We’ve had our Kessil 150w LED Pendant over our store display Nano-Cube 28 for a couple weeks now.  The response from customers has been tremendous!  These are great little lights with an incredible price (reg. $299).  Now we are going to use that momentum to lower the price even further…as low as $265 each!

We will run this pre-order group buy until the end of the month (March 31st).  Here’s the deal:

Optional Gooseneck Mount $39.99

• If we sell 20, the price drops to $289 each.
• If we sell 30, the price drops to $279 each.
• If we sell 40 or more, the price drops to $265 each!

Buy them now $265 each!  Only until March 31st!

Discount shows when added to cart.  Free shipping included!  Units are expected to ship in the first week of April.  Local customers may pre-pay in-store.

Available in 6,700K, 10,000K,  15,000K, and ~450nm color spectrums!

See it in action:

With its innovative design and high quality, radiant light, Kessil presents the A150W LED aquarium light. Using Dense Matrix LED technology to emulate a point-like source, A150W provides the shimmery effects of a metal halide without its excess power consumption and heat. Bring out the beauty of blue water and vivid colors of coral with the specially created spectrums of A150W.PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS Illuminator Power Consumption 32 Watt Maximum Input Voltage 24 VDC ± 5% Listed Power Supply Input 100-240 VAC 50-60 Hz Output 24 VDC, Maxiumum 2.1A, 50 Watts

Product Series

Actinic Special Blend The DEEP OCEAN BLUE model’s special blend of wavelengths emulates an actinic light for a deep blue color that brings water to life. 15000K*  Special  Blend This unique mix of wavelengths closely resembles a 15000 K light, creating a visually stunning effect for water and coral in your aquarium. 10000K*  Special  Blend The SKY BLUE model’s distinctive spectrum emits light similar to a 10000 K light, emitting a natural looking light while providing coral with optimized wavelengths. 6700K*  Special  Blend Bring the power of the sun to your freshwater tank. This model is a true 6,700 K light that promotes lush plants and vibrant aquascapes. *Color temperature for reference only, and is not a direct measurement of CCT.

Buy Now for $265 each!

So you’re thinking about making the jump to saltwater?  Great!  The amount of diversity, relationships between species, personalities of fishes, and the COLORS are what this hobby is all about!  A reef aquarium is something you’re not likely to become bored with…there’s always something new to see.

Let’s start with dispelling some myths and answering some frequently asked questions:

Aren’t saltwater aquariums a lot of work?

Nope!  A typical reef aquarium requires less than an hour per week.  A reef aquarium is about creating a complete ecosystem, including organisms that eat algae and recycle wastes.  This means no gravel cleaning, and no scrubbing of rocks or ornaments.  Most people find that they enjoy working on their reef tank!

Aren’t saltwater aquariums expensive?

Clarki Clownfish with Rose Bubble-Tip Anemone. This pair could be the centerpiece in a relatively inexpensive nano-reef.

They don’t need to be.  Cost is directly related to size.  Some literature on the hobby suggests buying the biggest aquarium you can afford…this would be a mistake.  Many times we see people following this advice, and then not being able to afford the proper equipment and supplies to keep everything healthy.  If cost is a concern, start small.  It is possible to create a healthy nano reef with a few colorful fish and corals in the 20-30 gallon range for less than $500.

The Basics of Reef Aquaria

One of the cool things about the hobby is that there is always something new to learn, but you don’t need to know a lot to be successful!  Jump in and get your feet wet with the basics.

Live Rock

The term may sound strange, but live rock is the most important part or a reef aquarium.  Live rock is essentially old coral skeletons that have been colonized by many new organisms that help recycle wastes.  Live rock is your biological filter.  There is no need for bio-balls, bio-wheels, ceramic media or any other forms of biological filtration.  In addition to its essential function as a filter, you will notice many invertebrates grow from live rock over time.  Feather-duster worms, crabs, and corals are very common “hitchhikers”.

