Reef Builders

At first glance, this picture looks just like a cute sea lion who is about to score himself a meal. Now those of use with a special place in our hearts for all aquatic life might be worried for the welfare of the stunning Shaw’s Boxfish but fret not fellow fishy friends.  Take a minute to visit Tony Wu’s blog to read the short recount of what happened when this photo was snapped, it’ll warm your fishy heart.

We might see a discount on Teco chillers here in the US. We aren’t sure if this is a temporary move or permanent but if you are in the market for a chiller then you might want to pay attention come Monday when Teco is expected to make the announcement. Most of us think chillers are a bit overpriced and a healthy discount would be the ticket to push us to order one, especially if you can get built in UV or heater options.

While the world has been anxiously awaiting the Vortech MP10 one customer was lucky enough to snag his earlier then the rest of us. The pump, which has been unboxed was placed  on a 24 gallon nano aquarium and looks to be doing a fine job with handling the water flow responsibilities on the tank. If you haven’t already ordered one then you’ll probably have to wait another 1-2 weeks as retailers have already started to run out of their  limited amount of stock they have received on the pumps. Marine Depot has them listed as “Pre order” for $194.99, along with Premium Aquatics for $195.99.

Man the livestock market is hot right now, what in the world is going on? Check out the blindingly bright Scolymia australis in this image, simply amazing. We should of received a blood pressure warning before viewing this picture. Thanks a lot LiveAquaria.

Hold on to your anal fins folks because the Tiger’pyge, a hybrid Centropyge flavissimus x C. eibli, is easily one of the most exciting fish we have seen this year. Second only to the Clipperton Angelfish which never made it past customs, the fish which has already been simmering in an American tank for a week is even more singular than any species. Although the quality of hybrid Centropyge can sometimes be hit or miss, the stunning perfection of the above specimen is second to none: orange-ringed blue eye, blue markings on the gill and spine, perfect orange tiger stripes on a vivid yellow body, a brilliant blue margin to the unpaired fins and a startling black tail. A rare fish collector could not ask for more features when combining the genes of two different fish. The Tiger’pyge, as we’ve affectionately dubbed it, is such a rare specimen that we did some sleuthing and we couldn’t come up with anyone who could remember the last time the C. flavissimus x C. eibli cross graced  American soil. If you are a Chicago area resident you are in luck because the Tiger’pyge will be headed to the rare fish specialists at Old Town Aquarium and it should be on display early next week. We hope that Jim & Co. keep this one because even at the asking price of up to $1500, we don’t expect this fish will be chillin at Old Town for more than 30 days. Follow the break for another great shot of the Tiger’pyge. Super big thanks to Russo’s Reef for sharing their amazing images with us.

Continue reading “Hybrid lemonpeel x eibli: The Tiger’pyge” →

The summer slowdown may be in full effect in terms of new products but our little pitty has got a feel on some amazing livestock coming stateside and much of it has already cleared customs. First up is a grouping of amazing Mycedium chalice corals from a tenant of 104th St. Sea Dwelling Creatures has been on the ball lately: they’ve launched a new website, scored some weirdo passer angelfish and now they’ve landed more than a fair share of amazing Mycedium. No details on where these corals originated specifically but odds are good that these came from down under. Although the trade has enjoyed the classic elephant nose coral for decades now, the Australian continent has been giving up some fantastic specimens which redefine the standing of Mycedium among chalice coral fans. As usual follow the break for more eye candy and if you look hard enough, you may just be seeing these stunning pieces at your LFS.

Continue reading “Sea Dwelling lands some amazing Mycedium chalice corals” →

When it comes to new products there isn’t any surprise when something is delayed, especially if the product has any electronics associated with it. The Apex aquacontroller, which we have been eagerly awaiting for some time now has been delayed until July 6th. What is the reason for the delay? Rumors point to a the plastic housing for the base module hasn’t been delivered like it should have and thus we are forced to wait another week before retailers begin receiving the units. Has anyone pre-ordered for Neptune’s newest creation?

If you’ve watched what’s been happening to fluorescent lamps over the last decade, you will have noticed the trend from T12 to T8, then T5 lighting (each number following the ‘T’ corresponds to an 1/8th of an inch in diamater). It should come as no surprise then that with the ever shrinking bulb sizes we would eventually get some T2 lighting for our aquariums. T2 lamps are 7mm in diameter and like the skinnier tubes before it, the decreased diameter makes these lamps easier to drive, more efficient and definitely more narrow. The T2 lamps are rated for VHO (very high output) and by comparison, many of the spiral twist compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) are T3 in diameter. The largest T2 currently available is just over 20″ long, 13 watts but with up to 73 lumens per watt, these lamps are no slouch in the efficiency department. T2 lamps are not new but the increased Kelvin rating of newer lamps makes them increasingly suitable for aquarium use. The trouble is, with such a narrow tube the lamps are limited by their length  because much larger than that and they cannot be properly driven. The aquarium designed bulbs retail for about $14, of if you prefer you can purchase the bulb and fixture unit for only $35. We are excited to see these new T2 lighting bulbs hit the aquarium market where they won’t replace high intensity lighting, but at least for smaller tanks and refugiums the new lamp format should raise the bar a little bit.

Want to get your hands on a Prodibio reef Biokit? Here is your chance, be sure to read the rules below.

• Leave a comment below. Seriously, you can put anything you want.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you decide to enter this contest more then once you will be disqualified. Yeah, we have robots and human slaves that check for fairness.
• Contest is open to anyone in the USA 18+! Yeah, turns out that in some states its illegal to win a contest if your under 18. Who knew? Ask your parents if you want to be entered.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one, Prodibio Biokit Reef valued at $63.59
• If you are chosen as the winner, you need to respond to our email within 3 days. If you don’t, we will pick someone else. So check your email!
• Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, July 7th, 11:59PM CST. Good luck!

Brightwell Aquatics has just released their NeoMarine Reef Salt which is specifically designed to mix up as close to natural seawater as possible. Like we covered earlier, the salt was said to be released June 15th and we have reports in that retailers have started to receive their shipments starting yesterday. For the 150 gallon mix, the retail is said to hit at $54.99 and you can follow the jump for the individual water parameters.

Continue reading “Brightwell Aquatics NeoMarine Salt gets priced, shipping” →