We were recently given an alkalinity test kit from Tropic Marin for a product review, and we were very pleased with the kit’s quality and ease of use. To use the test kit, simply rinse the vial, fill it with 5 milliliters of aquarium water, and add the reagent drop by drop (shaking the solution between drops) until the color changes from green to a bright orange. It really is that simple. Each drop required for the titration equals one dKH (degrees of carbonate hardness). If you want greater resolution, double the water volume to 10 mL and each drop will then equal one half dKH.

To see the process of the test’s color change, continue reading below.

After the first couple of drops from the solution bottle, your test should be green (see image below).

Solution's Initial Green Color

After several more drops, you should see a color change from green to orange-red. This color change indicates the titration is complete. The number of drops required to change the solution from green to orange is equal to the degrees of carbonate hardness (dKH).

Solution Coloration Once Test is Complete

Again, the test kit was extremely easy to use and the results are comparable to what we’ve found with other test kits. The color change on the Tropic Marin test, unlike the color change of other test kits, is extremely dramatic. It takes all of the guess work out of the test, giving you a solid number instead of a “well it could be this, or it could be that” result. On top of all that, this test kit was about $3-4 cheaper than its competitors.

Our Verdict:
Highly recommended

Seeing as how the weather is so beautiful here, I decided to pry myself away from the computer and get out. My wife and I had to go to a birthday party, but after that we just wondered around. We stopped in one of the major book retailers and had a little coffee as we prepared to thumb through magazines. My wife grabbed her usual stack while I tried to hunt down the fish mags. I searched all over and came up empty. Even the pet section was completely devoid of any fish magazines. The store had a several different dog and cat magazines, some equestrian magazines, and even a hummingbird hobbyist magazine. They had a magazine for hummingbirds, but not a single one covering the aquarium hobby? I realize the economic downturn last year put a few magazines out of print, but there are still a few that survived. Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Fish International, two of the largest print sources covering the aquarium industry, were also completely lacking from the store shelves. So where did they all go? Did the book mega-retailers drop them?

Melev's Reef-A-Thon

How many times has a fellow hobbyist helped you out, asking for nothing in return other than friendship and the ability to share more with you? Well, we have a fellow aquarist in need, and this individual has probably helped each and every one of us in one way or another. Earlier this month, the very mature reef tank of Marc Levenson (aka Melev) started leaking. His gorgeous 280-gallon reef had to come down, as the seam and any repairs made to it wouldn’t last long-term. Marc is currently planning his replacement aquarium, and it looks like he’s going to get some help from all those whom he has helped. A Reef Addicts member recently posted an article asking for members of the aquarium community to help support Marc’s upgrade by donating to a “New Tank Fund”, or by purchasing an item from Melev’s Reef Shop. Normally I don’t promote or support these types of donations, but Marc is an extraordinarily nice guy who has helped my local aquarium community multiple times and I will do what I can to repay the favors.

If you too would like to help Marc, please visit Melev’s Reef-A-Thon for more information.

Above is a video of the Xaqua X-Inout from Fins Reef that we introduced yesterday. The video displays two of the wavemaker’s creating a nice wave action in an SPS dominated reef. Though the video doesn’t show it, the wave action is effective all the way to the bottom of the aquarium. Other footage covering Interzoo 2010 shows the corals near the bottom of the aquarium pulsing back and forth in the current created Xaqua X-Inout. This device could help eliminate the need for extra pumps to create waves in a reef tank, thereby reducing the amount of energy your aquarium requires. The Xaqua X-Inout is currently available to reef keepers in the US, to the tune of $180.

EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40wES

We were finally able to get our hands on the EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40w with the new EcoSmart controller, and we must say we are impressed. The propeller assembly (both wet and dry sides of the pump) seems to be unchanged, but the big change comes in the form of the pump controller. The new EcoSmart driver features improved wireless range, an on/off button, wave auto-tune mode, two new flow modes (Nutrient Transport Mode and Tidal Swell Mode), improved feed and night modes, a battery backup power meter, and an improved casing. See below for more pictures and pricing information.

EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40w with Ecosmart

Here’s a breakdown of the prices for the new VorTechs and the EcoSmart drivers:

• VorTech MP10 ES – $219.99
• VorTech MP10wES – $264.99
• VorTech MP40wES – $444.99

EcoTech Marine VorTech MP40w Ecosmart

VorTech MP40w Ecosmart Specifications

Ecoxotic PAR 38 LED

Our good friends, and AquaNerd sponsor, Ecoxotic are releasing a new LED lamp, their very own PAR38 lamp. This new screw-in lamp will fit into any standard E26/E27 sockets and will feature five high powered Cree LED bulbs and lenses, as well as an integrated ballast. Additionally, these lamps will come in two varieties, 12K white and 455nm Royal Blue. The 12K white lamp will have three white bulbs and two 455nm bulbs to give a very balanced light color. The 455nm PAR38 will ideally be used as actinic supplementation or for those aquarium keepers who really like the blue look. Each lamp will use 21watts of energy, transferring little to no heat to your aquarium, while still delivering a lot of light output and the highly sought after “shimmer effect” traditionally seen with metal halides. The retail prices for these lamps will be just under $120. See more product information and pictures below.

Ecoxotic PAR38 LED Lamp

Here’s a little more information from Ecoxotic:

There’s nothing like adding cool lighting effects to your aquarium, and now you can do by adding far less to your electric bill. These powerful spotlights not only focus light energy, they will bring out colors and produce ripples you’ve never seen before.

Each lamp features 5 high power Cree LEDs with focusing lenses, allowing light to penetrate deeper in depth while producing stunning color and shimmer effects. Now you can deliver light into your aquarium only where needed, reducing wasted light and lowering your energy costs.

Ecoxotic 12K PAR38 LED

Ecoxotic 455nm PAR38 LED Lamp

To see more Ecoxotic products, check out our product reviews on the Panorama LED Module and the Stunner Strips.

Interzoo, the largest pet expo in the world, officially starts today! This year’s event, which is the 31st annual Interzoo, will be held in Nurnburg, Germany for the next three days. The event will be a gathering place for experts from all across the pet industry, including experts in aquariums, terrariums, horses, cats and dogs, insects, and everything under the sun. Germany is, what many consider, the leader in aquarium tech and this event is sure to not disappoint the aquatic enthusiast. We can’t attend the event, but we will do our best to get some product news to you…including updates on the Tunze Masterstream pumps and the new Red Sea Max 500.

Direct Aquarium

We would like to proudly announce our newest sponsor to the AquaNerd Blog, Direct Aquarium. Direct Aquarium offers both freshwater and saltwater aquarium equipment, as well as pond equipment, so they can pretty much cover all of your aquatic needs.

Frag Tank with Sublaze

Wow, I’ve had such a busy weekend. I ordered a bunch of stuff from Premium Aquatics last week and they finally arrived on Friday. So, I cracked those boxes open and assembled my new Sunlight Supply Sunblaze 48 T5HO light fixture. This is the light that will go over the Frag Tank I’m currently in the middle of building. In addition to the new light, several other items came in, including the new Hydor Koralia Evolution pump. It’s not for me unfortunately, as several of my local hobbyist went in on a group buy with me, but I was allowed to tinker with the pump and see what all of the new features are (more on this later!). To wrap the weekend up, I attended the MARSH Frag Swap/Picnic and hung the new light over the frag tank. We’ll have plenty more information on all of these things, but the weekend has me to exhausted to go into too much detail at the moment. We’ll update you throughout the week.

Hydor Korala Evolution

Frag Tank and Stand

I had a very busy weekend and started setting up a new frag tank. The aquarium is 48″L x 24″D x 16″T, for a total of about 80 gallons. A friend built the aquarium out of acrylic and added an external overflow box, which is really nice for those of you who haven’t had one, as well as a eurobrace. After having the aquarium sit in a spare bedroom for about two weeks, I finally started building the stand. I didn’t intend to finish out the project, but I got into a groove and wound up getting the stand completely finished, paint and all. I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do equipment-wise for this setup, but I’ve already got a Tunze 6105 powerhead, a Mag 9.5 return pump, Euro Reef RS250 protein skimmer, and either a GEO 618 or Deltec PF601 calcium reactor on standby. Most of that equipment is overkill for a setup this small, but it’s all that I had left over from a previous aquarium breakdown. More pictures available below.