Unless you’ve been living deep inside a piece of Totoka live rock, by now you should be aware that a huge LED lighting demonstration will be taking place at ReefStock this Saturday, March 13th at the Denver Downtown Aquarium. LED lighting has been a dream on the horizon for almost a decade but this weekend we will all see that this exciting and efficient lighting technology has really arrived to the aquarium hobby, with the reefers being first in line to take advantage of the intensity and coloring options that come from using Light Emitting Diodes. Whether you are into the hot rod or the DIY, spotlights, modular or custom LED lighting, with no less than 10 LED light makers in attendance this weekend we should get a good look at the current state of the art in aquarium LED lighting technology. And if you can’t make it because you don’t live in Colorado or neighboring states, fear not because you can bet your reefing budget that the Reef Builders staff will blogging their hearts out on everything LED at ReefStock so that anyone with internet connection can get front row coverage simply by stopping by the blog. In addition to all these LED lights and the first production LIFI Plasma Arc Seashine lights, we can expect a ton of new products to be announced and we can assure you that you will want to read about all that will unfold in Denver this weekend. With so many high tech lights in one place we may not be able to cause the formation of a ripple in the reefing space-time continuum but at the very least this grand show of LED force should be a great coming out party for the lighting technology which will just about push out all others in the coming years. Follow the break for a rundown of all the future players in the aquarium LED lighting world who will be coming to ReefStock and make sure you tune in to Reef Builders this weekend for all the action.

Ecoxotic

ReefBrite

NanoCustoms

AquaIllumination

CoralSky

Grassy LeDio

Naxandra

Marineland

Tropical Marine Centre

AcanLighting

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For those that run aquariums the Reef Octopus Eco 1000 Refugium might be a good addition to the back of your aquarium. Refugiums serve a multitude of benefits and Reef Octopus thought it best to create their very own line. This is a hang-on-back model that is suggested for tanks up to 264 gallons although larger ones could benefit as well for purposes like an isolation chamber for sick or injured fish. The Eco 1000 is 24″ x 4″ x 12″ and includes a King-225 brand pump that eats up 19 watts of your electricity juice. Shove pods macroalage and other goodies into the refugium and forget about it. Retails for around $180.
via [3 Reef]

