While at MACNA, we stumbled upon a really peculiar new product that aims to rid our aquariums of hair algae, Aiptasia anemones, and all manner of unwanted nuisances by ripping them from the rocks and vacuuming them off of the sand. Called the Algae Mower Vac, this handheld multipurpose tool comes with a stainless steel drill bit and a miniature gravel vacuum which can be used to tear through some of the nastiest aquarium goo without having to remove the rocks from the aquarium. The business end of the Algae Mower is attached to an extendable pole that is fixed to a small red grip, which also houses a set of rechargeable batteries.
While we initially thought that the Algae Mower Vac was a bit gimmicky, we quickly shut up when we got to witness it in action. The display aquarium at the booth was full of rocks covered in algae, and the brief demo showed the vacuum/drill bit handle it with ease. We got to see the drill bit chew up hair algae and demolish some of the crusty algae (coralline for example), and when that stuff all settled on the sand below, the vacuum adapter was able to suck it up and deposit it into a mesh bag.
The Algae Mower Vac has a retail price of $68.99 with $5.99 shipping to anywhere in the US.
