The Hidden Reef is one of the largest LFS’s in the SE PA, NJ, & DE area. Every year, they have their huge anniversary sale a week before Thanksgiving. Usually the lines start early and it’s a mad dash to get the best livestock and drygoods. Discounts are pretty decent, 50% off freshwater fish, 20% off all saltwater, and 20% off all drygoods. Most of their prices are the same as internet prices to begin with, so the added savings are huge. I heard a rumor the first guy in line brought all 20 MP40′s available. Sounds fishy to me (pun intended!).

Biggest deals of the day? Fiji live rock for $2.29 a pound! Did I mention they have the best salt pricing around, better than most online stores? With the 20% added savings,  a bucket of Seachem Reef salt went for $30 and a bucket of Tropic Marin for $48. I generally go through 6 buckets of salt a year, but only brought 2 buckets this year (Seachem Reef and Brightwell NeoMarineSalt). Why so little? I’m waiting for Seachem Aquavitro Salinity to finally come out!

Pictures of the lines below:

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Curt, president of Neptune Systems , just released a statement that says the APEX will be able to control the Ecotech Marine’s MP40w pumps in the near future. See the statement below. Here’s some things I’d like to see: Be able to see a real-time graph of the pump’s speed (kinda like an old equalizer), integrate w/ the feed mode of the APEX controller, be reasonably cheap, and be able to email alert if the pump gets detached(maybe measure irregular pump speed?). That would be cool. Otherwise, the controller that comes w/ the MP40w is good enough for me.

“Neptune Systems Announces New Product for EcoTech Marine’s VorTech Pumps

November 17, 2009—San Jose, CA— Neptune Systems, the leading manufacturer of aquarium controllers is developing a wireless interface which will allow for the control of EcoTech Marine’s line of VorTech wireless pumps.

“We are extremely excited about this new product”, says Curt Pansegrau, president of Neptune Systems. “The feature rich interface module allows for the market leading VorTech pumps to be used to their fullest potential. With development underway and prototypes already running in the lab, we are pleased to be the first controller company to utilize this versatile wireless interface technology.”

The AquaBus based VorTech interface module will allow for the independent control of multiple pumps. In addition, firmware updates of both the interface and the VorTech pumps as wells as reporting of pump status and diagnostic information is possible.  Like all Apex accessories the VorTech Interface Module is also plug-n-play, so setup and configuration is extremely easy.

Internal development has already begun with working prototypes running in the lab. Beta testing will begin shortly with full production scheduled in Q1 2010.

Visit www.neptunesys.com for news, information, and product descriptions.

EcoTech Marine and VorTech are registered trademarks of EcoTech Marine (www.ecotechmarine.com).”

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I’m not one of those fish keepers that overfeeds. You know the type; “Hey want to see my fish eat?” or ” Oops, that little guy didn’t get enough. I’ll have to feed more!” Still, with anthias and tangs in the tank, I need to feed a lot. Eventually, excessive nutrients end up accumulating and cause algae problems. Although my skimmer skims the crap out of the water (literally), buildup happens on the bottom of my tank. Also the lack of a sizable cleanup crew allows for hair algae to start growing fast! Enter Stage right, the Sea Hare. This crazy looking slug is basically a snail without the shell. It’s so ugly, I’m actually afraid to touch it. It’s got holes all over it and moves surprising fast. I find myself looking for this thing ever time I look at the tank. I’m totally captivated by the creature made from middle earth.

It’s been a week and although this thing is eating constantly, I’m not seeing much of a difference.  In the meantime, it’s time to get a bunch of snails and hermit crabs to hopefully fight the good fight. Only time will tell…

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