Acrylic manufacturer Eshopps has entered the reef-ready glass aquarium market with the launch of the new Mariner range. At first sight, Mariner appears to tick many of the other popular aquarium’s boxes, including a low-iron, rimless, braceless tank with a black central weir and twin, side-facing outlets.
Mariner also comes with a sump, pipework, minimalist cabinet design, inner corner guards, and seem protectors. The key difference here though is that the supplied sump is Eshopps’ own Reef Sump, in clear acrylic with a fetching blue tint, (vs a glass sump,) and they’ve opted for imperial plumbing instead of European-style metric pipework.
The weir outlets come fitted with VCA’s Dual Random Flow Generator nozzles, the cabinet is made from marine grade plywood and all three sizes come with a dry chamber inside the cabinet for electricals – something we welcome in all reef tank and cabinet combinations.
The sump layout is basic, with a sock chamber, a large middle chamber suitable for skimmers and reactors, a bubble trap, a baffle, and a pump chamber. There will always be those who crave a precision ball valve from the get-go, but there is no one-size-fits-all sump design and this one is practical enough and slick-looking enough to function, as well as carrying the Eshopps branding. It is also roller filter-ready…
Three model sizes are launching in the first phase – the 95-gallon, 36”x21”x21” Mariner 70, the 133-gallon 48”x22”x22” Mariner 100, and the 158-gallon 60”x22”x22” Mariner 130. They are available with either a black or white cabinet and Eshopps has informed Reef Builders that more sizes and styles will be available in 2024. MSRPs for the three models are $2399, $3299, and $3999, respectively.
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