Water Movement

Water needs to circulate very well in a reef tank.  It is essential for oxygenation or gas exchange, filtration, delivering foods to corals and invertebrates, and so much more.  One of the best ways to provide water movement is with a propeller pump.  These are similar to traditional powerheads, but they move greater volumes of water at slower speeds; similar to ocean currents.

Lighting

Most corals available for the home aquarium are photosynthetic.  This means that they are dependent on the light you provide them with for the majority of their energy, and ultimately their survival.  Different species have certain lighting requirements, so your lighting will determine what corals you will be able to grow.  For the most cost-effective lighting options, look at T5 high-output fixtures.

Water Changes

Over time, toxic compounds build up in your aquarium water, and desirable compounds are depleted.  By changing a portion of your water on a regular basis (about 20% every 2-4 weeks), you can keep the toxic compounds diluted to safe levels, and the desirable compounds available to your reef animals.

Recommended Livestock

Just a small sample of fish and inverts we recommend for beginners.  These animals are durable, comfortable in small aquariums, and generally peaceful with other species.

Ocellaris clownfish. Active and friendly. Grows to 3.5", approx price $25	Green Chromis. Peacefull, schooling fish. Grows to 3", approx price $7.	Colorful and hardy, but may be aggressive towards other fish. Grows to 2.5", approx price $7.
Yellow Clown Goby. Very peaceful and appropriate for very small tanks. Grows to 1.5", approx price $13.	Flame Angelfish. Requires 30 gallons or larger. Grows to 4", approx price $90.	Royal Gramma. Loves to spend time in caves and under overhangs. Grows to 3", approx price $30.
Bubble Coral. An large-polyp stony coral that needs to feed on large food items.	Open-Brain Coral. Impressive feeding response as feeding tentacles emerge and draw meaty food items into a central mouth.	Fast-growing and extremely durable soft coral. Easily one of the best beginner corals.
Torch Coral. Closely resembles an anemone, but has a hard skeletal base.	Zoas/Palys. Coral polyps that live together in mats. Huge number of color variations.	Another brain coral known as "lobo" for short. Hardy and available in many color combinations.

This article is a primer for our free Beginner’s Reef Workshop on Wednesday, May 25th.  Please register here. The workshop will include  step-by-step demonstrations,  informational handouts, and more.  Snacks and beverages will be provided.  As always, we are here for all your questions!  It’s really not that hard though…so join the fun and JUMP IN!

ZEOvit.com has announced the new Dream Tank of the Quarter with Emmanuel Pourol’s (loripes) stunning SPS display using the ZEOvit system.

A combination of T5 fluorescent lighting, strong protein skimming and the ZEOvit methodology was used to achieve stunning colors in his Small Polyp Stony Collection.

So what are these little blue bottles with interesting names like Jod Complex, Phol’s Xtra and Sponge Power all about?  The ZEOvit method is a pro-biotic system used to create Ultra Low Nutrient Systems (ULNS) in our reef aquariums. Additions of active bacteria (ZEObak), a carbon source or Bacteria food (ZEOfood 7) coupled with a substrate (Zeolite) grow bacteria cultures resulting in nitrates and phosphates almost completely disappearing.

SPS are very sensitive, and the reef aquarium they rarely like to show their real colors.  Water flow, light intensity, spectrum and consistent water parameters affect SPS coloration.  If any of these aspects are neglected, SPS will start to grow more Zooxanthellae; an algae food source that grows within the corals tissue.  Typically, any coral with an excess of Zooxanthellae will appear brown or green.  The ZEOvit system reduces nitrates and phosphates to the point where Zooxanthellae will began to starve, dissipate and allow true coloration to appear.

Coloration can further be influenced by the addition of trace elements for example Iodide (Jod Complex), amino acids, and coral foods including Sponge Power and Coral Vitalizer.  ZEOvit includes an entire line of trace elements, amino acids and coral foods.

For further reading, check out the ZEOvit manual, and the ZEOvit forum.

