3reef Aquarium Forums

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Recently on the T5 board I reached out about actinic bulb recommendations as my bulbs were cooked and discontinued. The general consensus was that I couldn't go wrong with a couple German brands and also to go with 460nm to really pop. Having read this, 3reef sponsor Hamilton Technology asked if I would like to try out their German-made 460nm T5 HO bulbs and I gladly accepted. The timing was right. Read on for a little review.



Hamilton Technology has been around the aquarium scene for a long time. I am pretty sure in the pre-internet days, I was seeing their ads in FAMA magazine. That had to be over 20 years ago. These guys are wise in their old age and know a thing or two. It shows in modest ways like the reflector on their Cayman Sun HQI pendants or in this case, with the packaging care taken on shipping their 460nm T5 HO bulbs my way. Check this out:...

It's been pretty cool to watch Cobalt Aquatics grow over the last couple years. Every time I look, they seem to have added something else to their line of fish foods. The latest is CA Mysis. CA Mysis is infused with S.E.L.C.O. Boost for color enhancements then flash-frozen. Some may prefer the Cobalt flat pack to the frozen cubes of other brands that can result in messy preparation. I can't even count how many times I've shot them across the kitchen counter trying to chop them with a knife. Maybe it's just me.

Cobalt frozen CA Mysis shrimp are harvested from a glacier fed lake in Canada. These highly nutritious shrimp are caught live with natural gut loads of phytoplantkton and other amino acids. We then infuse the Mysis with S.E.L.C.O. BOOST, which gives the Mysis even more color enhancer, fatty acids, and appetite stimulants. We then flash freeze them right on the collecting boat to preserve all of the natural and added nutrition. Mysis are the perfect food for freshwater and...

Have you ever been so busy that you can't even find the time to feed your fish? Me too. I haven't lost a fish in a long time until recently and I am nearly convinced my feeding routine, or lack thereof, was responsible. I vowed never to let that happen again. So at Reef-A-Palooza I bought a Lifeguard Aquatics Intelli-Feed Aquarium Fish Feeder. It has been running for a few weeks on my tank now and the novelty has not worn off. I love this thing. Read on for a little review.



I've had my eye on the Lifeguard Intelli-Feed for some time. It has a sealed drum to keep food dry, a versatile mount that should fit any tank and is easy to program. In fact, once you set the clock, it is already preset to feed at 8am and 6pm. This may be enough for most people. But you can really dial it in with up to 12 feedings times and even set the number of rations for each.

The Food

For food, I went with APBreed...

Well, this was my second time to the Aquatic Experience (AE) and it has grown since the first year. I think I was drawn into the booths before I could stop and get a picture of the entire event. I was there on the last day Sunday and it was still very busy.

Walking around, I still get awestruck by all the equipment, lights, food, salt, fish, corals, people, beer err, I mean concessions. For me it's the excitement of what is going to be here that's going to be new/exciting or something I haven't even heard of!

Well, I was able to stop at a few places that caught my eye. One of them was a personal agenda to check some LEDs for my upcoming upgrade So, selfishly, that's where I'm going to start. However,

The first time I saw this company was the first Aquatic Experience and then Matt Rogers also showed off their carbon fiber enclosure version of their lights here on 3reef. I started to take notice of their lights and read some info on their website and got very interested....