Aquarium technology

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Aquarium technology is a term from the aquarium hobby under which all technical aids are summarized that are used to bring the living conditions of the aquarium inhabitants closer to their optimum.

Use of technology in aquaristics

The first aquariums were simple vessels made of glass. The residents had to deal with the conditions dictated by the environment: temperature of the room in which the aquarium was located, daylight irradiation at the location, quality of the locally available water, etc. Only extremely robust species survived, such as the macropod , the Guppy and some others. Therefore, experts tried to match the conditions in the aquarium as technically as possible to the conditions at the place of origin of the fosterlings.

Tasks of aquarium technology

  • Monitoring of the water values
  • Thermoregulation
  • Water treatment (filtering, skimmer, CO 2 addition)
  • Lighting for display purposes and to optimize plant growth

In the last few decades, modern technologies not only allow adequate lighting and temperature control, but also water treatment with increasingly sophisticated filter processes, analogous to that in a waterworks . The industry produces aquarium technology in ever new forms. However, the use of various elements of aquarium technology in freshwater aquariums is now quite controversial. CO 2 fertilizer systems, for example, are not always necessary to achieve excellent plant growth (and suppression of unwanted algae growth ). The extensive use of aquarium technology also enables higher stocking densities in the aquariums, which are detrimental to the health of the animals. While a high stocking density is unavoidable in the dealer tank and comprehensive technical support is necessary, in the domestic aquarium the stocking should be adjusted to the size of the aquarium rather than using technical help to combat imbalances caused by overstocking. The Meerwasseraquaristik however, requires a greater use of technology in principle, since the environment has to be simulated, whose properties can be hardly imitated different with the available drinking water and at normal pool sizes.

Elements of aquarium technology

The main elements used include:

Filters for water treatment

lighting

Heating / cooling system

Others

Also find hoses and tubes , generally made of plastic or silicone, with connecting pieces, nozzles , connectors, valves, etc., CO 2 -Dünge systems, oxidizers for enriching the water with oxygen, reverse osmosis equipment, thermometer , timers , twilight switches , feeders , Submersible pumps and flow pumps use.

literature

  • Hanns-Jürgen Krause: manual aquarium technology. 4th completely revised edition. Bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden 2004, ISBN 3-927997-10-2 .
  • Martin Sander: Aquarium technology in fresh and sea water. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1998, ISBN 3-8001-7341-7 .
  • Claus Schaefer, Andreas Raschke: Pocket atlas aquarium technology. Technology, furnishings, care. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2005, ISBN 3-8001-4675-4 .

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