissolved organic removal has been tried and true for decades within the hobby but rarely gets the credit it deserve. In comes Marine Depot with their protein skimmer infographic! 
Photo courtesy of marinedepot.com Although we tend to simply buy protein skimmers for their plug-and-play applications understanding their functionality has been left to interpretation. With this wonderful “how it works” color rendering of a protein skimmer each function is diagramed and provides informative text on a part-by-part basis. The diagram will be a perfect tool for new hobbyists learning how protein skimmers work as well as those who wish to design their own. Read more here! … More:
Posted in DIY, Equipment, Fish, Industry, Invertebrates, Science, Tanks
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7 Months With The Hydor Performer 2005 Recirculating Skimmer
Protein skimmers have a lot of value on a saltwater tank. They remove dissolved organic material (waste), they oxygenate your tank’s water and they help give you insight to what’s going on in your tank.
For my 235g tank build, I wanted to go in a different direction with my protein skimmer choice and try a recirculating skimmer. I chose the Hydor Performer 2005 as my test subject and here’s my review after 7 months of testing.
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Tagged material waste, organic material, Protein Skimmer, protein skimmers, saltwater-tank
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The slower you grow the longer you live
A study using stickleback fish, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that lifespan is affected by the rate at which the body grew early in life.… More:
Posted in Fish, Science
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Lionfish Attack the Endangered Social Wrasse
The ongoing effort to stifle Lionfish outbreaks in the Caribbean gets some attention in this latest article by Luiz Rocha, curator of ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences. Writing from Belize where he studies the Social Wrasse Rocha raises new concerns for a species that is currently one of the world’s most endangered reef fish (Halichoeres socialis.) 
Photos courtesy of Luiz Rocha. This fish is one of the most exquisite of the Wrasse family and is strictly limited to the waters of Pelican Keys. Living in and around mangrove fields its habitat is currently being inundated by local community wastes and now faces the ballooning numbers of a foreign apex predator. Rocha and his team will be collecting Lionfish from the reefs of Belize and examining their stomach contents to better understand the Lionfish’s role as foreign predator. Their findings are limited at the moment as the study began December 15th, however, Rocha remains optimistic in his efforts stating: “It’s up to us to figure out what they are doing to their new home because maybe then we can devise better ways to mitigate their impact on the reef and the social wrasse.” The endeavor to conduct such a study does come with consequences. Check out some of the challenges his team faces when dealing with the poisonous Lionfish after the break! Read more here! Ouch that stings!… More:
Posted in Conservation, Eye Candy, Fish, Industry, Opinion, Science
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