Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

SWC150 BMK Protein Skimmer Review

Saltwater Connection has yet another product to be proud of. Their Xtreme Cone 120 and 160 are favorites among many aquarists, and the 150 BMK is going to be no different, I expect!

 

Review: Plusrite Metal Halide Bulbs

 

Introduction:

As with every hobby, there are the name brand products, and the poorly constructed knock offs.  Products that are a fair combination of practicality and cost are few and far between.  Yet, the cheaply made products often draw us in with their exorbitantly low prices.  Affordableaquatic.com was generous enough to send me a lamp, and let me try it for myself.

Avast Marine Top-Down Porthole Review

 

Avast Marine gracefully sent us their new Top-Down Porthole for review. It was designed along with the expertise of Tony Vargas, a reef aquarium expert. The Porthole attaches directly to the lenses of DSLR cameras via three thumbscrews. It even fits some point and shoots.

EcoRay 60 LED Light Review

Yet another LED light hits the market, this time called the EcoRay 60, presumably because it contains 60 diodes with 60 degree optics (more about that later).  Since LED lights are a dime a dozen these days, I'm no longer impressed by them.  So - does the EcoRay stand out?  Read on...

TMC Ozonizer Review

Ozonizers don't get nearly enough attention as they deserve, and rarely does a new ozonizer hit the market.  Commercial systems and public aquariums don't leave home without ozone, and neither should you.  I put TMC's foray into the ozonizer market through its paces over the last few months, so read on to see how it performed!

 

 

Pacific Coast Imports Gen-X Pumps: Settle For Less

 
 
This is a bit of a longer article so please bear with me.  First and foremost, if you have submersible Gen-x pumps IMMEDIATELY inspect the back of the pump for rust. There is a plastic cover on the back that is easily removable.  This article was written about two years ago, but I went to a local dry goods wholesaler last month and the pumps still had exposed metal so if you've got one of these in your tank chances are you've got a rustbucket.  The sad fact is that this company has been knowingly manufacturing this substandard and quite likely dangerous product for more than 5 years!

Reviews and Honesty Policy at the Captive Aquatics Blog

I wanted to write a post letting everyone know a bit about reviews here at the Captive Aquatics blog.  A few of our reviews have been getting quite a bit of traffic and controversy, so I thought I'd let you all know our ideals here.

The Captive Aquatics blog is not intended to make a profit.  In fact, I have declined some offers for additional sponsorship, especially offers from aquarium product manufacturers.  Let me tell you my reasons...

Coralife Aqua Gloves Review

I recently purchased the Coralife Aqua Gloves to minimize the introduction of any contaminants. If you’re like me and constantly find crud on your arms and hands, gloves are absolutely necessary.

Review: GlassCages Aquarium Builders

Ugly. From a seam on a brand new GlassCages Aquarium

I recently had the (dis)pleasure of attempting to work with a brand new Glasscages aquarium, and the only comparison I can make is that it was built like a bunker: solid with extra bracing, but with no attention to detail, craftsmanship, or style.  Unlike a bunker, some aspects of construction were slipshod at best, and falling apart at worse - and this was straight out of the shrink wrap.  I'm honestly astounded that workmanship like this actually allows Glasscages to stay in business, it is that bad!

 

Orphek PR-156 Reef Aquarium LED Light Review

Update 10-2011: Due to complaints of poor warranty service, I currently do not recommend Orphek products

Makers of a great product but a unfortunately a financial failure doomed to be short lived due to bad decision making, questionable business ethics, and atrocious warranty sevice - buyer beware