Sunlight Supply Announces 60" Tek Light

Sunlight Supply, one of the largest lighting manufacturers and distributors in the Saltwater industry, sent out e-mails today to customers announcing a new sixty-inch Tek Light fixture. This is great news as there has been a lack of lights to fit this odd ball length. The Tek line of T5HO fixtures remain strong competitors in the T5 lighting game. While other companies such as Current have been faltering, Sunlight is continuing to expand product lines and give consumers what they're looking for.
Tek light fixtures are very sleek, 2 and half inch thick light fixtures that come in 2, 4,6, and 8 lamp configurations. They can be mounted on adjustable legs or suspended. Suspension seems to the most popular way to place these lightweight light fixtures over a tank, and gives a very modern look when exposed, especially on Euro style or Rimless tanks.
T5 have become very popular within the Hobby because of there uniform light distribution, cool operating temps, low energy consumption, and relatively affordable replacement bulbs. The New 60 inch fixture will accept 80 watt bulbs from a variety of manufacturers, such as popular D-D Giesseman, Korallen-Zuct, and Blue Life SPS.
The Mystic Reef is now taking preorders for this light, so let us know if your interested in one of these lights.

Hydor Continues to Perfect Their Market Niche.

Hydor. If you havn't heard of them, either you live under a rock, or you've never seen the need to replace your Tunze Streams. Hydor is a well known aquarium product maunufacturer from Italy, though when most reefers think of them, they think of the egg shaped Koralia powerheads with magnet attachments, and with good reason.

The Hydor Koralia is another take on the popular Propeller-style pump, like the Vortech or Tunze streams, which deliver powerful yet broad water flow with little head pressure. This makes them very ideal for Reef tanks requiring massive turbulent water flow. Normal output pumps produce more of a thin column or jet of fast moving water that is not very efficient at creating the random flow needed for a reef tank. The flow normal pumps produce is a constant laminar flow, which is completely unnatural for most corals and can actually cause certain corals, like Euphyllia , to recede from their skeletons if placed in direct flow.

Anyway, propeller-style pumps have revolutionized the aquarium industry, and it's nice to see the innovations havn't stopped. A Hydor Sales rep came in to let me know what's been going on with the company. Besides their Aerio pumps being in CPR's new line of protein skimmers, Hydor will be coming out with their own Nano Skimmer, the "Slim Skim" designed to fit most "Nano" systems. They have also announced the release of the "Marine Performer" skimmer for larger systems.



They also will be advancing their next generation of powerheads by introducing "shaftless" impeller designs. This is said to cut out the rattle on start up of these pumps, with the benefit of being able to connect the baseline Koralia to wavemaking devices. The former pumps would fail to start, rattle, or worse, reverse flow when connected to a wave timer, causing your pump to become a fish blender unless fitted with the protective screen.

Hydor as already released a line of Controllable Koralias to be used with their dual or quad controller. Performance is very good with intuitive conrtols, however it may not have been the correct market to introduce a rather expensive controller. The world of higher-end reef equipment is highly competetive and companies like Tunze and Ecotech have carved strong market shares out with their respective products, and there must be innovation to compete.

Koralia powerheads are about as good as any other prop pump, but their incompatibility with other controllers has kept many reefers from incorporating them into their systems. Hydor has proven they can adapt with the times. Their powerheads have proven to be a best buy for water movement.

I was also given one of their blue LED spotlights, its similar to a moonlight, but also available in red or green. The spotlight produces some very dramatic effects in the corals.

O.R.A Offering Some New Size Options

ORA (Oceans, Reefs, and Aquariums) have long been the industry standard in tank reared livestock, most notably for their great variety of Tank Raised Clownfish, including the infamous Picasso Clownfish. They also have gained a cult following with their collectible corals (with websites and facebook pages devoted just to photos of the various corals.) But nevertheless, there is a rightfult reason the common clownfish graces their logo, they produce thousands of them. Not just that, their T.R. clowns come in at sizes comparable to wild clowns. Its extrordinary to consider how much longer it takes to grow fish to this size for market, compared to what the rest of the industry offers as "tank raised."

Every other dealer I've visited or bought fish from, usually will have Tank Raised clowns available. Mortality rates with wild clowns, especially Perculas, is atrocious when not handled correctly, which is why just about all of clowns we buy are captive bred, unless they are some desirable specimen I must have. I hesitantly purchased some juvenile perculas from a dealer recently. However the only reason I did was because they were gorgeous, nearly all black individuals, and I happen to trust this dealer's system and husbandry practices very much. They all did great and now I have some great near-onyx pairs.

Breeding fish on a commercial scale is a lot different than doing it on a hobby or experimental level. The bottom line is the "Bottom Line," and no matter how attractive, rare, or interesting, whatever you've bred, must be salable. Often times months to years of work go into raising these fish for market, and a lot of expenses and resources become consumed as these fish take up space growing. This fact keeps many breeders selling their fish small for a faster turnaround.

ORA has always impressed when it comes to sizing, normally we are happy we get them so large, however, there are a few customers that see these tiny clowns available at other stores and want some for themselves. So, we let ORA know we have been looking for smaller clowns to accomodate our Nano customers, and they must have gotten that request a lot, because sure enough small size clownfish are now available on their pricelist.

In another interesting tale of the tiny, we have been looking for some unique fish to display in our store, and we let our friends at ORA know. They know we have an affinity for the unique, how we keep all of the interesting color morphs and "stubby" clownfish we come across, adding to our ever growing clownfish collection.

Well we were able to get some very special clowns and give them a new home at the Mystic Reef. We received a pair of TINY (1/2 inch) clowns. Not just ordinary clownfish, one is a Platinum Percula and the other a Snowflake Ocellaris, making them quite the odd couple. Making them even more special, they are believed to be "dwarves" or runts. They were housed in the same growout tanks and are the same age as the other Platinum or Snowflakes, except they are about 1/4 the length. The fish appear to be mature, with dark edges on the fins and surrounding the bars, but their size disagrees.

ORA has produced "Stubby" clowns for a while now, but that appears to be another type of variation/ mutation which compresses the spine, which could be likened to extreme scoliosis.



There is a fine line of ethics when breeding any creatures.
I would like to see how many "designer fish" haters who claim all of these "mutants" should be culled, own other pets like dogs. After all, the great variation we find in various dog breeds stems from traits we bred into them. Isn't a yorkie nothing more than a "Mutant Canine"
-Adam Mullins

Ecotech Announces It will soon be compatible with third-party Equipment!

Vortech MP40 On a Store Display.

Well, Friday the Thirteenth is not always associated with bad vibes. Ecotech Marine Announced it would be releasing a third party development package today which would hopefully allow the Ecotech pumps to be interfaced with All-in-One controllers that manage lighting, dosing, etc... This is hot news in the industry as the Vortech has become one of the best propeller-style powerheads available. Here's what Ecotech had to say on the matter:

"November 13, 2009—Lehigh Valley, PA— EcoTech Marine, the company that revolutionized the reef aquarium propeller pump, has announced the release of a development kit for third-party aquarium controller companies for its award-winning VorTech line. Although no firm release date has been established by manufacturers, stay tuned for announcements as controller companies begin to bring this desired technology to market.

“We are extremely excited about this development,” says Tim Marks, president of EcoTech Marine. “While the VorTech wave driver already provides extensive functionality right out of the box, this enables customers to integrate our market-leading flow technology with their lighting, dosing, pH and other systems. We look forward to enabling VorTech customers to be able to fully customize and control their pump using the aquarium controller of their choice.”

In addition to offering customizable controllability of the VorTech remotely through your controller, EcoTech customers will be able to download firmware updates and be remotely updated as to the operating conditions of the VorTech. The vast benefits of the controller are emerging as companies take interest and start working with the development kit.

EcoTech's development kit is now available to the industry's leading controller companies and together we are making the necessary arrangements to bring controller interfaces to production. “We have heard our customers' request and worked diligently to bring a solution that will maintain the same level of quality and technological superiority that you have come to expect from us,” said Marks.

The patented VorTech technology produces unmatched broad yet gentle flow while placing the motor outside the tank—preserving the beauty of the aquarium and enhancing the health of the tank’s ecosystem. With all the electrical components outside the aquarium and a variety of easy-to-program modes, the VorTech is the safest, most versatile pump on the market. "

This exciting news is definitely a sign of the progress in the industry. Hopefully these advances will be able to couple the Vortech's already stellar performance with more universal controllers, but only time will tell. No news as to which companies are taking advantage of the kit, but we can expect companies like Neptune Systems and Digital Aquatics, who manufacture many aquarium controllers popular today .We will continue to keep you posted on advances in the future.

Warner Marine Releases Ultimate Snow!!

Warner Marine has recently added Ultimate Snow to their lineup of premium aquarium supplements. Similar to the Zeovit product Marine Snow, ReefPure Ultimate Snow "is a unique blend of natural organic and inorganic carbonate based micro-fine particles that have the ability to carry nutrients directly to corals. This gives the aquarist the ability to dose specific supplements directly to the corals as the particles in ReefPure Ultimate Snow are precisely sized as to be captured by corals as food. In addition, ReefPure Ultimate Snow enhances protein skimming, increases water clarity, and limits undersirable algae including cyanobacteria by capturing yellowing compounds and neutralizing organic compounds. Ultimate Snow can be used with any organic or inorganic water additive to transport the additive directly to the coral."

