The Reef AccuStir is a new app-controlled magnetic stirrer that the company teased at the Vivarium show at the start of October. TMC did already have a magnetic stirrer called the Easi-Stir, sized to fit under their dosing containers and with manual speed adjustment, only the AccuStir is designed to work in conjunction with Accu Dose dosing pumps and will be controllable via the Reef Connect app.
Magnetic stirrers are cool little devices that can stir anything from reagents in test vials to a variety of liquids in dosing containers, and come into their own for any liquids which are prone to precipitation in storage. That little pill-like magnetic rod can cause noise as it clatters around, however, so previous to AccuStir you were probably best having it on only at timed intervals via a standard light timer or turning the speed right down to make it less noisy. The breakthrough with AccuStir however is that via the app, the stirrer will be kicked into action before the stepper motor needs to dose, ensuring it’s only stirring when necessary and the liquid should be well mixed before being dispensed each time.
Magnetic stirrers can also be used to mix up powders like Balling salts into RO water, as long as only tiny amounts of powder are added each time and the crazy little magnet isn’t overwhelmed. Reef AccuStir measures 109x109x40mm (just over 4” square,) and fits under TMC’s 1.5 and 4.5 liter Easi-Dose containers. No price has been released at this time.
