All Posts by "Mark van der Wal"
Over the last few years, I migrated every reef tank I have to LED, even a little freshwater nano is running LED. I think there is a huge future in LEDs and switching to LED changed my view on lighting and brought on some serious thinking about our disposable consumerism. The longevity of LEDs makes Read More
The gods of coral reef aquariums are wrathful. They do not appreciate any display of confidence, comfort, or excitement for the hobby. You must respect them to succeed in this hobby. Here are some rules I have learned to follow that helps me avoid their wrath: • Never share your excitement about a new fish Read More
Two Little Fishies had a few exciting things to unveil at the Global Pet Expo. The most notable was their foray into premade saltwater in 5-gallon containers with AccuraSea NSW. The Accurasea branded saltwater is a nice addition, especially for nano-reef hobbyists who could benefit from the convenience when doing frequent water changes. Two Little Read More
Seachem is releasing a flake food under their NutriDiet line. It will be available in Tropical(freshwater), Marine, Goldfish, and Cichlid formulas. Seachem claims their food lacks low-value fillers, and comprises instead of ingredients high in protein and vitamins/minerals. The NutriDiet flakes are also fortified with garlic, chlorella, and extra Vitamin C. Vitamin C and Garlic have Read More
Eshopps has added the FS series wet-dry to their arsenal of sump offerings. They have refugium sumps (R Series), berlin sumps (RS Series), and the usual wet-dry (WD Series). The original Eshopps wet dry models presented some obstacles as many internal protein skimmers require 9-11″ of water height, which would submerge some of the bioballs Read More
AquaticLife had the new 46″ ES LED fixture on display at the Global Pet Expo. In person, the fixture makes for a very sleek and elegantly simple light. A single power cord feeds the nearly four foot long light. Alongside the power cord is a USB port, so that you can utilize the AquaticLife PC Read More
Cobalt Aquatics unveiled two new internal filters, the Duo-Filter UV 500 and 1000. As the name suggests, the Duofilter UV include a USB powered UV steriliser with germicidal grade LEDs. Four LEDs blast the pumps impeller chamber with 500mW of ultraviolet rays before the water exits through a horizontally adjustable venturi nozzle. The round LED Read More
Cobalt Aquatics had quite a few new products at the Global Pet Expo, including the Oxy-Pro Air Pump. The pump is innovative with its electronic adjustment, allowing precise control of airflow to run a variety of air driven devices. An LED inside the adjustment knob of the Cobalt Oxy-Pro brightens as you increase the amount of Read More
The Eshopps S300 is a larger new protein skimmer with a beefy spec sheet. Eshopps is growing their Cone skimmer family with a larger model, and including some new features. The new S300 protein skimmer is powered with a Sicce PSK1200 pump, and includes a new bubble plate design. The design comprises of several layers Read More
Having an aquarium in your home should be a relaxing and tranquil gesture. But once you delve into reefing, things get quite loud. Reef aquariums are usually heavy on equipment and plumbing, and both can transform a peaceful space into a distracting concert of sounds. Suprisingly, finding a centralized reference for silencing a reef is Read More