Reef A Palooza 2011

I stopped by the 8th Annual Reef A Palooza show/event this past weekend in Costa Mesa, California. Reef A Palooza is an aquarium trade show promoted by the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS). RAP isn't so much a trade show as it is an indoor marketplace where sellers, exhibitors, and hobbyists of all meet to sell, trade, or show off their products. This was my first year visiting RAP, and I was not disappointed.

Red Sea MAX 250 - Silver

I got to see some nice coral, fish, and displays. There was a wide variety of vendors, big and small, online and brick and mortar. Marine Depot, an online retailer, had a large booth shared with Innovative Marine. A spin of the wheel at the Marine Depot booth offered the opportunity to pick up a prize. While you were at the booth, you could check out some of the hottest products in the market such as Innovative Marine Aquariums, Ecotech Marine Radion LED light fixtures and Vortech Pumps, the Kessil 150W led fixture, Mr. Aqua frameless tanks, AquaticLife T-5 lighting, and Orphek Power Reef LED fixtures to name the biggest attractions. Another popular hit was the Innovative Viewing Systems Portal on a Red Sea Max aquarium. This was a show stopper for sure.

Creative Idea: IKEA light fixture w/ a PAR38 LED bulb

Other vendors featured their products. AquaticLife had a large booth featuring their lighting systems, and Ecoxotic introduced their new Panorama PRO fixture. The new Panorma PRO fixtures are said to offer stronger lighting for deeper aquariums than the first generation fixtures, and the price point is said to be competitive with other fixtures. This fixture is definitely something to keep an eye out for, and I'm anxiously waiting for the fixtures to roll out completely.

4" Innovative Viewing Systems Portal

On the additives side, industry giant Seachem was present to showcase their large line of supplements including their premium Aquavitro line. Additive and supplement company, Aqua Vision Aquatics, had a booth featuring their wide range of products. Aqua Vision Aquatics offer a nice bang for your buck, and feature supplements with updated formulas to meet the needs of the modern reef aquarium.

Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED Fixture

Industry blog leaders such as ReefBuilders and Reef Addicts were also among the booths. The show also had many great speakers in the speaking room providing information on a wide range of topics.

Reef A Palooza was a small, but fun show. Their were over 70 exhibits and an estimated 3000 visitors over two days! This local show has potential for growth, and I imagine an even greater show next year at Reef-A-Palooza 2012!!

Be sure to check out Marine Depot's Facebook page for some pictures of their booth and other great pictures from Reef-A-Palooza 2011!