Orphek Power Reef PR-156

Posted by gerard on November 8, 2010 under Products & Reviews, Reef Info | Be the First to Comment

Check out these new Orphek LED lighting systems.  Price is a little steep but they look pretty sweet.  You can get them now at Marinedepot.com

Orphek Power Reef aquarium led lighting system uses an advanced built in dissipation heat device – a heatsink with two virtually silent redundant cooling fans with a plurality of cavities, totally sealed, suitable for heat dissipation, specially designed to avoid the use of ventilators, and to protect the LEDS, extending the life of the system. The PR-156 doesn’t even get hot to the touch! read more....

Red Sea Max 250

Posted by gerard on January 26, 2009 under Products & Reviews | Be the First to Comment

The Red Sea MAX features a complete 4-stage reef filtration system, designed to provide perfect water conditions for all reef inhabitants.

An adjustable height surface skimmer (a) takes water from where the highest concentration of waste materials is found.

The turbo air injection skimmer developed specifically for the MAX circulates the water volume through the skimmer more than 3 times per hour at an air/water ratio of 1:3 providing ideal skimming specifications for a hard coral (SPS) reef aquarium. The unique foam adjuster (b) ensures that foam can be produced in all water conditions.

Mechanical filtration removes the large organic substances while Phosphate-free active carbon acts as a large chemical sponge; absorbing dissolved organic carbons from the water. Highly porous bio-media provides a huge surface area for nitrifying bacteria.
Additional equipment such as a chiller or an external filter can easily be added with the Accessory kit (c) supplied with each unit.

MAX 250 filtration & circulation unit

1. Accessory Kit (inlet/outlet ports)
2. 1200 lph circulation pump with adjustable direction outlet
3. Compartment for accessory pump
4. Thermostat controlled heater
5. Mechanical filter sponge
6. Adjustable protein skimmer with a turbo aspiration pump
7. Highly porous ceramic biological filter media
8. Activated carbon chemical filter media
9. Cartridge for fine (water polishing) filter material
10. Sponge bubble trap
11. 2400 lph circulation pump with adjustable direction outlet

Complete lighting system

234W T5 linear (1 watt/ litre)
117W 10,000K/117W Actinic
Electronic ballast
High polish textured aluminium reflector
8 Blue LED moonlights
Fan-cooled hood for extended life of electronic components
High transparency, polished lens

Check out more at www.redseamax.com

Seachem | Calcification

Posted by gerard on November 8, 2008 under Products & Reviews | Be the First to Comment

Seachem just released a premium line of reef products.  Here’s the rundown on the first one we looked at.  It’s called Calcification

Calcium and carbonates are essential to all coral growth. If either becomes deficient, coral growth will cease, followed by a rapid decline in coral health.

Natural reef waters contain about 390 mg/L of calcium.  There is no valid scienti?c reason to exceed that concentration in the reef aquarium. To do so does not significantly impact on corals, but it does make it more dif?cult to maintain an adequate alkalinity of 4–6 meq/L.  Natural sea water has an alkalinity of about 2.5 meq/L, but this is generally not adequate buffering for a closed system. High ionic calcium concentrations (above 400 mg/L) and adequate alkalinity (about 5 meq/L) are not easily compatible, particularly if magnesium is low (see balance ™ and ions™).

Calcification™ is a concentrated (140,000 mg/L) optimized blend of ionic and bioavailable gluconate-complexed calcium designed to restore and maintain calcium to levels found in natural seawater, without affecting pH. These two forms of calcium are combined in calcification™ to provide the hobbyist with a convenient way to ensure peak coral growth and health. 

Ionic calcium is readily available, while the gluconate-complexed calcium confers several benefits. The uncharged calcium in calcification™ is readily absorbed with less physiological work than is required for the absorption of ionic calcium. Using calcification™, it is not necessary to maintain the excessively high concentrations of calcium (about 450 mg/L or more) often recommended by others. In fact, excellent growth of corals and coraline algae is achieved with total calcium concentrations as low as 300 mg/L. Used up to four times recommended maintenance dose, the gluconate polymer will not accumulate or encourage the growth of undesirable algae. The polymer itself is bene?cial as a food source not only to the corals and other invertebrates, but also to denitrifying bacteria, actually promoting the natural anaerobic denitri?cation process in live rock and other substrate. Furthermore, the use of this gluconate polymer allows calcium, strontium, and magnesium to be utilized more readily than they would otherwise and also helps to stabilize them in solution without depleting alkalinity.

Some prefer not to use complexed calcium because of concern about adding organics to the aquarium. This is not a valid concern. The amount of organics added with complexed calcium is insignificantly small when compared to the organics released by most reef creatures, even in a no feed, no nutrients approach. Since complexed calcium products employ lactate or gluconate, the naive misconception that these products contain sugars has arisen. While these components are related to sugars, they are oxidized aldehydes and do not react or behave as sugars. Polygluconate contains no nitrogen or phosphorous, thus it is biologically impossible for it to lead to algae growth in a properly maintained reef system. 

Unlike competing products that require multi-day interval dosing when combined with carbonate supplements, calcification™ can be dosed daily and within minutes of our eight.four™ as  well as the entire aquavitro ™ reef line.

see more at www.aquavitro.com