These longfin ‘Boomerang’ discus are among some of the many fine fish entered into this year’s aquarama fish competition. Reef Builders had exclusive access to viewing the competition side of Aquarama during judging and these domestic strains of discus fish…
Five new canister filters for cleaner fish tanks in 2013
2013 is shaping up to a big year for fish tank canister filters with no fewer than five new models from four different manufacturers becoming available for the first time, or for the first time in America. Some of the…
Blue Acropora spathulata makes our polyps swoon
There’s something about a big juicy blue Acropora, or a super nice Acropora millepora with perfectly developed scaly texture, that always grabs our attention. That is why the big blue Acropora spathulata Unique Corals flaunted from Australia is one we…
Jebao Marine Aqua DC Pump; another day, another rebadged Waveline
We don’t know what it is about that Waveline line of water pumps that makes it sooooo attractive to being rebranded by everyone in the aquarium industry and their extended family. We know why the OG Waveline rocks as an aquarium…
A trip down memory lane of Ecotech Marine VorTech pump controllers
As Ecotech Marine celebrates ten years of business in the reef aquarium scene, I am reminded of how I came to know the once scrappy three young founders Tim, Pat, Justin and first employee Mark. The company cut its teeth…
Frameless 20H aquarium carries on the march of the rimless fish tanks
Frameless fish tanks are increasing in popularity as evidenced by the venerable Twenty Gallon ‘High’ 20H getting the rimless/frameless treatment. In PetSmart to boot! Back in our day, when we wanted to get an aquarium it was standard-issue to have…
Fix all your fish tank and reef aquarium problems with 95% water changes*
Having worked the retail marine LFS beat for many moons, we’ve seen countless people come in to the shop, day in day out, trying to get their water parameters right or worse, trying to figure out what the problem is.…
Fluval FX6 canister filter for the extremely dirty fish tanks
The Fluval FX6 is yet another new Canister Filter for fish tanks and aquariums that need some serious filtration. Building on the previous big mombasa of canisters the Fluval FX5, the sixth iteration does away with grey and orange for…
Diablo 5500s DC pump ready to take over controllable needle wheel duties
You’ve seen CoralVue’s new line of Diablo DC-pump powered protein skimmers and the Diablo 5500s is that pump. Priced at $269, the Diablo 5500s is a controllable DC water pump which, besides its red trim, is virtually indistinguishable from the…
Giesemann Matrixx II T5 fixture is brimming with style and sophistication
Giesemann has revealed the Matrixx II, the next generation purely T5 light from the famous German lighting designer. Taking a heap of inspiration from the incredibly suave Giesemann Teszla LED, the Matrixx II T5 light inherits the same enclosure, cooling…