Nano reefs are a great thing.   They have made keeping reef aquariums accessible to almost everyone, no matter what their income.  However, with such a small volume of water, equipment failures can be catastrophic.

Even the best aquarium heaters are prone to sticking on or off.  In a nano reef, it doesn’t take long for a heater stuck on to wipe out the entire tank.  A temperature controller works by cutting the power to your heater when your tank temperature exceeds your set point.  More advanced aquarium controllers can sound alarms, email you, and shut down your lights to prevent over-heating.

The most inexpensive aquarium controller is the ReefKeeper Lite, which we sell for $125.  This is a video demonstration on how to quickly and easily setup the ReefKeeper as a temperature controller.

You couldn’t possibly fit more corals into your tank.  Practically every inch of your tank is covered with thriving corals, your fish are happy and healthy.  The tank looks great…but you are bored.  We’ve been there.  This is a hobby, after all, and sometimes it can get to the point where you’re not as involved with it as you would like to be.  Here’s some suggestions to keep things interesting.

Start a frag tank

So you’re a successful reefer and your tank is full of healthy corals.  Awesome!  But once corals start growing into each other, you’re going to have to do something about it.  Selling and trading frags is a great way to expand your coral collection and help fund your tank and future upgrades.  The easiest way set up a frag tank is to plumb it in to your existing system.  As long as you can place the tank in the same area as your main tank, it should be no problem for both tanks to share the same sump.

Re-aquascape

Are you completely satisfied with your aquascape?  I think most of us are not.  It seems like there are always things you can do to make your ‘scape more appealing.  Arches, caves, and ledges can add interest.  Shifting rock formations can add more depth.  Maybe you want to get that rock pile off the back glass to improve water flow?  Moving corals around and regrouping them can create better color harmony.  It’s not just about what corals you have in your tank, it’s also about where they are placed in relation to each other.

Experiment with lighting

The Coralife Aqualight Pro was cool back in it’s day.  Sadly (or maybe fortunately), those days are over.  Metal halide sales have sharply declined since the introduction of modern T5 and LED lighting…and for good reason!  Metal halides are horribly inefficient.  Much of the energy consumption you see on your power bill is wasted in the form of heat.  This heat gets transferred to your aquarium.  Then you use a chiller to remove the heat from your aquarium and pump it back into the room…which heats the aquarium.  It would be hard for this cycle to be any less efficient.  T5 and LED lighting saves you money in electricity, allows more flexibility in color composition, and frequently eliminates the need for a chiller.

LED lighting is the latest and greatest technology in our hobby.  The day is finally here when you can replace your metal halides with confidence.  Perhaps the biggest benefit of LED is the exceptionally long life.  Most manufacturers rate their bulbs for 50,000 hours…this is about 10 years of use!  The better fixtures on the market feature control options that fully simulate the sun, moon, and even weather.  Most will allow you to customize the overall light color by dimming 2-3 colors of LEDs.  If you haven’t seen the effect of high intensity blue LEDs on coral coloration, check out our display tank one night.  LEDs blow traditional actinic lighting out of the water.

High-output T5 lighting has been established a bit longer, but is still at the forefront of modern reef-keeping.  Many tanks featured on ReefKeeping magazine’s tank of the month utilize high-end T5 lighting.  With different bulb spectrums available, you can find your ideal combination of growth and color by mixing bulbs.  There is also something special about the effect of T5 lighting on SPS coloration.  By more fully illuminating coral tissue, SPS corals tend to take on a more even, “pastel” coloration.

Start a nano or pico tank

Small tanks have become a revolution in our hobby.  20 years ago, some people would think you were crazy for trying to keep a tank smaller than 90 gallons.  Not so anymore!  With the rise of LED lighting to minimize heat issues in small water volumes, nanos are more popular than ever.  A smaller tank allows you to have an entirely different style, aquascape, and livestock collection.  Many fascinating inverts you may never get to see in your larger tank are perfect for a nano.

If you already have a larger display, starting and maintaining a nano or pico tank couldn’t be easier.  You might even be able to use rock, corals, and sand from your existing system.  Water changes can be done using waste water from your main display (assuming the water quality is up to par).

