2015 Reef-a-palooza is now over. I can say that I am worn out. It was a lot more then I was expecting over last year. I was a bit perplexed when I first got requests for updates on whats new in the hobby. Last year there wasn't much of a reveal just a super awesome coral swap. I had always thought that the big new product releases were reserved for MACNA. I was surprised to be wrong on this, so I will hold up to my end of the deal and give you as much of an unbiased update as I can. I might be a little excited about a few products that are coming available soon.
I can honestly say I am not sure where to start. I will start with a few quick shots I snapped in the very limited time I had to walk around and explore the vendors. There were some high end vendors showcasing some incredible pieces. There were vendors that had a lot of insane deals, and then there was everything in between. There truly was something for everyone, and I don't think, or at least I hope no one left disappointed.
Hobe Sound Frags Brought out some amazing pieces as always. I am guilty of spending too much money with them, every show they bring out some awesome stuff and great prices. They stepped it up for this show with a unique set up of a zero edge display with big Zoa colonies for sale.
Hobe Sound Frags, close up of a massive Rasta Colony in of their unique Zero Edge displays. Sadly this monster sold very early in the show saturday.
You asked for deals... what started out as $30 a piece for what I would consider mini colonies, or 4 for $100, ended up $10 by the end of sunday if you were lucky enough to get any that were left over. Pacific East Aquaculture brought out some amazing pieces.
It was nice to see the Primes compared side by side to Kessils. These were illuminating some awesome stuff. From Oceans Direct
Sea and Reef had some very awesome clowns for sale displayed in these very unique eye catching displays. In the middle, cardinals.
Is a show ever complete until Jason Fox brings out the show stoppers??
Close up on Jason Fox's Beach Bum Montipora.
The Riley's Reef crew is always very fun group to be around and they bring some awesome deals with them to the shows. Bonus this year they were documenting whatever they could with what appeared to be a full AV crew. They managed to record all the speakers, so that those of you that couldn't attend can still follow along and pickup some tips and pointers. I believe they will be available soon on their youtube channel. Riley's Reef YouTube
Now I believe I can get to the new products. Some are new products that haven't been fully announced or released yet. A few were not new but new to me and it was nice to see them in person
First up, Pro Clear Aquatics
Brought out their full line of up impressive sumps. The sumps are very clean looking and offer a huge variety of standard features and come in at a very reasonable price point for all the budget conscious hobbyists. The Features are very unique and allow these sumps to be very universal to fit a large variety of set ups. The thing that blew my mind and I am the absolute most stoked about their modular drain.
(sorry for the cell phone picture)
This is a drain design that I have been in love with for a while now. Its not a new design. Everyone has their own way they like to do things, and this one has always been one I have liked a lot. Its an absolute dead silent design. You can also switch out the socks very quick and easily without ever having to turn off the pump, or shut the drains off, just pull the dirty ones out, and plop the new ones back in. An added benefit is the air bubbles are kept out of the socks so they don't clog as fast as they would if the drains went strait into them. You are also removing all that added pressure and force from the returning water which will add longevity to your socks. WIN, WIN.
Thats not the best part. Their drain design on some modules is modular. Meaning, its not permanent and you can move if around the sump depending on your configuration needs. The best part is that they will be offering just the stand alone modular drain by itself. This has me, as a DIYer absolutely stoked. They will be offering them with a standard acrylic thickness bracket and a standard size for those of use that like to use glass tanks with the black plastic trim. Pick up a 40g breeder. Grab one of these incredible drains and you have the beginnings to a super awesome affordable DIY sump. I am more excited about this then I should probably tell you. I can not wait to try one of these out.
mounted in the standard position...
and here it is mounted on the side.
Next product I came across isn't a new one. I was told it was introduced last year at MACNA.
Brushless DC pumps by DeepWater. If I had read about these online I would have been impressed by the number and the stats, yes. Seeing on in person was a whole different eye opening experience. It has me thinking about upgrading my pump situation years before I would have. I will let you read the description and save myself from repeating information. These pumps were dead silent. The quality of the these units and their controller is far superior to most of the pumps on the market. The Representative compared them to Red Dragon pumps, but with a much lower price point. Aluminum control housings to act as a heatsink and keep the electronics cool. Run protection that will shut the pump down if it detects too many air bubbles or lack of water to prevent the pump from burning itself up. They had a 13' tube they were pumping water up as a display and the flow rate was impressive at 13'.
Another not new product, but this time someone has put a new twist on the product.