I know that sounds like a lot for one supplement, but it's really quite simple once you break it down. The particles just trap the dissolved organics in the water to be either consumed by corals or removed via the skimmer, hence the boosted skimmate and water clarity. It also can be used as a transport mechanism for other supplements like Vitamin HUFA's, Ultimate Aminos, Magnesium, etc. This presents the supplement in a natural size to be "eaten" by corals. The further along we come in reefkeeping, it has become readily apparrent how important it is to "feed" corals.

Warner's Last Release, Concentrated Calcium and Ultimate Aminos

It has been about two years since Warner Marine has added a new product to their supplement and additives lineup. The last ones to be introduced were the Concentrated Calcium and the tremendously popular Ultimate Aminos, with many reefers learning just how important Amino Acids are for proper growth and color. Just like Warner's other supps, Ultimate Snow is another fine addition and I'm very glad it's finally available. I have been using it on various tanks in my store for the past few weeks and I'm very satisifed with the results.

Match Made in Heaven? Ulimate Snow & Aminos

It's very concentrated with a recommended dosing rate of 5ml per 100gallons 3-5 times a week, providing excellent value. I have been dosing it along with Ultimate Aminos and immediately there was noticeably clearer water overnight and the skimmer production has increased on each of the tanks dosed. I can't comment on increased growth or color yet, but I will keep you posted in case anything interesting pops up.

So your ready to try it and wonder where to get it? We have a good amount in stock with more on the way, give us a call if you need some. (951)727-8332. Its recommended to add this product towards the end of the lighting cycle for best results, and it will cloud the water for a few minutes, but it has no ill effects on livestock.

First Annual Inland Empire Coral Farmer's Market '09

Sunday, September 6th, marked the first Annual Inland Empire Coral Farmer's Market. This event added another date to the industry leading Coral Farmer's Market Events (CFM) put on by Art Petit and Steve Tyree. Special thanks go out to the Inland Empire Marine Aquarium Society (IEMAS) for set up and tear down of the exhibition hall. CFM events bring in hobbyist coral farmers, professional farmers and stores, as well as leading manufacturers.

Some Of the Crowd

This event took place in the Ontario Hilton off of the 10 Freeway and Haven, the same venue as the popular South West Coral Farmer's Market. The SW-CFM is the Original CFM event that has been operating since 2006. This event is held every spring, and has spawned other events in the Bay Area, Dallas, and once again in the Inland Empire. The CFM company thought that a second show would be a good business decision, as the South West event has been the most popular event.

Busy Busy at The Mystic Reef Booth

This event attracts the best of the best as far as tank raised livestock. The Mystic Reef was there with our usual assortment of frags, as well as some very interesting pieces. From any just about any rare or unique coral that you've heard of, to rare fish, dry goods, auctions and raffles, this is definitely a great event for every Reefer! We look forward to the South West in the Spring and the Inland Empire in the fall.

Speaking of unique fish, our friends Dan & Tina, from Wet Thumb Frags, had some very interesting tank raised clowns from C-Quest Farms along with a great variety of coral frags. These included a tank of Van Gogh Clowns, similar to ORA's Picasso Percula, however these being an extreme color morph of the Ocellaris. Another Extreme color morph of the Ocellaris is the Wyoming White Clown, similar to Snowflake Clowns.

Van Gogh Clowns

Wyoming White Clownfish

Industry leading manufacturers Warner Marine, Blue Life USA, and Reef Nutrition were also their showcasing their unique products. Reef Nutrition was there showing off their entire line of specialty feeds for reef aquariums, such as Tigger-pods, Macro Feast, Fuzzy Phytes, Arcti-Pods, and more, all available at The Mystic Reef.

Blue Life had their entire line of Precision supplements; Aiptasia, Red Slime & other Controls, and their assortment of Bulbs. The Precision line of chemicals is very comprehensive and excellent quality, most of the products are some of the most concentrated on the market. I also use many of the Blue Life T5 bulbs on my display tanks at the store.

Blue Life USA

Warner Marine's Booth

Warner Marine was also there with some of his excellent skimmers, including the new K2. He also had some canister filters, along with the full line of some of the hobby's most trusted additives, like Ultimate Aminos and Calxmax. Also a first from Warner Marine is the new Ultimate Snow. Its similar to the Zeovit product Coral Snow. Like all WM products, you can be sure of the quality of this product. I have been testing it out on my tanks and so far just as WM claims, it has given me noticeably clearer water over night. The skimmers also seem to be removing more skimmate than usual. This product can also be used in conjunction with any supplement, including Ultimate Aminos, as a transport mechanism to more efficiently deliver it to corals in an appropriate particle size. If your interested in this product, we have some available at the store with more on the way! More info on this exciting product and more in a later post.

Ultimate Snow

The Auctions and Raffles are also a very fun part of the event, unfortunately I wasn't able to participate this year because I was just too busy. Normally however, the odds are fairly good on the Raffles, especially on some of the lesser know pieces. Last year I walked away with a Ponape Birdsnest and I only put in a few tickets. This event was no different with many of my customers walking away with something in their hands.

The Auctions are also very popular for some nice coral frags. Many First Edition LE's are auctioned off to try and establish a base price. There were plenty of great pieces getting sold at very reasonable prices, it made me wish I was over there when I heard the price some things were going for.

Congrats CFM on another great event! See you at the next one.

-Adam Mullins

Reefer's Survival Kit: Must Haves For Those Worst Case Scenarios

Expect the unexpected. For aquarists, truer words have never been spoken. From jumping fish, wet power cords, leaky pipes, burnt out pumps, to even fires; the things I hear from customers never cease to amaze me. One of the most bizarre and sad tales of tank devastation came from a very enthusiastic customer who had started a 12 gallon Aquapod. He had the tank set up for close to a year and the corals and fish were all very healthy. He came in one day completely distraught, he returned home from work to find his tank a milky orangish white, with everything completely dead. His young 3 year old decided to "feed" the fish a bag of Doritos. When I tell other customers these words of warning, they are horrified, but I tell them to reiterate the fact that anything can happen.
So now that I've scared you enough, I'd like to let you in on some emergency items that I believe every reefer should have on hand, known simply as the "Reefer's Survival Kit"

Emergency Water Supply: This seems to be the most basic, but often overlooked essentials for a saltwater fish tank. In the event of a massive die off, spawning event, some foreign material spilled in the tank, etc.. one of the easiest ways to correct or halt further fatalities is a large partial water change. Whether keeping a fresh supply of synthetic sea water, (I don't recommend natural seawater because it may cloud or grow algae when stored), Reverse osmosis water to be mixed when needed, or even some Amquel or other dechlorinator to use tap water in a worse case scenario. Having some salt mix or extra water on hand could be a lifesaver in an emergency. Be sure to match temperature, pH, and salinity of the replacement water to avoid further stressing your livestock.A supply of Salt and Fresh RO water

Water Testing Supplies: If something is going wrong with your tank, you need to be able to identify it fast. Testing ammonia, nitrite, pH, Alkalinity, and Salinity can help you pinpoint the problem. These various levels are most often the culprit, and are easily fixed by water changes, or the addition of pH or Alkalinity buffer. A well calibrated Hydrometer or two are a very good idea as well.
Battery Operated Air Pump: These fairly inexpensive pieces of equipment literally could be a fish lifesaver in the event of a power outage. One or two of these connected to a few airstones could provide all the oxygen and water movement necessary to keep most livestock happy for a few hours to even days depending on tank size and bioload. Those with large or heavily stocked tanks may want to look into a portable generator. It may seem like a foolish investment, but consider the value of livestock it could save during a power outage.

Coral Dip: Every reefer should have at least one bottle of an Antibacterial coral dip on hand for acclimating new coral, and dipping damaged or diseased corals. Dipping newly acquired coral can prevent the spread of flatworms or other aquarium pests. Products like ReVive, Melafix, or Lugol's Solution can be the difference in saving a coral infected with the dreaded "brown jelly" or other bacterial infection or loosing it. When corals come into contact with eachother, one usually stings the other to point of infection on one or both corals. These infections can kill a complete coral colony in a few hourse. Worse still, it can spread to other, seemingly healthy corals. Often a reefer will wake up to find his crabs have knocked a frogspawn into one of their favorite Acan colonies, sure one is going to die. Quickly killing the infection and preventing its spread is paramount for the health of the coral and tankA selection of Coral Dips

Other great essentials that will come in handy are spare parts. Its always a good idea to have a spare return pump on hand in case the main fails and every LFS is closed. This could save an otherwise doomed tank. Light bulbs are also good to have on hand, but typically it wont have the same disastrous results going unlit for a few days opposed to a few days without flow. A new innovation that provides very good piece of mind is the a battery back-up from Ecotech for use with their Vortech powerheads. This back up could provide flow for up to 30 hours in the event of a power failure.

A Vortech MP40 on a Display at The Mystic Reef

Another handy item is Rescue Tape, this self fusing, water proof tape has myriad uses for aquarists, busted pipes or even minor cracked tanks can be mended until a more permanent fix is available. I always have a roll around my store for emergencies.

Rescue Tape Hanging In a Convenient Spot

Well those are some of my suggestions, and there are plenty of other steps you can take to prepare yourself. Hopefully this got you thinking of all the possibilities and maybe when the inevitable happens, you won't be blindsided. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Happy Reefin'!!
-Adam Mullins