If all else fails…get a bigger tank!

There are wind warnings in effect for Vancouver Island and much of the coast of BC, with gusts up to 100km/h.  With these kinds of conditions it’s likely some of us will lose power.

The immediate concerns for your fish and corals during a power outage are heat and aeration. If you haven’t invested in back-up batteries or generators, here’s what you can do:

Heat

• Jot down your current tank temperature. You can use this to find out how quickly your tank is losing temperature.
• Wrap the tank in blankets or newspaper to preserve as much heat as possible. It may be a good idea to assume the worst and do this immediately after losing power.
• Find a plastic container that can be sealed (pop bottles work fine).  Fill the container with hot water and place this in the tank.  Monitor the tank temperature carefully. You can get hot water from the tap, as electric water heaters will retain heat for hours after losing power.  Other sources for hot water can be a camp-stove or outdoor BBQ.

Air

• A battery operated airpump and a big supply of batteries is ideal.  Many shops sell these, including us.  We keep a stash of them specifically for our customers on days like this.
• Using a pitcher or large bowl, scoop up water from the tank and pour it back in from height.  Generally the higher, the better, but be careful not to disturb your sandbed.  Repeat this many times and at frequent intervals.  There is no way to say how often you should do this, as every tank is different. Fish gasping at the surface is most definitely a warning sign of dangerously low oxygen levels.

Other concerns

• Cleaning you skimmer cup will ensure that any over-activation when power returns does not dump skimmate back into your tank.
• Canister filters should be cleaned out if the power is off for more than a couple hours.  When power returns, the canister filter can dump water full of waste back into your tank. Longer periods of time will encourage bacteria that produce toxic hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell).
• Do not feed your fish or corals during a power outage.  Most fish can survive several days or more without food.  Any foods you add during a power outage are going to contribute to toxic ammonia buildup in your water.

Check out Eric Michael’s guide to feeding finicky eaters.  This is a must-read for those of us who attempt difficult fish species with a reputation of denying food.  Eric points out that many of these fish simply are not used to eating foods floating in the water.  Consider spreading food pastes on rocks and inside snail shells!  Check out the article over on Glassbox-Design.

It’s easy to neglect changing activated carbon in a reef tank.   Many reef keepers don’t use activated carbon at all.  However, when activated carbon is used properly, it can yield some impressive results:

1.       Clarify your water. It’s sometimes difficult to tell if you have a water clarity problem.  Use a high quality activated carbon for a while, and you will notice the results.  Activated carbon removes yellowing compounds that hamper light and distort colors.

2.       Brighten your Corals. A side effect of the crystal clear water carbon provides is improved light penetration, leading to brighter, more colourful corals.  A note of caution though…more is not always better, inappropriately large amounts of carbon can lead to lightening of corals especially in SPS and LPS corals.  Sudden increases in water clarity can stress corals because of the increased light penetration.

3.       Reduce chemical warfare. Soft corals including leathers and zoanthids can negatively impact other reef inhabitants even without touching them.  Excretion of toxins from these favourites can stunt the growth and color of other organisms.  Activated carbon can help eliminate this problem.

Activated carbon is basically all the same right? Well not really.  I have personally tried the majority of media and resins including Marineland, Kent and Seachem.   I found them to be overly aggressive and to the detriment of my stony coral reef (tip burn, RTN and pale light colors).  Bituminous coal is typically the only ingredient.

I have had great success with Zeovit Aktivkohle made by Korallen-zucht, and Brightwell Aquatics Carbonit-p.  Both manufacturers are leaders in pro-biotic methodologies, and understand the need for properly refined media..   Carbonit-p, for example, uses coal in combination with wood and coconut shell to produce a more gentle effect.  ¾ cup in a mesh bag placed in your sump ( kneed occasion to stop channelling) ½ cup if using a fluidised reactor or canister filter should treat 50 gallons of water for 4 weeks with an average bio-load.