Building an Obsession unveiled a new lens tube for underwater photography. Like I said, this is not a new product, there is another on the market already, but this one is a revamp of that design. Other designs require the use of thumb screws to attach the tube to the lens. Ben Su from Building an Obsession didn't feel comfortable screwing something down onto a very expensive macro lens. Nor do I and I'm sure a few other serious photo buffs. Ben's design allows the tube to be attached where a camera is supposed to be attached, at the tripod mount. There are two separate module. Your standard model which will fit a very large majority of cameras and lenses on the market. Then there is what I will call the "Pro" model. The Pro model features spacers and adapters and allows the tube to slide to fit cameras running a second grip/battery pack, and a larger majority of lenses. I was desperate to try one of these units out, but unfortunately they sold old very early in the beginning of the show. As soon as mine arrives at the house, I will give you some test shots and a full run down on the product.
The next new product, that I am absolutely smitten for, is the new Kessil A700. (disclaimer... I might be a bit of a kessil fan boy, sorry)
At first glance, you don't notice this light. You just walk past it. Took me a few passes to realize what was going on. I stopped. Puzzled. Thought to myself I am in the kessil booth. what is this Black macbook doing hanging over this tank with so much light. Blinding light. The New A700 utilizes the next evolution of Kessils's "Dense Matrix LED" really steps up the game over the a360. Don't get me wrong, the a360 was an incredible light. The A700 has a completely redesigned optic design with incredible spread and penetration. The light is designed to cover a 48" x 24" tank. I brought up the question that has been plaguing me, what about cross braces.. The rep and myself held our arms over the tank, simulating a cross brace in various positions. Nothing. No shadowing, very very little dimming. I was impressed. The optics were designed with so much spread that they over lap allowing the lights to make up for any cross braces you may have holding your tank together. The light isn't scheduled for release for a few months. Picking the reps brain he tells me they haven't found a tank deep enough to push the limits of the penetration of this light. I would love to put his money where his mouth is and try this over my 30" tall 265g. One of these new A700s is more then enough light for a 75g, or 120g deep tank as you will see in the picture. The light is plug and play ready. Secure Wifi enabled, so not everyone can see your light on the network and decided to play tricks on you. It is fully programmable, dimming, ramping, timers etc etc. Even comes equipped with all the fancy storm modes and such. The app is insanely intuitive and the light is super responsive to inputs. As well as the app control the light does maintain very simple sleek buttons for control up close. Another awesome feature of this light is that it is user serviceable. The upper acrylic panel is very easy to unscrew and remove and was designed for easy access to cleaning out the massive heatsink keeping this monster cool. If you are so inclined and looking for something unique the acrylic cover can be easily engraved. I am absolutely dying to try one of these lights out and see some par numbers. I will try and stay updated and pass the information along as I receive it.
MEcoral had introduced us to his new product Bug-off. I missed the full rundown on this product as I was busy with the show, but from what I gathered, it is as strong as Bayer, but without the mess and is more gentle on the corals.
I got a chance to chat with Scott Fellman from Unique Corals. What an awesome guy. I have been on the fence, (mostly leaning towards) about jumping on the triton bandwagon. It was very interesting to pick Scott's brain about the process. He isn't claiming that it is the end all be all method. Its not some new snake oil or mystery science. As Scott put it, Triton is doing the same thing we have all been trying to do with our aquariums, its just takes it down to the very basic level. Unique corals is still learning just as we all are. It is a very exciting time to be in the hobby right now with all the new things we are learning and making great progress with. I was lucky enough to win an Instagram contest for a Triton water test, so that will be my kick in the pants to get started. As if it was a sign from some sort of coral god, I won a full set of the Triton elements in the Reef-a-palooza raffle. I am very excited to get started on this and see how far this process can take me.
I think that about wraps up the interesting and exciting things I encountered during the show. Unfortunately I missed a lot of stuff. I had a very brief encounter with the Tanked crew, and missed most of the speakers. I just want to give a big huge shout out to World Wide Corals for helping get this event going. Florida Reef Aquarium Group (F.R.A.G) and Orlando Reef Caretakers Association (O.R.C.A) for providing the volunteer man power that wen into making sure this show went smoothly. Huge Thanks to all of the sponsors and vendors who helped make RAP Orlando v.2.0 and incredible show and probably a record breaker. All vendors were running Two little fishes Accura-sea salt water donated by Julian Sprung. I am sure I am missing a lot of people and companies that I would love to give a personal thank you to.
Please if you have not already done so, make sure you get over to PIJAC, read up on the latest news, donate, get educated, and get involved. Our hobby is actually in serious jeopardy from government regulation. PIJAC is in our corner with the gloves on helping to make sure our voice is heard.
I am not a professional blogger. I think this might be my first blog post ever on record. I am very passionate about his hobby and have a personal belief that information is the key to this hobby being successful. I was asked for updates on the new stuff coming into our wet little world, so I tried to fulfill that request. I apologize if any information is biased. I tried to keep an unbiased opinion and pass on information for the rest of you to use to your discretion. No sponsor or vendor had any part in any of my review and all opinions are of my own and not those of Reef-a-Palooza and its associated vendors and sponsors. I look forward to providing a large update after MACNA D.C. this year and hopefully can provide everyone with some hands on reviews of some products.
