Posted on : 11-03-2010 | By : Ryan Gripp | In : ReefBuilders
Reef Stock is just lesss than 48 hours away while I’m writing this. And if this is any indication of what it is in store for the Aquascaping competition then whoa! The 20-ish gallon 18″ cube aquarium uses a very unique aquascaping rock work designed by John Ciotti. The tank receives 50% water changes two times a week with feedings throughout the day and carbon and purigen is run on the tank 24/7. You’ll see various livestock specifically 7 cardinals and two gobies which were all tank bred. Also of note, we do talk a lot about LEDs on Reef Builders and this tank is lit by a panorama LED unit by Ecoxotic. You’ll be able to see more awesome stuff like this at Reef Stock.
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Posted on : 11-03-2010 | By : Jake Adams | In : ReefBuilders
One of the big attractions at this weekend’s ReefStock is the first public viewing of the production level Seashine lights from Stray Light Optical. As we hustle to finalize all the last minute details of ReefStock, we still had time to fire up the final Beta level Seashine light that we are beginning to review. This post is just about throwing light on a wall but for all the nitty gritty details of this light, see our previous coverage. Hit the read link for our raw first impressions of the Seashine lighting up a wall.
First of all, you should never, Ever, NEVER handle a light while it is turned on, especially when the innards recreate the surface of the sun; we are professionally trained bloggers and at least I was wearing an oven mitt, and a fancy one at that. The images were made with the white balance adjusted to a flat white surface while the Seashine was at 100% power intensity. The wall it is lighting up is semi-gloss and a shade between eggshell-white and cream-white. In the image above we are holding the light about 8″ away from the wall at full brightness. The image below is still full intensity but now the pendant is about 20″/50cm from the wall. The neat square projection of light from the Seashine is very different from the uneven spread we are used to from halide pendants.
In this image the light is about 50% intensity and ~10″ from the wall. At this power level the light coloration has definitely shifted to a cool white shade. 
The image below is still 50% intensity and about 20″ from the wall.
At the minimum power level of 20% the Plasma Arc light becomes very blue. It’s not quite the deepest 20,000K radium blue but we would compare it to the color of a well driven 14-15,000K halide lamp. 
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Posted on : 11-03-2010 | By : Ryan Gripp | In : ReefBuilders
It has been so long since we last talked about Seachem’s Salinity salt that we were wondering if it was in fact a mythical product like story time dragons. But after a longer then needed delay Seachem delivered on their promise. Seachem’s Salinity salt was finally spotted in the wild in the hands of a customer. We’re told that the Salinity salt has been shipped to Fish stores involved in the Aqua Vitro line of products program. The biggest thing that we we’re exciting about when we first broke news of the new salt was the easy twist on and off lid that is included with the salt. That lid sets a new standard for salt buckets and other major companies better take notice such as Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals. Reef Builders will have our very own review of Seachem’s Salinity salt so stay tuned.
[via Alex Reef]
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Posted on : 11-03-2010 | By : Ryan Gripp | In : ReefBuilders
Digital Aquatics made a splash in the latest issue of CORAL magazine with the introduction of a new 2 year warranty. This warranty upgrade increases their product support for an additional year from their previous standard 1 year warranty. Overall this is a good move by Digital Aquatics something that we would like to see more from other aquarium product manufacturers. We’re guessing there isn’t anything that the user needs to do, the additional warranty term is just added to the normal warranty expiration date. Hopefully Digital Aquatics will chime in on here about this and what products this covers.
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Posted on : 11-03-2010 | By : Ryan Gripp | In : ReefBuilders
SeaWorld is still thinking about what to do with its most prized animal. The killer whale in question named Tilikum has been taking swimming turns at the public viewing gallery in Orlando even though this isn’t the first time the 12,000lb orca has been tied to a death. “Tilikum’s owners say euthanasia is out of the question. SeaWorld is more heavily invested in orcas than anyone else, owning 26 killer whales. That is more than half the 42 held in captivity around the world, according to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. Orcas are the headline acts at SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio, drawing a combined 12.2 million visitors annually. Tilikum is about twice as big as SeaWorld’s other performing orcas and has sired 13 calves, more than half the number of killer whales born at its parks. Such breeding has become increasingly critical in recent decades as the number of orcas taken from the wild dwindles amid public opposition. Industry watchers estimate a killer whale could fetch as much as $10 million on the open market—if there were any for sale. They say it also takes several years to prepare an orca for live performances, which in some cases include trainers riding atop the mammals.”
via [WSJ]
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