Aquariums/Tanks

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Aquariums/Tanks

• Dr. Craig Kasper

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• Many people have owned or will own a fish tank
  (it may even contain fish)

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• As we will see, aquariums for fish take on many
  forms...some are simple.

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• Some are a bit more complex...

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Aquariums What are they?

• An aquarium (plural aquariums or aquaria)
• Clear-sided container
• Typically glass or high-strength plastic
• Houses plants and animals or both.
• Private and public display

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• Aquarium keeping is a popular hobby (gt60 million
  hobbist globally)
• Recognized as early as the1850s, when the
  predecessor of the modern aquarium was first
  developed as a novel curiosity,
• Public aquaria reproduce the home aquarist's
  hobby on a grand scale the Osaka Aquarium (seen
  here), boasts a tank of 1.4 million gallons and
  nearly 580 spp.

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• Currently, huge variety exists!
• A simple bowl housing a single fish to complex
  simulated ecosystems with carefully engineered
  support systems.
• Fresh or salt water, tropical or cold water.
• Wild collecting still an issue, esp. salt
  H20(REMornamental fish?)

The Florida Aquarium
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• Must maintain a tank ecology that mimics natural
  habitat.
• Controlling water quality!
• managing the inflow and outflow of nutrients,
• management of waste (nitrogenous)
• beneficial bacteria populations.

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Aquarium Parts

• Tank
• Filter
• Gravel/sustrate
• Pump
• Aerator
• Reliable water supply

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Tanks

• High quality glass
• -Plexiglass is expensive, but lighter

Monteray Bay Aquarium
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Plexiglass offers unique design options!
No one wants this much water on the carpet!!
Courtesy Perigrine Plastics
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Filters

• Primary method of cleaning tank
• Removes solids
• -small solids called suspended solids
• -larger ones called flocs
• Provides substrate for nitrifiers
• Many types depending on needs

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Gravel/Substrate

• Material for nesting
• Aesthetics
• Nitrification
• Live sand
• Filtration

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Gravel/Substrate
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Gravel/Substrate
PVC shavings!
Activated Carbon
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Media Filters

• Bead/Sand/Media filters all use water pressure to
  force water through some type of media.
• Excellent filtering capacity, esp. for larger
  systems
• More maintenance (media changing
• backwashing, etc.)

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Mixed media filters
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Gravity Filtration

• Trickle filters/Settling Chamber/Swirl Separators
• