Reef Octopus has unveiled it foray into the luxury aquarium and stand market. Considering the company’s other range of products, the term luxury may be a stretch compared to brands like Elos or Vitrea but the Reef Octopus luxury aquariums may hold some promise for the aquarist looking to save a little but still have a good product. As aquariums move from the clunky glass boxes and enormous wooden stands and canopies to the open top, Starfire glass and sleek pendant fixture look, Reef Octopus is looking to deliver for this market.
To start, Reef Octopus is coming on board with two models of aquariums, stands, a sump, and an overflow system. On the smaller side, the T-60 Reef Octopus 32 gallon luxury aquarium and stand hit the smaller to moderate side of the hobby and if you are looking for a little more room the T-90 Reef Octopus 48 gallon luxury aquarium and stand is the next option. Each aquarium and stand are sold separately so if you want you can build your own or use an existing stand.
If you are wondering how big these puppies are the smaller T-60 Reef Octopus 32 gallon luxury aquarium comes in at 23.6 x 17.7 x 17.7 in. and the matching ST-60 Aquarium Stand/Cabinet
measuring 23.6 x 17.7 x 39.3 in. The larger T-90 Reef Octopus 48 gallon luxury aquarium comes in at 35.4 x 17.7 x 17.7 in. with the ST-90 stand measuring in 35.4 x 17.7 x 39.3 in.
The tanks themselves are made from clear, low-iron glass with black glue joints and come pre-drilled with a hole in the bottom of the tank for the use of the Reef Octopus Black Tube Water Flow System. Without having the exact dimensions of the hole, its not clear if this would fit your typical bulkheads but overflow box and system look promising so far. With both the return and overflow pipes going through one bulkhead it needs just one hole in the tank. The system also comes with a “smart silencer” to reduce water flow noise in the system. no information was available on the size of the tubes and the approximate water flow through the overflow.
The stands are made of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) from E1 grade materials, similar to what is used for custom cabinetry in the home. Like most other aquarium stands, the owner needs to do the assembly on their end but with most cabinets and do-it-yourself projects, if it comes with clear, concise directions, it shouldn’t be too difficult but if the translation on the CoralVue website is any indicator, you might want to take a bit more time studying all the parts before putting it all together.
Not to be outdone, Reef Octopus is offering up a small sump for the system that should work for either system and stand. The Reef Octopus Small 80 Sump measures in at 18.75 x 12 x 16 in. and has a FB-200 filter bag hang on brackets and a multi-purpose probe holder. The sump also appears to have an adjustable baffle wall to adjust the water levels in the sump to accommodate a skimmer or return pump.
No word yet on the pricing and availability of the products but as soon as we hear something, you know we’ll pass it on.
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