Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Send us your Pictures!

Send us your Pictures!

We love pictures at Aquatic Life. So what better way to satisfy our craving for them than to ask for more? We  want to see the pictures you have taken of your piece of the ocean using Aquatic Life products. Feel free to submit them on our Facebook page. If you have not done so feel free to click the like button while there.


I will pick three random picture submissions at the end April to send one of our snazzy T-shirts to.


Here is a recent photo sent in by Hector Arroyo of the reflection of his T5HO four lamp fixture. I love this shot.

James Korner

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Aquatic Life New Distributors

Aquatic Life New Distributors

We are pleased to announce the addition of two new distributors to the Aquatic Life family!



Quality Pets in Oklahoma City


Aquaria Sea Life in Mexico


Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for stores to have the products they need on hand. We believe these new distributors will do a great job with providing customers the high quality Aquatic Life products that they need as well as great the customer service that is associated with the Aquatic Life name.


Should you need any assistance with getting in contact with our new distributors, feel free to check in with our own Diane at 888-548-3480 or emailing dealersupport@aquaticlife.com


Friday, March 23, 2012

Aquatic Life Outlet is Open!

Aquatic Life Outlet is Open!

http://www.aquaticlife.com/outlet


Take advantage of some great deals on reconditioned and clearance products.


All reconditioned products and accessories are restored and tested by Aquatic Life. Inventory is updated frequently. Product is subject to limited quantities and availability.


Where Do Reconditioned Products Come From?


Most Aquatic Life reconditioned products come from products damaged in shipping. Many damages can be repaired by our factory technicians and made to look almost new. Factory reconditioned products may have blemishes or scratches that do not impact performance.


Aquatic Life Inspects, Repairs, Tests and Repackages


Aquatic Life trained technicians thoroughly inspect each product and make the necessary repairs. Genuine factory replacement parts are installed if required and each product is tested to ensure it operates properly. The products are repackaged and new operating manuals are added. Reconditioned products get more individual attention than new products.


Aquatic Life Warranty


Aquatic Life Light Fixtures that pass inspection are awarded the same Limited Warranty as new Aquatic Life fixtures, plus come with an additional six months of factory-direct warranty. This is how Aquatic Life stands behind factory reconditioned fixtures. Specific reconditioned product warranties are stated with the available product in the Outlet.


Aquatic Life Clearance Items


We have created a unique opportunity for you to save money on remaining inventory of last year’s models and on cancelled orders we may have in stock. Each item is new, meets the highest quality standards and includes the standard Aquatic Life Limited Warranty.


Go to the Aquatic Life website to access the great deals-  http://www.aquaticlife.com/outlet

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Accidental Frags

As you may or may not know, we have a gorgeous 225 gallon tank next to my desk here at Aquatic Life. It is my pleasure and my job to take care of the tank. ( I know I get paid to do things I want to do!) Anyways I was looking at the tank yesterday and decided I needed to do a water change and also re-arrange a few pieces of coral etc. inside.

So I change out 30 gallons of water and then I decide to change out the GFO inside of the media reactor as well. Then I move on to reposition a garf bonsai frag I recently acquired. I carefully place some tongs into the tank and gently lift the frag up. And then it happened. The clumsy doofus inside of me reared its ugly head. My elbow smashes into a giant colony of some digitata! My mind raced and I began to panic. I reached down to grab the fist sized piece I had just broken off. As I reached down the same offending elbow bashed the same colony again and broke off another softball sized piece!


I moved all of the new “ accidental frags” to the frag tank.




Initially I was very upset as I was really digging the aquascape in the tank. But the more I look at it the more relieved I am. I think the colony had become much to large anyways. I like the look with a new smaller hand sized colony of the digitata. That’s what is so great about this hobby. The tank is alive and constantly changing and developing. Just when you think everything inside is perfect it grows out or something changes. I will never get tired of having a piece of the ocean and making it my own.


