There is a lot of buzz circulating among one of the industry’s brightest companies, EcoTech Marine. Two things in particular have brought them into the spotlight more than usual: 1) Their sponsored flow study (and resulting underperformance under the testing criteria by main competitor Tunze) and 2) Their to be released Radion LED light… I’ll give my thoughts on the Radion in another article (post-MACNA) when I can comment on its appearance.

With everything appearing to go swimmingly I was pretty stunned when looking into Orbital’s patent re-examinations today, I came across a very recent re-exam request for EcoTech’s patented “Bracketless Magnetic Pump” — more commonly known as their Vortech line of aquarium pumps. And by recent, I mean August 26, 2011 recent.

In reality, the story is not as big of a deal as a patent re-examination may sound. What is most revealing is how the aquarium industry has begun to protect and challenge intellectual property. This is no longer just KZ’s cone skimmer war, but has spread across subsets of the aquarium market.

Back to the re-exam. The request was filed by Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP of Houston, Texas. In the manner that it was filed we don’t know who F&J was acting on behalf of, but my non-attorney opinion is that EcoTech will need to take this seriously.

It appears that EcoTech has not immediately responded to re-exam request which gives the aquarium stalwarts 90 days to get their defense in line. My understanding of this is, if EcoTech comes out with a solid defense against the request filed, the re-exam is dead. If not, the formal re-exam process “begins”.

The re-examination request pulls a bunch of patents one of which I previously never paid much attention to, despite the fact that it incorporates the magnetic coupling idea that is well… what makes a Vortech… a Vortech. Specifically, I am talking about Anthony J. Allis’s 2004 patent, apparently owned by Mag-Life, which was filed 5 months prior to EcoTech’s filing. The Allis patent describes a magnetically coupled aquarium motor as integrated in its filter system. You can read the full Allis patent here.

In Claim 1, the re-examination argues that the Allis patent “meets every recited feature” of EcoTech’s. Below is a screen grab of the comparison that the filed re-examination makes between the Allis patent and EcoTech’s. If EcoTech defends this well it is a non event. If they do not, it could alter the aquarium pump marketplace.

When I asked Tim Marks, President of EcoTech Marine, on his thoughts of the re-examination he responded with the fact that the evidence presented in the request was already considered by the USPTO. When looking at the references cited and looked at by the patent examiner, it’s true. See the very first one:

Hopefully the USPTO will still feel the same. Can you imagine a Coralife  made, Vortech-style pump? No thanks.

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After a few years of work the Elos Evision controller and accessories are ready for the limelight. The high gloss Elos Evision control center offers a color touch screen in a rectangular form factor.

For the Evision, Elos has taken a modular approach with offerings which include:

• Clima – Evision temperature module
• Tempo – Evision timer module
• LED dimmer – Evision dimmer for Elos LED compatible luminaires
• ORP – Evision ORP monitor and control
• pH – Evision pH monitor

Elos has also put some effort into developing a web interface. Check out this video as Nic, in Singapore for Aquarama, observes the office aquarium, in Italy, via remote video… and changes the colors of the aquarium’s Elite XP through an internet connection.

On paper the initial Elos Evision controller offering looks quite solid and is a significant advancement from the previous Biotopus II. Then comes practicality and of course cost. Whisper numbers suggest the control center will be near the $400 to $500 USD, which will certainly not be helped by the plunging dollar.

I’m admittedly not a huge fan of the aesthetics of this product (a personal first for an Elos range?)–but I am curious to see how Elos packages and bundles the complete offering as each module is quite large. We’ll see… as always Elos is never one to ignore looks and its understood they have a few more tricks up their sleeves. And remember, LED dimming is always a large question mark / elephant in the room, thanks to Orbitec’s award winning product patent.

[h/t LSS]

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If there is one aquarium company that has embraced the simplicity of a “glassbox”, it is Aqua Design Amano. Commonly referred to as ADA, their cube gardens feature beveled, high clarity glass and minimally visible adhesive, making them some of the most attractive aquariums in the world. The Cube Garden Superior takes that all to the next level.

