Aquarium Industry Predictions for 2013

With a new year upon us, we’ve already spent a lot of time looking back at 2012 and remembering the finer details that made the year so eventful. So, we’ll forego additional reminiscing in favor of a little predicting. Last year we made several predictions, some of which were accurate and some of which were way off, and we’ll try to redeem our incorrect predictions by taking another stab at it. Without further adieu, below is a list of just a few things we think will happen in 2013.

Prediction #1 – We’ll See the Return of a Once Extinct Brand Name

We caught a whiff of some really big news a few months ago, and while we were asked not to divulge any specific details, we can tell you that an aquarium equipment brand might be coming back in 2013. The company in question, which closed down a couple of years back, had several products that were picked up by other manufacturers, and at least one of those is working hard to revive the extinct brand name. Now, this doesn’t mean a comeback for the failed company. No, they’re long gone and it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see them again. Instead, their name and product line might get a chance to live on. Of course, none of this is set in stone, so this prediction might fall flat on its face.

Prediction #2 – Ecotech Marine will release their own aquarium controller

Ok. So this is a rehash of one of last year’s failed predictions, but it’s still one we think will happen, perhaps we just predicted it a bit early. EcoTech Marine has released new aquarium products for multiple consecutive years now. Over the last four years alone, the VorTech MP10 (2009), VorTech MP60 (2010), the Radion XR30w (2011), and the Radion XR30w PRO (2012) have all been released to the general public. Additionally, EcoTech Marine has also released their EcoSmart Live web-based control platform for the Radion light fixtures. If history has any say in what happens in the future, we expect another major release from the Pennsylvaina-based aquarium equipment manufaturer in 2013. And as we said with our last prediction last year, many of the EcoTech products are compatible with multiple controllers already on the market, most notably the Neptune Systems Aquacontroller Apex. That in mind, it just makes sense to us that EcoTech will move things in-house and an aquarium controller will be likely be implemented at some point. MACNA 2013 in Florida will probably be the spot where we first get to see it, assuming it happens at all, so until then we’ll impatiently wait.

Prediction #3 – We Will See a Major Breakthrough in Captive Bred Marine Ornamentals

This prediction is going purely on gut instinct, but with all of the advances that we’ve seen in the area of captive breeding, we’re confident that someone will show us a major breakthrough in 2013. This won’t be a new strain of aberrant clownfish, or a fish that’s been captive bred before. We’re predicting that it will be a fish that’s never been bred in captivity before. The last couple of years have seen some major strides in breeding fish like basslets and angelfish, and we fully expect the growth in the knowledge and skill set to be exponential in the following years.

Prediction #4 – More Aquarium Themed Television Shows Will Burst Onto the Scene

That last two years have proven to be very big for aquarium inspired reality television shows, and other networks won’t sit back and let others exploit the niche market. Reality tv gets viewers, and more aquarium installation and maintenance television shows will spring up because of it. Animal Planet’s “Tanked” had a big first season in 2011 that they followed with an even bigger second season in 2012. National Geographic responded with a show of their own, “Fish Tank Kings”, which aired on Nat Geo Wild with a handful of episodes. Both shows got renewed for seasons in 2013, and we fully expect more from tv land. We welcome aquarium themed television shows, provided they heed the criticisms from the aquarium community and take a more conservative approach to aquatic husbandry. A few disclaimers telling viewers that what the crew does on the show is just for tv would certainly go a long way, and we’d love to see various breaks in the show for explanations on the proper way to do things.

Well that’s our short list of predictions. They may not all seem like profound, bold predictions, but it’s a few that we think will happen. What do you think 2013 will offer the aquarium community? Feel free to chime in below.