Something to think about for the weekend..

[Vanmo92]

Im so on board for the ecotech heater! Thats one area of the hobby seriously lacking innovation IMO.

Maybe a dosing pump that automatically adjusts amounts based on reading from probes, as someone else mentioned.

Ive always thought if there could somehow be a small IP camera in every vortech pump looking down the length of the tank, and have that all integraded with ecosmart..I think that would be sooo cool.

 

[gatekeeperdi]

Yup...I would pay tons of money for a controller where you put in the parameters I would want to keep and the controller would measure ca, alk and mag and keep those params stable. Of course I would keep the dosing containers full but the probes and dosers via controller would do the rest.

Great idea. If only you could do that!

 

[Zachary.gingell]

new idea

I have red green deficiency also known as mild colorblind I absolutely love my reef but testing rarely happens since I can't read the normal color tests get to test the tank maybe once a month when I can convince someone to do it for me. I would love to see a complete line of digital meters I know Hanna makes calc. That I have and ph. I believe they also make 1 or 2 more but I would also like to see ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphate digital tests so I can test myself I think this might also help get more people into reef keeping or even just fish keeping for the rest of us color deficient people who see color and enjoy the colors of a reef tank but don't see color well enough to differentiate the shades or colors on the tests

 

[reid429]

How about an AIO tank with powerheads built in an led lighting

 

[Boa1277]

How about a wireless version of a GYRE style pump!

 

[kannon50]

i would like to see the following things with the Ecotech quality stamp.

1)Return Pump (not some recased DC Pump like everyone is calling their own nowadays)
2)Take the Reeflink to the next level, actually have use it as a controller not at a wireless remote for lights/pumps.
3)Get really market hungry and give the SPS people what they want which is a MH light with some explosive LED supplements.
4)LED supplement light bars in 36/48/60 inch options.

i do product development and corporate sales for a living and notice several areas in this hobby that are lacking in advancement. Im here for help anytime hahahhah

 

[thejuggernaut]

i would like to see the following things with the Ecotech quality stamp.

1)Return Pump (not some recased DC Pump like everyone is calling their own nowadays)
2)Take the Reeflink to the next level, actually have use it as a controller not at a wireless remote for lights/pumps.
3)Get really market hungry and give the SPS people what they want which is a MH light with some explosive LED supplements.
4)LED supplement light bars in 36/48/60 inch options.

i do product development and corporate sales for a living and notice several areas in this hobby that are lacking in advancement. Im here for help anytime hahahhah

Agree with all that!

 

[RandoReefer]

Wow! Great stuff everyone and thanks for keeping the ideas coming!

 

[RandoReefer]

Just an idea, but I think the next big advancement in LEDs for this industry won't be a software update, or marginally better LEDs. It will be a change in the form of the fixtures.

I agree 100% here thejuggernaut ! This reflector idea is pretty thought provoking. I may have to dig around for some dome reflectors and try this concept out in one of my frag tanks.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[RandoReefer]

With the advances in wireless tech these days I would like to see the radions talk directly to my computer, phone etc.
Eliminate the need for a reeflink.
If AI can do it for $200 in the prime I am sure its possible in a radion.
Would be nice to be able to make adjustments with iPhone iPad right out of the box.

I could see another generation of Radions moving towards this. I would predict that it may soon become the "standard" in most brands of LED fixtures. There are a few lesser known LED manufacturers showing their wifi/wireless fixtures at the conventions already. I saw two at ReefStock'15.

How about an EcoTech Heater? It doesn't have to be wireless, it just has to work for more than a year at a time.

Or for the bigger tank/budget guys, and heater/chiller combo for the ultimate in temp control?

Interesting idea with the heater/chiller combo! I wonder what that would entail as far as real estate under the tank is concerned. Maybe a product for big tanks with basement sumps?

 

[RandoReefer]

I have never thought of this until you mentioned it but now I can't stop thinking about it. Keep the heat on the outside but not have to worry about cutting holes and plumbing the pump externally. Less heat issue, no leak issues, great idea. Make it very powerful and wireless. I want the ability to have it just turn on, not another controller like all the other DC pumps, and ability to connect wirelessly to the ReefLink for those who want to control the pump in ways other than on and off. My biggest fear is that it will come in at a ridiculous price like the Red Dragon line. I am really leaning towards the new pumps from Deepwater but don't want the controller. I love the price points also, so if Ecotech could stay competitively priced I think this could be a great hit.

I would definitely get one of these as well, especially if it were big enough for a basement sumped, big boy/girl tank! Imagine not having to drill holes in my MRC iSump! Wireless would also be a must, since I wouldn't want to go downstairs to shut the pump off for maintenance and a bulk of my Apex equipment would be upstairs. (Sorry, I don't think I'll be wanting to order a 50' USB cable and another EB8.)

You guys have me thinking about what kind of products I would produce if I was Ecotech. I would try to produce a swiveling wet-side for your powerheads. Have the magnet attach like normal to the glass, but have the prop attached using a titanium u-joint, so you could adjust the direction of the flow. You could offer the normal wetsides for the side glass, or angled (maybe even fixed 90 degree) ones for the rear glass. It would help keep the flow moving in a gyre on long or deep tanks. Or just be able to direct the flow into dead zones behind rocks. Or you could always develop a magnetically coupled squirrel cage style powerhead. LOL

I've thought about this also. I added a pair of Jebao RW-8s to stick on the back wall just to get control of the flow direction, since my MP40s are fixed. This titanium u-joint idea is interesting..... Would you have a screw to tighten the joint after pointing the prop in the desired location? I would think you'd almost have to, when dealing with revolutions that fast....?

 

[dodgerblew]

Wow! Great stuff everyone and thanks for keeping the ideas coming!

i liked your idea the best.

 

[RandoReefer]

Ive always thought if there could somehow be a small IP camera in every vortech pump looking down the length of the tank, and have that all integraded with ecosmart..I think that would be sooo cool.

Now wouldn't that be cool!!

I have red green deficiency also known as mild colorblind I absolutely love my reef but testing rarely happens since I can't read the normal color tests get to test the tank maybe once a month when I can convince someone to do it for me. I would love to see a complete line of digital meters I know Hanna makes calc. That I have and ph. I believe they also make 1 or 2 more but I would also like to see ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphate digital tests so I can test myself I think this might also help get more people into reef keeping or even just fish keeping for the rest of us color deficient people who see color and enjoy the colors of a reef tank but don't see color well enough to differentiate the shades or colors on the tests

Hanna has a nitrite, phosphate, alkalinity, iron, iodine...and several others. Im pretty sure Milwaukee Instruments also makes digital testers for these same things to include ammonia. (I have their digital refractometer and LOVE it).

How about an AIO tank with powerheads built in an led lighting

Now this I would be on board with! I wonder what EcoTech could bring to the table, other than LED lighting, to really make them stand out from other AIO producers?

i would like to see the following things with the Ecotech quality stamp.

1)Return Pump (not some recased DC Pump like everyone is calling their own nowadays)
2)Take the Reeflink to the next level, actually have use it as a controller not at a wireless remote for lights/pumps.
3)Get really market hungry and give the SPS people what they want which is a MH light with some explosive LED supplements.
4)LED supplement light bars in 36/48/60 inch options.

i do product development and corporate sales for a living and notice several areas in this hobby that are lacking in advancement. Im here for help anytime hahahhah

-EcoTech MaxPump QD! (Yes, that just happened! [emoji23])...... Exactly!!!!

-ReefLink as a total controller....... If it can offer me better functionality, reliability, and a new approach to aquarium controlling, TAKE MY MONEY!

-LED supplement bars!! Now this is buy tomorrow, although I'd be a bit concerned with how much it would take from my LED fixture market. Maybe you'd start to see a shift back to MH or more T5 lit tanks but with LEDs as the supplement. Hmmmm....

 

[kannon50]

Now wouldn't that be cool!!



Hanna has a nitrite, phosphate, alkalinity, iron, iodine...and several others. Im pretty sure Milwaukee Instruments also makes digital testers for these same things to include ammonia. (I have their digital refractometer and LOVE it).



Now this I would be on board with! I wonder what EcoTech could bring to the table, other than LED lighting, to really make them stand out from other AIO producers?



-EcoTech MaxPump QD! (Yes, that just happened! [emoji23])...... Exactly!!!!

-ReefLink as a total controller....... If it can offer me better functionality, reliability, and a new approach to aquarium controlling, TAKE MY MONEY!

-LED supplement bars!! Now this is buy tomorrow, although I'd be a bit concerned with how much it would take from my LED fixture market. Maybe you'd start to see a shift back to MH or more T5 lit tanks but with LEDs as the supplement. Hmmmm....

i think you would be surprised to see the numbers of people dumping LED and going back old school. ill put it this way at one point i owned 8K in EM products and now currently only run reefcrest mode

 

[RandoReefer]

This is an idea I brought up in my local forum last fall.

This is great jlanger ! Can you start a new thread for this, please? I haven't had the time to really give it a good read, but let's get the discussion started on its own thread. (I also just noticed it on the TCMAS [emoji4])

Thanks!

 

[duke4130]

How about an LED/ T5 combo???? Loved my radions but as all LEDs the shadowing effect isn't always a good thing

 

[TDG]

The future of reef keeping ?? How awesome would it be to stock the tank with anything you wanted, put in the desired water parameters and....POOF! Auto dosing based on real-world readings of tank parameters. Would this make the hobby, too easy?

I am all for this! I would love to have a device (chemist in a box) that would take key aquarium chemistry measurements and then feed that information to an auto dozer.

 

[TDG]

I would love to see individual small light sensors that communicated wirelessly to a monitoring device. The sensors could be placed in different areas of the aquarium to give light meter readings. The aquarist would be able to move the sensors to various locations and record the values and then compare their values to other aquarists. You might have a sensor near an anemone and another by a clam and so forth.

 

[acolotto]

I agree 100% here @thejuggernaut ! This reflector idea is pretty thought provoking. I may have to dig around for some dome reflectors and try this concept out in one of my frag tanks.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Reflectors would not work on leds like t5s or MH...they are basically lasers, all the light is being pointed straight down, so there is not really mouch light leakage upwards that would be reflected downwards. I may be wrong here but pretty sure this is how it works, please somebody correct me if this is not true

But the vortech style return pump would be awesome! Id be a user from day 1!

 

[RandoReefer]

Reflectors would not work on leds like t5s or MH...they are basically lasers, all the light is being pointed straight down, so there is not really mouch light leakage upwards that would be reflected downwards. I may be wrong here but pretty sure this is how it works, please somebody correct me if this is not true

But the vortech style return pump would be awesome! Id be a user from day 1!

True, that's probably the case for the MH reflectors that are currently out there, but I think I understand the concept that thejuggernaut is talking about.

Say you spread the LEDs out in a light bar type configuration and point every other one at a 25°-45° angle to the left or right. Face them upward at a specially designed reflector, maybe something as reflective as a mirror that diffuses the light ever so slightly, and test PAR, penetration, and "disco" effect.....

Of course it's all conceptual, but isn't that how everything gets a start? [emoji4]

P.S.- I think many of us are all on board for an EcoTech "MaxPump" QD! (I'm sure if they launch a return pump they'll name it way better than me. Ha!)