Homepage Latest news Product of the year, Clima Control

In September 2009 Dohse Aquaristik were awarded the innovation prize ‘Product of the Year’ for their digital humidity and temperature regulator “ClimaControl”. The prize is awarded regularly by the world’s largest speciality pet shop ‘Zoo Zajac’ in Duisburg. According to Norbert Zajac the product ‘ClimaControl’ received an award since it is well-though-out, is not likely to meet with disapproval, and also because it is of a high quality level - offering a very good price:performance ratio. Managing Director of Dohse, Axel Pinders, recently received the prize from Norbert Zajac in person, speaking on behalf of his entire team. “We are absolutely delighted to receive this award”, proclaimed Axel Pinders, “The award motivates us to continue on the path we are on, and to keep developing practical and innovative products.”

Gammarus

It has been more than a year since Dohse Aquaristik started selling reptile food under the "Hobby" brand.  The company has now added a new food, "Gammarus" to complete their food range.  "Gammarus" is made from cleaned and dried freshwater shrimp.  The shrimp are high in fibre and contain vital minerals and trace elements that have been air dried to preserve these vitamins.  The natural calcium content of the food promotes the growth of muscles, tissue and bones.  "Gammarus" is designed especially for turtles but is also a well suited delicacy for tortoise and fish.

New HOBBY Terraristics catalogue

 

Dohse Aquaristics will be presenting the current range for terraria in a 28-page catalogue. The range has recently been enhanced, mainly with numerous artificial and natural decorations. Besides these, the lighting and heating ranges have had innovative items added to them. After these have been mailed to all our specialist outlet clients, end users will be able to download the catalogue in pdf format, or order a free copy to be sent to them by post. There is also a new e-magazine version that can be seen online.

New Terra-Light T8 fluorescent tube light

The new Terra-Light is available in 15, 18, 30, 36 and 38 watt versions under the HOBBY Terraristics brand name. The tube is specially designed for terrarium animals with no UV-B requirement (snakes, nocturnal lizards, amphibians, spiders, scorpions and insects) and is cheaper than the Reptile-Light UV-B fluorescent tube (30% UV-A, 8% UV-B). The combination of the two models is ideal for animals with a reduced UV-B requirement. The Terra-Light’s light intensity is 50-100% higher than the Reptile-Light model (depending on the wattage).

Terra-Timer

“For years I have been looking in vain for a suitable timer switch for my own sprinkler system in my Gecko tank, that can switch on and off in a cycle of seconds. So finding a suitable piece of equipment that was easy to use and adding it to our product range was a personal quest,” says Oliver Drewes, buyer and product developer for Dohse Aquaristics. The new HOBBY timer switch has 8 on and off switching periods, the shortest switching cycle being 1 second. The programming enables switching to be set on a daily basis, on particular days, in blocks of days, only on weekdays, or only at weekends. The Terra-Timer is equipped with an internal battery to prevent data loss in the event of a power outage. The timer switch controls external equipment with an ohmic load of up to 2,000 and an inductive load of up to 1,000 watts. Its compatibility for equipment with inductive load also makes the Terra-Timer ideal for dosing and flow pumps in aquaria. Timer switches not compatible with inductive load might damage switch components (short-circuit burnout in relays, destruction of triac etc) and can render terminal equipment or their transformers unusable.

Lighting Dimmer

The new HOBBY mains socket lighting dimmer provides unbroken lighting adjustment for light bulbs (20-300W) and low voltage lights with conventional transformers (20-150W). The Lighting Dimmer is not suitable for electronic transformers and not approved for heating equipment. The dimmer has undergone GS assessment and comes with a child lock.

Innovative measuring and control devices

New in the program are two innovative control devices, the digital humidity and temperature controller ClimaControl, as well as the dual-circuit temperature controller Biotherm pro. The ClimaControl system can be used to optionally control the combination humidity + temperature or the combination humidity + timer switch. The humidity control system includes a safety cut-out function for connected sprinkler systems. The temperature can be controlled in increments of 0.2° C. It is possible to switch from heating to cooling mode. The timer control can switch at one-second intervals. All slots can be manually switched on and off manually. It is possible to set a visual and an audible alarm. The display showing all desired and actual values can be illuminated. A control strip for two slots with LED status indication, as well as a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor are included in delivery. A memory function provides protection against loss of data in the event of a power failure. The Biotherm pro system has comparable product features. The humidity can also be time-controlled instead of control via a sensor cable. This permits control of a second, independent, temperature. The free slot could be used for a simultaneously connected cooling unit, a second temperature zone, temperature control of a second terrarium, or for controlling an incubator.

