Welcome
to
the Marine Aquarium
Zone!
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Click HERE to see the answer to the Aquarium Zone's most frequently asked problem
The photos below are of my systems which were taken last year.
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The health of my tank is helped with this Marine Life Supporter from AquaTronics. If we have a power failure (and very often do!) this will start up automatically and keep the filters going for up to 2 days on batteries! After that I just change the Batteries. It also cuts power to the Heater if the water gets too hot so no more stuck thermostats to worry about. For good measure it also has an adjustable wave generator. |
Marine Aquarium Information |
The items below are used on my system. If you are looking up information about these types of products, then click on the relevant description. Important Note
Fit Filtration Marine Tank |
This is a complete system tank with the filter built in. It sits at the back and once the coraline algaes have grown on the rear glass, become almost invisible.
The filter begins with a Protein Skimmer which has a removable square glass foam cup. It is reasonably efficient being of the reverse flow type, but like all skimmers can take some setting up.
The skimmer is followed by a pre-filter which is made from capillary matting which enables it to trap the smallest pieces of dirt. To prevent it clogging too quickly it is 4inches wide, and the height of the entire tank.
Next comes a Siporax chamber where this now almost legendary media removes Ammonia, Nitrite AND Nitrates!
Now comes two spiral filters on top of which sit two power heads, which pull all the water through the filter, 2-3 times each hour. These spirals are the main biological area of the filter. Both pumps return water to the main tank, with one feeding a spray bar over a Trickle Filter. Although this actual part is small, after this the water settles and slowly passes through bio cubes to remove more Nitrates from the system.
The top of the tank is glass covered with built in Fluorescent light slots with hoods. Alternatively these can be removed for the installation of an overhead Metal Halide lamp.
The result of all that? A crystal clear and healthy aquarium. If you are looking at buying a system type tank, also look at the Axelrod reef. It is slightly more expensive, but better engineered with a proven track record. Return to table
Dark Wood cabinet for above |
A strong and sturdy cabinet with attractive black ash finish. This must be designed to carry the weight of the tank. Get this wrong and it does not bear thinking about. Always seek manufactures recommendations about cabinets and dont go for the cheapest. You WILL regret it. Return to table
External Trickle Filter with Bio Cubes |
To obtain good aeration and maximum biological activity to remove harmful Nitrite and Ammonia, the Trickle filter is an essential ancillary to any well maintained marine system, especially for invert or well stocked fish only systems.
Not only are the harmful waste products efficiently removed but life giving oxygen is added to the water. Oxygen tests prove that compared to a standard filter the water leaving the Trickle filter contains greater concentrations of Oxygen, all helping to raise the water Redox level. (A measure of overall system water quality) Return to table
30W Marine UV Sterilizer with pump |
The Ultra Violet (UV) sterilizer should be used in any marine system to help reduce the number of free living parasites and bacteria. This is advertised by the manufacturers as a safe alternative to ozone. Easy to install and use, requiring no expert knowledge. Help reduce the risk of a parasite outbreak, and dreaded slim / hair algae by installing a UV sterilizer!
The lamp should be replaced every six months to maintain maximum efficiency.
CAUTION NEVER SWITCH ON THE UV LAMP OUTSIDE OF THE CARRIER, the UV emission is harmful to the human eye. Return to table
External Amiracle PS4 Protein Skimmer c/w Pump |
A good quality and well maintained Protein Skimmer is one of the most important components of any Marine system whether for fish or invertebrates. You only have to examine the daily waste fluid that has to be tipped down the drain to realise just how much dirt is scrubbed out of what seems crystal clear water to appreciate its effectiveness. External units have the advantage of not taking up any of that limited aquarium space and tend to have greater efficiency.
Add Ozone to the skimmers air supply as detailed below, and you will wonder how crystal clear water could possibly hold so much pollution!
0-50mg Red Sea Ozone Generator |
The Red Sea 0-50mg Ozone Generator is one of the few units on the market which is totally maintenance free, which guarantees continual good ozone production.
Ozone will efficiently sterilize the aquarium water that it comes into contact with. This reduces the risk of parasite outbreaks and removes dirt before it has chance to de-compose, polluting the system. Therefore the aquariums health is dramatically improved.
When used correctly systems run with Ozone look and are measurably superior. Ozone is the only method which enables redox levels of 300-400 to be reached.
Ozone use IS simple, inject it into the normal air supply of a quality skimmer such as the Amiracle PS4, using Ozone resistant tubing, and run the exiting water through carbon before returning to the main system. Do NOT allow this water directly into your filter and remember to change the carbon monthly. Regularly check for NO residual Ozone in the returning water, and fit a carbon trap to the air escaping from the top of the skimmer. What could be simpler?
If you are already an invert system owner, the addition of Ozone should not be a worry providing the rules above are followed and maintained. Return to table
Fluval 1 Internal Filter |
The Fluval 1 is a small internal filter ideal for adding additional chemical media such as X-Nitrate, X-Phosphate, or carbon to any aquarium easily, especially if the main filter has no compartments left! It may also be used as a standard biological filter. Return to table
Whisper Air Pumps |
Whisper air pumps, now marketed under the Tetra name, provide an air supply to any aquarium, quietly and at low cost.
The Whisper 700 produces 8.0 lpm (twin outlet)
The Whisper 500 produces 3.0 lpm (adjustable outlet)
The Whisper 100 produces 0.5 lpm
The Whisper 700 is ideal for powering protein skimmers which require high air pressures to operate correctly.
These pumps can also be used to provide additional aeration to the aquarium, vital in marine systems. Return to table
Ozonator |
The Ozonator is a low cost unit designed to provide all the benefits of Ozone sterilization without the normal worries associated with it.
The Ozonator fits in the air-line between the air pump such as the whisper 100, and the provided air column in the aquarium.
The manufacturers have designed this system so that the water leaving the air column is totally safe even for delicate inverts. A number of hobbiests have reported significant, if not total, reduction of slime and hair algae when the Ozonator was added to their system. Return to table
Piccolo Internal Skimmer |
This is the smallest internal Protein Skimmer in the Sander range, which makes it ideal for small aquariums. Despite its simple construction and operation, the Piccolo removes astonishing quantities of dirt from the aquarium water. When coupled with the Ozonator above, significant improvements are made in the waste removal process. Return to table
Spare lamp for Arcadia 150W Metal Halide Light **NEW** |
A daylight rated, 6500K, Metal Halide lamp is a must for light loving invertebrates. No other form of lighting has the intensity required to maintain invertebrates as healthy as they are in their natural home. Lighting is very often neglected by aquarists with the lamps themselves not being replaced on a regular basis.
This is a spare 150W lamp for the Arcadia pendant, which has a useful life of 3000hrs. Return to table
30W Fluorescent Light Starter Units |
These starters are required for Fluorescent tubes which can be used in fish only marine systems or to complement Metal Halide lamps. A Metal Halide with a Triton tube for example shows a marine tank at its best, giving a stunning display! Return to table
Important Note |
The oceans of the world are blooming big!!! Changes only occur very slowly over hundreds of days and years. DO NOT make any change too quickly in a marine system, the animals are just not used to changes!! Even improvements in the tank MUST be made gradually over a number of days. Never forget this Golden Rule.
Any Fishkeeping questions? Click Here
Would you like to have your WWW site advertised on this page for free? Send me an Email and lets swap links!
Have a happy Hobby and enjoy it! Return to table
For
more information please drop me an Email
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Page updated 21st January 2001
by
d@gilbert.freeserve.co.uk
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