HP Aquaristik is a new brand to us, and they caught our eye with their ‘REEF perfect clear’ roller style mechanical filter and ‘Future lighting’ multichip fixtures. The ‘REEF perfect clear’ is their take on a roller mat style filter, similar to the Theiling Roller Mat we covered earlier. The mechanics are similar, using a float switch to activate the roller as water levels rise from clogged filter materia. HP Aquaristik claims one roll should last around a year. The whole package is made of PVC. There is also an optional UV sterilizer. With all these hobbyist sized roller filters coming out, we may see a revolution in mechanical filtration. The elimination of food and detritus automatically would make a great impact in reducing dissolved organics. They make the filter in 3 sizes.
The ‘Future lighting’ fixture is a multichip power house. They designed the multichip in house, balancing the the spectrum to meet the coral’s requirements while giving off a pleasing color rendering. No doubt, the 150-watt multichip LED is really bright. They mentioned that they have an aquarium here in Europe using it to grow Acropora in water 2 meters deep. The fixture can be controlled via the GHL ProfiLux multicontroller, which allows you to adjust both the intensity and spectrum via 3 channels. The fixture comes in 4 configurations at 15″, 30″,45″, and 60″(with 1,2,3, and 4 multichips consecutively). While it’s not a very sleek looking fixture, the intensity and color were impressive.
There’s no distribution in the USA as of now, but maybe that will change down the road.