Here is what the colony looks like now. I can’t wait to see the form it takes on!



James Korner

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society auction a great success!


                                                                                                       
Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society auction a great success!



                     We have said it before and we will say it again: We love local clubs and aquarium societies! There is no better way to educate and spread the joy of our hobby other than one hobbyist extending his hand to another. When given the chance Aquatic Life jumps at the opportunity to help these non-profit groups succeed. We are happy that we are able to participate in this way for many clubs around the country.

If you are in the Greater Springfield Massachusetts area go and check them out.


Here is the thank you note below.








Sincerely,







Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Delaware Reef Club


Delaware Reef Club

I wanted to take a moment (now that I've recovered) and again say thank you for supporting the Delaware Reef Club as we hosted our first ever frag swap this past weekend. I'm still getting feedback from attendees, vendors, and club members but so far the results have been overwhelmingly positive.  We had a lot of people attend, and the raffle was a HUGE success. We were very pleased to have a line down the hall 10 minutes before opening the door. Being able to look through the room and see huge crowds of people drooling all over the pickings for the day made me feel like the day was an enormous a success.


We are looking forward to next years event already (ok I admit everyone ELSE is looking forward to it, I can wait a bit still :) ) as it was a great time, with great people, great corals, and great prizes.


I truly can't thank you enough for your continued support and generosity.

Sincerely,
Craig D'Angelo
President DRC

Monday, March 12, 2012

Global Pet Expo

Global Pet Expo

We had a great time at the Global Pet Expo in Orlando Florida. We look forward to this show each year and this one definitely did not disappoint.  Many new friends and customers were made at the show. Of course it was great catching up with our old friends from around the country.

Dave and Scott were busy showing off our new 1 watt LED fixtures in the booth and the feedback and excitement from our customers was fantastic.  People were pleased with the great color rendition of these fixtures as well as the pricing! The new LED fixtures are moving fast.

If you did not get a chance to say hello, don’t worry we will be at the Marine Aquarium Expo show coming up soon in southern California. We will be showing of our new LEDs in the Age of Aquariums booth. Come over and say hi!


Check out a few quick snapshots below of the booth we had on display.











Friday, March 2, 2012

Lionfish Are Evil- But Have Some Cool Tricks


Lionfish Are Evil- But Have Some Cool Tricks

My boss Dave Troop loves Lionfish. In fact I think he gets super excited about them. So much so that when I came in to work today he sent me a picture of a 14 inch lionfish he found at the Global Pet Show in Orlando Florida. See how his hand seems to yearn for the poisonous touch of the giant monster.




    Well I am here to tell you that these things are evil! Aside from being an invasive species to the Atlantic and reproducing like crazy, I think they just don’t personally like me. A few years ago we bought a little baby lionfish. Perhaps 2 and a-half inches long it has since grown in size and bloodlust. I would say it is now around 6 inches of evil fish. Whenever I put my hand in the tank he quickly swims towards me to attack!   I will admit that it is fun to watch him feed. He moves slowly yet deliberately towards his prey. Then quick as lightning he swallows his food whole. Sometimes leaving a visible tail wiggling from his hungry mouth. I was always amazed at the ability of the lionfish to swallow his meal face first without the prey fish quickly moving away. I have since learned that predator fish prefer to eat prey head first as that will lessen the chance of an escape as well as prevent defense mechanisms like dorsal spikes from being able to deter them.

Well just this week a new study has found that Lionfish can actually blow a jet of water to disorientate their victims! Researchers from Oregon State University and SUNY found lionfish blow pulses of water when stalking prey such as gobies, with an average of 18.5 pulses before finally striking their prey. The jet stream can reach a maximum distance of 9.6cm (3.8 inches) with a velocity of 20.4 cm s-1. Doing this allows the lionfish to completely confuse the prey fishes lateral line sensory system.



If you want to view the full Scientific article click here http://www.int-res.com/articles/feature/m448p001.pdf