Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[Petrus]

Hi guys,
Since the beginning, we've gotten quite a few questions regarding our products. I thought I'd share some of the common questions we've gotten with you just in case some of you are wondering about the same things. If you have other questions that aren't answered here, please PM me and I'll be happy to answer them. I will continue to update this thread with FAQ's that we've gotten.

Question 1: How long will your "Free Shipping" promotion last?
Answer: We currently offer free shipping to the USA as a promotional offer. We have not decided how long this offer will last, as it depends on other factors such as product and transportation cost. If these costs increase (which they will, it's just a matter of time), we might have to discontinue the free shipping offer.

Question 2: What is your replacement policy for goods damaged during shipping?
Answer: We try our best to prevent damage during shipping by packing the items as best as we can. However, in the rare event that the item is damaged due to shipping, please send us an email along with a supporting photo of damaged goods within 48 hours after delivery. We will replace the item to you at no charge. There is no need to send the damaged item back to us. No replacement will be made without a clear photo of damaged item.

[Petrus]

Question: What's up with design for the pipes?

Answer: Many have asked about the story behind the design of the pipes, and why don't they look like those of more established brands currently available.

The short answer is that we evaluated the existing designs and try to improve upon them. We can easily duplicate existing designs, but that is really not our intention from the start.

Now the long answer: There are actually good reasons for the designs of the inflow and outflow pipes. We spend long hours conducting numerous experiments on various designs to see which works best. While there are some design details that we can't talk about, here are the things we can:

As an avid planted tank hobbyist myself, I've experimented with numerous conditions to determine factors that affect a planted tank. Based on experimentation, I'm a strong believer that good circulation is one factor that greatly improves the health of the plants and of the tank in general. Circulation brings nutrients and CO2 to plants, and readily transports wastes such as ammonia to the filtration system. I've found that poor circulation often results in poor plant growth and algae.

So the primary goal of our pipe design was to help improve circulation by the following:

Outflow: The outflow funnel was intentionally pointed slightly downwards. This improves water circulation to lower parts of the aquarium, where stagnation points often occur. The funnel, when completely submerged, creates less surface agitation to reduce CO2 loss to the atmosphere. At the same time, if turbulent surface aeration is desired, it can be done by raising the funnel halfway above the water line.

Inflow: CAL's inflow contains narrow slits throughout the stem spanning from near the bottom end, to quite high up. The placement of the slits were intentionally designed to cover more vertical area than existing designs. To us, there really isn't a good reason to place the slits just at the bottom. In fact, while they are much easier to manufacture, we found that having slit(s) just at the bottom strains the circulation, as water can only enter at the bottom. Since our outflow moves water across the depth of the tank, we needed an inflow that can take water in at various depth of the column, not just the bottom. Our flowfield tests also shows that they create a more uniform circulation pattern.

The slits on our inflow are also slightly wider and more in number. We want to make sure that enough water can pass through to the pump, and small blockages due to leaves or debris will not choke the pump. Occasionally, people report that their little shrimps get through the pipes. That is something to consider. On the other hand I also find numerous cherry shrimps in my canister filter using their plastic intakes as well. I guess no matter how small the slits are, there will always be baby shrimps at the right size that can go through.