Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

Introducing Kyle Phillips

I'd like to introduce our latest author, Kyle Phillips!  Kyle is a freshwater and reef aquarium hobbyist and breeder, and an ower of several unique biotope aquariums.  He sits on the committe for his local aquarium society, and authors multiple aquarium columns.  We're lucky to be able to offer his freshwater breeding expertise on the Captive Aquatics blog!

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Lots of Aquarium Product Reviews Coming Shortly!

 

Although surprising in this economy, business has tripled as of late, leaving me with a big stack of aquarium products I haven't had time to review!  I finally unpacked a few things today that I'm most excited about, and took a quick pic to let everyone know that yes, the reviews are coming, so sign up for our free RSS feed and weekly newsletter so that you won't miss out on the details! 

 

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Ecoxotic Panorama LED-Lit 25 Gallon Rimless Cube Nano Aquarium

Latest in the barrage of new goodies from LED aquarium lighting manufacturer Ecoxotic is their 25 gallon rimless cube nano aquarium!   I've become a big fan of Ecoxotic, and they continue to deliver. A seemingly awesome all-in-one nano reef tank, this super-svelte glass aquarium is sized perfectly for the 18" Panorama modular LED fixture! 

- 18"x18"x18" rimless glass aquarium with false back for internal sump/return pump
- 25 gallon capacity
- Build in sump with protein skimmer, return pump, bio media, and auto-topoff bottles
- Matching black stand available
- Free shipping to the lower 48!
- Affordable (MSRP of $250 for the tank, and $250 for the stand)

Check out the pics!

New CoralVue Advanced LED Lighting Fixture

CoralVue is a recent addition to the LED reef aquarium lighting market, but a unique one.  While their Coral Boosters LED fixtures are fairly well known (an LED strip light featuring Cree LED lighting) their new Advanced LED System, Solarian LED system, and T5 + LED hybrid light fixtures have yet to start really hitting mainstream hobby news.   We're lucky enough to have gotten our hands on some CoralVue  aquarium lighting products (reviews to be posted soon!) but for now, here are some teaser pics of the Advanced LED System!

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Measuring 12"x4.5"x2.5" and available in two colors (1:1 white:blue or 1:2 white:blue) with three mounting options and being easily upgradeable, it's nice to see another LED aquarium lighting option available on the market!

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Tropical Fish Hobbyist Digital: iPad Giveaway

TFH is offering digital subscriptions for $1, and entering anyone who signs up into a giveaway for an iPad - check it out here!

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EconLux SunStrip LED Aquarium Lights

EconoLux continues their multitude of LED lighting fixtures with this nifty triplex LED strip that can be chained together, similar to the EcoXotic stunner strips but more advanced. SunStrips look very useful for nano reef aquariums, small planted aquariums, or for adding a "shimmering" effect.  The strips come in color temperatures of 6500k or 15000k, operate via a 24 volt/100 watt power supply, and can be chained together in series between 4 and 18 units in a row, depending on the size of the strips, which range from 30cm to 1.2 meters! 

Although the jury is still out regarding how effective LED lighting is at keeping corals (multiple hobbyists have reported anecdotal information of their corals not thriving/living solely under LED lighting, and Anthony Calfo's preliminary report suggest 75% of coral species cannot be kept under LED lighting alone) supplemental LED lighting for nano aquariums and nature aquariums is often desirable and useful.  Even if the technology may not be there yet, LEDs are still very promising and I'm very excited about the future of LED lighting!

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EconLux Aquarium LED Lighting Video

A video showing EconoLux's new aquaruim LED spotlights - the two side LED lights are each 60 watts, and halfway through the video a single 50w blue spotlight is turned on.  We'll be showcasing several different EconoLux LED products in the coming days!

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Video of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Leak

I think most of the world is aware of the Deepwater Horizon oil leak now, estimated to be leaking 1-4 million gallons of crude a day into the Gulf of Mexico, and making multiple stratification layers miles long and wide, and several hundred feet thick.  All fishing from the Gulf has already been suspended, and whatever the impact is of this spill, it won't be good.  The oceans produce more than 50% of the O2 for this planet - if the ocean ecosystems were to die off, so would we. 

Video of the leak, as well as underwater footage:

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New CPR AeroForce Recirculating HOB Skimmer

CPR Aquatics has recently announced their latest skimmer - the AeroForce hang-on-back skimmer.  I'm a fan of CPR products, so I'm excited about this new skimmer.  Features include:

- Recirculating, double body system
- Efficient, uses only 8 watts
- Sponge microbubble trap
- Effective for aquariums up to 75 gallons

I'm hoping to get my hands on a review unit soon, but in the meanwhile check out the video below to see it in action:

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We're Back!

Yes, I know - we took a bit of a hiatus.  But...we're back!  Myself, Merritt, and Dennis will once again be posting regularly!  We still have a pile of goods to review, and a backlog of articles, and an exclusive of our visit to Red Sea's national warehouse (and our patented 'tell-it-like-it-is review' of the Red Sea Max coming this month!).  Don't go away, and sign up for our free RSS feed and newsletter to keep in touch!  

Oh and SIGN UP TO WIN FREE STUFF!  We're STILL in the process of moving the business and haven't had a chance to award/ship out any prizes, so I'm extending the contest into a summer giveaway!  We're going to have a stack of goodies to give out, even more than is listed!  Go sign up!

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