AQUARIUM SERVICE LEADERS IN ST. LOUIS

Aquariums are usually made of glass or Acrylic (Plastic) with each medium having pros and cons. Glass is much harder and therefore, more difficult to scratch. When assembling a Glass Aquarium, Silicone is usually, the substance used to seal the edges and bottom together to form a watertight container. Notwithstanding a manufacturing defect, a silicone seal should remain intact for 15 to 20 years or longer with the appropriate care. It is because of the hardness of glass that it is my personal favorite after all, the glass is what you actually see first before you see the inhabitance of the aquatic system and if the glass is scratched it will detract from the overall aesthetic appeal. Glass also has some drawbacks. Glass has less optical clarity, when compared to Acrylic, is a limiting factor in how big the aquarium can be (Less than 1000 gallons), will eventually have seal issues and when scratched is much more difficult to buff out. Glass Aquariums are much harder to create exotic shapes than Acrylic.

Acrylic Aquariums, on the other hand, have a completely different set of physical properties that are unique and sometimes problematic. Acrylic is amazing in that it can be bent and curved into different sizes, and shapes that greatly expands the aesthetic horizon. When sealing the edges of an Acrylic Aquarium, the “Glue” used, bonds the material at a molecular level essentially creating one piece of material. This seal, when done correctly, will rarely leak. In addition, the optical clarity of Acrylic is far superior to glass. The biggest concern I have is that GREAT CARE must be taken when cleaning Acrylic. It is much softer material and can very easily be scratched if you are not paying meticulous attention. It is for this reason that Acrylic is not usually my first choice for aquariums.

Water Pumps

A water pump as the heart of your aquarium system and as such should be given great consideration when developing plans for your new Aquatic System. Once again, whatever you think you need, get a pump that will deliver 25-50% more gallons per minute. You can always install a valve, or manifold, to cut down the flow. You can even just re-circulate the excess with a loop back to the filter if needed. The old adage that, “It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it” comes to mind here.

Integrated pump/filter combinations

Such as a “Hang on the back” type or a “Canister” types and separate water pump/filter combinations. Regarding the self-contained pump/filter combinations it is usually beneficial to get a self-contained pump/filter combination that is approximately 25% more than what you need. This is an area, like overfeeding for that matter, which is the one of the biggest novice mistakes. Barring something along the lines of creating a Tsunami in your aquatic system, you cannot have too much filtration.

Lighting

Aquatic Lighting is an area that is continuously evolving. LED is challenging the traditional HID Metal Halide Lighting and Fluorescent Bulbs. Factors such as Color Tone, Lumens and Angstroms are some of the terms you may become acutely aware of, depending on whether you are just trying to illustrate the colors of your aquatic inhabitants, or whether you are trying to grow things such as algae, plants or corals. Quality of construction is a huge consideration when purchasing lighting for your aquarium.

Heaters, Carbon Containers

Heaters, “Activated Carbon” Canisters and other devices are listed in this category and round out the necessary or complementary devices that make keeping your aquatic system easier. First let me say that I have found that having a heater is usually an option. I say this because most people locate their aquarium in a typical living, or working, space that has an ambient temperature conducive to keeping the usual aquatic inhabitants. Activated Carbon is necessary in any aquarium in my opinion. It can be used for removing many impurities that somehow seem to make it into our aquariums. A relatively cheap filtration medium works well in all aquatic systems.

Water Purifiers

Water purification is removing substances that you do not want in your aquatic system. This can range from macroscopic particles that the naked eye can see all the way down to a molecular level. Various types of filter pads, or cartridges can be used to remove larger particles (Usually measured in microns) while Ion Exchange mechanisms can filter down to the elemental level. This is where you need to know what you are trying to accomplish. If your test kit has indicated that Phosphates (A negatively charged molecule) are high in your system then you may choose a adsorbent with a positive charge to do the trick. Think of it as magnets in that opposites attract. Although Reverse Osmosis is popular with some folks, my personal favorite is the Kold Ster-il Water Filter, designed and perfected by Ken Howrey of
Poly-Bio-Marine, Inc.

Filtration

Filtration, just like lighting, is one of the areas that has seen a noticeable evolution over the years. Whereas years ago aquarists used water changes (dilution) to remove pollutants, may nowadays use a variety of filters to accomplish a variety of goals. Paper Filament Cartridges, Carbon, Exchange Resins, Diatomaceous Earth and Refugiums have been deployed to resolve a host of issues. I tend to prefer refugium Based Filtration Systems because of their innate, natural ability to deal with some of the issues that are inherent in a Closed Ecosystem. Mother Nature has been doing a fairly good job for a long time.

The aforementioned highlights some of the similarities, and differences between Freshwater and Marine Aquariums and although some of the aquatic devices that are primarily used in the Marine Systems, will benefit Freshwater Aquariums, their cost effectiveness is sometimes debatable. A good read for those of us that need more in depth information is “Aquatic Systems Engineering: Devices and how they function” by P.R. Escobal.

This book is NOT a light read. I was a heavy science major in college (And continue to do research to this day) and I would not attempt to read this book without my Scientific Dictionary and a Differential Equation Text by my side.