New book

February 2009. Based on the sold-out book "Kompaktwissen Echsen" [German for "Lizards in a Nutshell"], the book provides a detailed portrait of most commercially available agamids and includes exact origin-related information on temperature, humidity and precipitation values for optimum care under natural conditions. Supplemented by an extensive general section on care and diet, as well as terrarium decoration and technology, this book is an indispensable reference.

 

 

The range of feeding tweezers was extended to include 20 cm, 30 cm and 40 cm tweezers made of stainless steel. The tweezers are available as straight and curved designs. An attractive packaging was developed at the same time.

 

Photo rear panel, 100 cm in height

Just recently, the popular photo rear panel theme Red Canyon also became available in a height of 100 cm.

 

New pressure spray bottle

 

The new pressure spray can, with a capacity of 2 litres, for increasing humidity in terrariums is added to the range. The product is equipped with a high-quality, finely adjustable brass nozzle. Continuous spraying can be set with the slide switch. Additionally, the bottle is provided with an excess-pressure relief valve.

Innovative adhesive for decorations

With DekoFix, a universal two-component adhesive has become available for the secure bonding of decorations. The beige-brown colour is hardly noticeable when hardened. It can be used to bond stone, wood, plastic, ceramic materials, metal and glass. DekoFix can even be processed under water.

 

Innovative terrarium decorations

With the decorative corner cave "Bark Underground", Dohse Aquaristik presents a cave that provides the inhabitant of a terrarium with an ideal hiding spot. The top sections is covered by substrate so that only the bark-structured entrance is visible.

New prepared food line

In the year that the HOBBY Terraristics had its tenth anniversary, Dohse Aquaristik complemented its product range further still by developing its own line of foods. Carefully selected high quality and easily digested ingredients, high-grade proteins, essential vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements guarantee a balanced diet and therefore long-term health. The well-matched feed composition for adult animals provides energy to promote activity and the growth of muscles, tissue and bones. The in-house feed composition for young animals pays particular attention to their special nutritional requirements promoting healthy growth and the resistance to disease. The types of feed are finely balanced to meet the needs of agamids, iguanas, and terrapins; the feed is supplied in containers of 250, 500 and 1,000 ml for adult and juvenile animals respectively.

Innovative digital thermometer/hygrometer

 

A digital thermometer/hygrometer that can be stuck onto the terrarium panel on the inside is added to the product range. Integrated, high-quality sensors measure at intervals of 5 seconds within a measuring range from -3 to 50° C and 30 to 90 %.

New UV-B energy-saving lamp

Since August 2007, the frequently sold 23 Watt HOBBY UV Compact energy-saving lamp is on offer with a reduced 4 % UV-B component. The illuminant is ideal for irradiation of forest- and rain forest inhabiting species, since the dense foliage in their endemic area reduces the penetration of UV radiation. The 4 % version is sold as UV Compact Jungle, the 8 % version as UV Compact Desert.

New floating islands

In July 2007, the "HOBBY Terraristik" brand offered floating cork islands for turtles and amphibians in three sizes. The supplied fastening kit for the aquarium glass enables the "Cork Island” floating island to automatically adapt to the level of the water and, as substitute for solid ground, allows the animals to leave the water at any time. In contrast to rigid foam products, the genuine cork HOBBY floating island does not discolour or become brittle. Through cooperation with a leading German lighting company, the two lamps achieve convincing performance, with 8000 hours lifetime on average.

New UV-B All-day spotlights

Since June 2007, we are marketing a new UV-B spotlight with reduced UV-B emission. A UV-B dose is decisive for the reptiles’ Vitamin D3 synthesis and for rachitis prophylaxis. The dose is the multiplication of irradiation intensity and irradiation period. To achieve nature-equivalent UV-B doses, the HOBBY UV SUN LUX with its high UV-B irradiance has been used in terraristics for many years. This illuminant is ideal for large terraria and brief irradiation. However, many terrarium owners prefer an illuminant with reduced UV-B concentration that, through simultaneously providing light and heat, is thus ideal for all-day use. For this reason, Dohse Aquaristik developed the HOBBY UV ALL DAY together with a leading lighting company. To provide lizards endemic to Melbourne with a UV-B dose equal to spending one hour in the Australian sun, for instance, the animal needs UV SUN LUX radiation for only 14 minutes, but can spend almost seven-and-a-half hours under the UV ALL DAY.