Using heat resistant glass and molded into shape, the Cube Garden Superior features 100% high clarity glass construction. There is no silicone used on this glass box. Each aquarium is melded into a unique work of art.

Takashi Amano himself says,

“It was produced on a different concept from the conventional aquarium. It was made of special German heat resistant glass, and its construction was totally different. Instead of connecting glass plates with silicone, it was made as one piece like a sphere. I thought it would be necessary to propose that an aquarium can be a work of art like that. I suppose that I did not think of it as a business much because of that mind-set.”

The first ADA aquarium featuring this construction was featured in their ’95 catalog– selling for ¥250,000 for the 60cm aquarium. Such a high price tag remains today on these made-to-order aquarium.

A 4″ Cube Garden Superior cube starts at $400 USD with prices quickly rising. The 24″ x 12″ x 14″ 60-P fetches a price of $3,200.

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JNS Alpha 2 BioPellet Reactor in action

JNS has literally put a new spin on the BioPellet reactor. As every manufacturer does their best to standout from the crowd, JNS has opted to swirl water in a circular motion within the reactor to create a vortex like flow pattern. The result is a tornado of biopellets.

Is this going to perform noticeably better than a traditional reverse flow fluidized design? Likely not. But the reactor appears well designed and incorporates plenty of thick black acrylic in traditional JNS style. What we like best is the paired Sicce Syncra pump that mounts underneath the reactor for a very small footprint.

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Tunze (pronounced toon-zah) will be adding the largest model yet to its well received nanostream line of aquarium pumps: the Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6095. Targeted at the increasing number of aquarists who are utilizing aquarium depth (front to back), rather than width (side to side) to create their masterpiece, the new Toonsie Tunze design is said to have a 75% larger output diameter for broader flow patterns. Our friends at Advanced Aquarist have learned the 6095 Nano will effectively cover a 4′x2.5′ area.

The Tunze 6095 Nanostream shares many stats [including dimensions] with the 6055, but has received a 4,500 l/h bump in performance. The 6095 Nanostream is capable of moving 10,000 l/h (2,640 gph) at just ~20w of electrical consumption. The new design, coupled with last year’s improved vibration / noise dampening C-clamps, will surely be a popular item… just expect some wait time. Recent talks puts the 6095 on a fall release and a sub $300 price tag.

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Without a doubt, My Reef Creations ‘MRC’ is best known for their acrylic work. Some may also be aware of their Polypropylene sumps, but few have ever seen their HDPE models. Here’s a first look.

The benefit of HDPE is that it’s tough stuff. Chemically, it is ozone and UV safe, while physically it can be placed outside if need be.

The sump shown here was made for the Omaha Zoo for a special jellyfish display. This beast measures in at 48x36x30″ and is constructed out of 3/4″ HDPE. Packed inside are eight 7″ 200 micron filter sock. Up top are acrylic lids to reduce noise, keep any heat inside and allowing easy access.

Note the emergency overflow slots above the filter socks. Should they become clogged (murphy’s law dictates they will), rather than having a mess on your floor, the water safely moves on to the next sump chamber. A simple, but commonly overlooked feature in many DIY and commercial designs.

HDPE maybe overkill for most household set ups, but if you’re looking for a sump in nearing this size, it’s something to consider.

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Not to be out done by Hanna’s popular line of Checker photometers, Milwaukee Instruments has come out with their own line of hand held, digital PO4 kit. The MW-12 Phosphate meter has a range of 0 – 2.50 ppm with a resolution of .01 ppm. Milwaukee states accuracy levels as ±0.04 ppm ±4% of reading @ 25 °C.

Milawaukee’s MW-12 Phosphate (PO4) photometer comes with a pricetage of $45–Five bucks less than what you typically find the Hanna Checker for. Let the battles begin.

[milwaukee]

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The long awaited revamp to the Royal Exclusiv Red Dragon DC pump is here. Shown in these photos is the new RD2 DC Classic 75w model. A larger 230w model is said to be available next month. The 75w model pushes 800 to 8,000 l/h (200 – 2,000 gph) with 4.2m max head.