Using the power of photosynthesis, the Octopus Eco range of filters remove ammonia, nitrates and phosphates that accumulate in your system, reducing the need for frequent water changes and helping combat nuisance algae in your display tank. Eco also functions as a food cultivating refuge for Cope pods which helps maintain your aquariums PH. Octopus Eco is the perfect symbiotic component of your reef system.
Cultivation of Live Food
Products in the Eco range provide ideal conditions for the cultivation of live food sources such as Cope pods & Amphipods to feed the inhabitants of your display tank, thus giving your livestock a healthy diet.
Flexible
Eco is designed to match universal fluorescent tube sizes, meaning there is usually a product in the Eco range to accommodate your choice of lighting.
Less Water Changes
Once the eco has matured, you will notice the need for less frequent water changes, giving you more time to enjoy your aquarium.
PH Maintenance
If used on a reverse light cycle, the Eco can assist in minimizing the PH fluctuations that would otherwise occur in a system running on a normal day/night lighting cycle, reducing stress on your livestock.
Macroalgea
Macroalgea comes in various breeds of marine plant life and is available from your local fish store. With the addition of basic lighting to the Eco fuge, Macroalgea will grow and photo synthesise waste.
Engineered for the Professional Reefer
These products are constructed with performance tested Cell Cast Acrylic, SCH-80 dark grey PVC, JG fittings and silicon O-rings. These materials will not color fade, are crack resistant, inert and non-corrosive, giving you the dependability you need and the performance your reef deserves.
Recommended Tank Size: 1000L
Product Size (mm): 460×120x330
Pump Power: King-225 19W
Installation: Exterior
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The Tripod fish or Bathypterois grallator was captured by a ROV destroying everything in its path being still and was recorded at a depth of 750 meters. “The Tripod fish has tiny eyes and hunts for food by sensing vibrations. When a small crustacean bumps into the extended, fan-like pectoral fins; the fish “sweeps” the food toward its mouth. Note how the pelvic and caudal fin rays are rigid while keeping the fish perched above the bottom, but become mere wisps as it swims away. The fish may be up to 37cm, but the fins may be about a meter.” These Tripod fish are very interesting but if the researcher who discovered them had any sense of humor, he would have named them war-of-the-worlds. That name is based upon the wicked Tripods that roamed over humans destroying everything in their path in the movie War of the Worlds. At least now we suppose we know the truth of where H. G. Wells got the real idea about the tripods. And we thought it was from our camera holder. Silly us.
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Premium Aquatics just received their first shipment of VolxJapan Par 38 21 watt Grassy LeDio LED spotlights! As Josh goes on to say:
We are very pleased to announce that Premium Aquatics is the first supplier in North America to offer the VolxJapan PAR 38 21w Grassy LeDio LED spotlights! Our first shipment, albeit very small, has just landed. The Grassy LeDio LED spots offer multiple flavor of colors including:
- Deep Blue (7 x 3w all blue led’s)
- Coral Blue (6 x 3w blue & 1 x 3w white)
- Aqua Blue (4 x 3w blue & 3 x 3w white)
- Pearl White (6 x 3w white & 1 x 3w blue)
- Mystery Purple (3 x 3w purple, 3 x 3w blue, 1 x 3w green)
All lamps are internally self ballasted, and screw into a standard medium base socket (i.e. your typical table lamp socket in your home).
[Via Premium Aquatics]
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The Blue Moon Aquatics LED fixture is a 15k 90 watt LED fixture that is new to the market. This fixture is advertised as replicating the intensity of the sun around the coral reef with a spectrum in the 460nm actinic range. There are over 60 x 1 watt LEDs and 30 x 1 watt 460nm LEDs each rated at a 50,000 hour life expectancy. Blue Moon uses a heat sink for heat management for the LEDs along with three cooling fans that are promised to be whisper quiet. You’ll get all of that for a low price of $499.99 which isn’t bad, we just wish they were using CREE LEDs.
Marine Depot got their buyers wrapped over this and it was sent over to the photography but alas he went home for the day. Why wait for him when you have your mobile phone that takes pictures handy?
via [Marine Depot Blog, Marine Depot]
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The 2010 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation were recently announced and not only do the researchers get much-needed money to continue their research but we get a Google Earth Marine Tour of the researchers and their work. This is a pretty cool 3D tour of the ocean and the research the Pew Fellows will be pursuing over the next three years.
This year, five marine experts based in Sweden, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and Australia are the recipients of the 2010 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation awarded by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Each Fellow will receive $150,000 to conduct an innovative three-year project designed to protect global ocean ecosystems and marine life. The winners join more than 115 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation from 30 countries around the globe.
You can learn a bit more on this year’s fellows below or by visiting the Google Earth tour (requires a Google Earth Plugin to be installed in your browser)!
Daniel Conley, Ph.D., Lund University, Sweden
Research different methods for reducing chemical nutrients in the Baltic Sea that cause oxygen depletion and threaten the marine ecosystem.
Omar Defeo, D.Sc., The Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Evaluate co-management arrangements between fishermen, scientists and managers to better regulate shellfish fisheries in Latin America while also incorporating the impacts of climate change.
Beth Fulton, Ph.D., Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia
Develop scientific models that show how shifts in the amount of species diversity affect the broader ocean ecosystem.
Peter Mumby, Ph.D., The University of Exeter, United Kingdom & The University of Queensland, Australia
Establish scientific models to identify the most resilient coral reef systems to create a network of marine reserves in the Bahamas.
Ben Sullivan, Ph.D., BirdLife International Global Seabird Program, Australia
Develop and test devices to reduce seabird “bycatch” in open ocean longline and trawl fisheries.
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I am a big fan of Malibu Rum and an even bigger fan after I found out that they were having an internship contest in association with Reefcheck.org. The sad part? I missed out. The contest which officially ended already selected 10 individuals to participate in a Malibu Beach internship where they will “monitor reef health and promote the preservation of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. The team of selected interns will be sent on a ten-day assignment to Thailand, the Maldives or the Philippines where they will conduct Reef Check surveys, as well as participate in training sessions and have the opportunity to become certified Reef Check EcoDivers all on behalf of Malibu.” You can read more about it at the special splash site. Know anyone that was selected? Give a shout out in the comments!
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Royal Exclusiv has been talking about their new Red Dragon 3 variable speed pumps lately. Details are very light at the moment but we did found out that the Red Dragon III will be available in 3 versions. And before you dive into the details the picture above is from a last gen Red Dragon 2. First up is the Red Dragon 3 pumps. These are not brushless pumps but variable speed pumps. The 10k model which pumps 10,500 liters (2,773 gallons) at a max head height of 4 meters using 100 watts. Next, is the Red Dragon 3 20k which can push 20,000 (5,283) liters at a max head height of 6 meters using 250 watts and lastly the Red Dragon 3 25k model pushing 25,000 liters (6,604 gallons) at max head of 10 meters. Click the read more link for more information on the Red Dragon line
The first two models (10k, 20k) were supposed to be ready by late February but it looks like they are behind schedule from VDE/GS certification. (VDE Certification is extremely important in the European Union we are told.) What’s new? Royal Exlcusiv’s Red DragonIII pumps are said to have a LCD screen on board which will show speed in RPM, power consumption in watts and a on/off display among other features.
Royal Exclusiv is being upfront that the engine block and electronics coming from China. However, they state that the  rotors, impellers, shafts, cables, and the pump heads,  final assembly and quality control are being done in their plant in Germany (Cologne).
Brushless Red Dragon 2 Classic Pumps
What is a brushless pump? A brushless “DC (BLDC) motor is a synchronous electric motor powered by direct-current  (DC) electricity and having an electronic commutation system, rather than a mechanical commutator and brushes.” And we have been told that Royal Exclusiv is releasing two new versions of the Red Dragon Classic 2 in a brushless form.
Red Dragon 2 Classic 7,000 which will deliver 7,500 liters with a max head height of 4 meters at about 70 watts. These are currently being tested to select users in Germany now and will be the first pump released in the series. The next is the Red Dragon 2 Classic 16,000 with a max delivery of 16,500 liters with a max head height of 5 meters using about 200 watts. This larger model will hit in late April if everything goes to plan.
You can expect to see Vertex Aquaristik branded pumps coming to market soon. Vertex already has a place holder on their site dedicated to DC pumps. This is continuing the partnership started earlier last year with cone protein skimmers and only makes sense to expand the product line. We are not sure what specific models will be targeted but you can count on these models being lower in price and not available in the main Red Dragon pump lines.
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Reef pods (Copepods) Tisbe spp are a great food source for many organisms including seahorses and mandarins. They are great to start seeding your refugium or when about to add something that loves reef pods. These pods are shipped in  high quality live phytoplankton – convenient for starting a culture for your tank. In the bag you’ll get live pods which can handle temperatures in the upper 40’s to low 90’s during shipping without much problem but it is suggested that you choose a faster shipping method.  Marine Depot has these in stock for $13.99 a bag.
via [Marine Depot]
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