We’ve yet to see any watt to gph numbers, but if this pump is as quiet, efficient and long lived as they say, it may be the one return pump that can be used during your entire aquarium career–regardless of the upgrade insanity we all suffer from.

The RD2 DC classic pumps feature PVC unions for easy plumbing, tough to break 12mm axels, and “titanium coated” Neodymium (NdFeB) magnets. Royal Exclusiv has also revamped their controller in a powdercoated fixture that is said to be able to handle a splash or two of water. Full description, translated from German is included below. No word on MSRP or when these will begin hitting retailer shelves.

• Pump heads equipped with standard PVC fittings
• Inclusive parable rubber buffer from 30 Shore soft natural rubber
• Pump head can be turned on three sides
• Adjustable 800-8000 Litres Max. 4.2 meters Webern
• LED display in% and W / h
• Titanium-coated, laser-welded high performance NdFeB Magnet
• Virtually wear-free bearings
• Extremely break-resistant shaft, thanks to 12 mm (!) Thick axles
• First submersible pump worldwide with titanium and titanium shroud bearing rings
• 12 mm thick axes of advanced technical ceramics
• Controller box in IP65 version. Powder-coated, stainless Aludruckgehäuse
• EMC tested with appraisals, including CE certification and VDE standards, built
• No free plug connections, controller is suitable splash (VDE-compliant)
• 3-meter cable controller pump
• Extremely low operating noise
• Strong pressure flushing of the spacer can obstruct, Calziumausfällungen
• In case of power failure, guaranteed re-identification of the last set speed
• Soft start and overload protected
• Built-in automatic shut-off blocks and automatic restart after 3 seconds

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This 6.5L phytoplankton reactor, called the GreenBox is the latest gadget from the Spanish aquarium outfit Plactonite. Using a variable control magnetic stirrer and LED illumination, the GreenBox cultivates phytoplankton in a slick looking reactor.

The benefit of this closed design, over say a 2 liter plastic bottle, is that it can be used like a kalkwasser reactor; with fresh water added via a dosing pump to the reactor, pit then pushes out fresh phytoplankton to your reef or your growing copepod culture. In addition to the input / outputs, there are also line feeds for fertilization allowing this to be an automated culturing and feeding phytoplankton machine.

The GreenBox phytoplankton reactor certainly pays homage to Grotech’s Phyto Reactor, the Phyto Breeder 2. In principle the concept is the same, but lacks the pre-packed dosing pumps that GroTech offers. Seeing as the GroTech model sells for over $800USD, some competition in is this arena will hopefully bring down prices. No word on MSRP from Plactonite at this time.

Full description:

GreenBOX – Phytoplankton reactor. 6,5 l. culture volume.

Culture agitation is accomplished by means of a variable-speed teflonated magnetic stirrer. This system allows for a gentle movement of the whole culture no matter the overall water volume, with low consumption and generated heat.

The following inlets/outlets are available: water feeding, aeration, fertilization and pouring or in-line connection to other culture systems, as rotifers or artemia (not included).

All in and out connections are made through a front panel labeled connection bus, allowing for fast, easy and convenient installation, operation and servicing.

High efficiency and low consumption LED illumination with phytoplankton-culturing specific light spectum.

Manufactured 100% in cast acrylic with a easy to remove thumbscrew-secured flange/lid and anti-corrosion silicone gasket, which assures a perfect fit and water-tight operation.

[plactonite]

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Yes, the 7,500 gph machine we showed you from MACNA will soon be moving water in many private aquariums–the Vortech MP60 ships this week.

Vortech MP60 Stats

• Tank size (gallons): 120 – 1000+ gallons
• Flow (GPH): 2,500 – 7,500 GPH
• Wattage: 10 – 60 watts
• Aquarium Tank Wall Thickness range: 3/8” – 1”
• Dimensions: Wet side 4” diameter by 3” long
• Dry side 4” diameter by 2.8” long
• Clearance needed behind aquarium: 3.3”
• MSRP $695

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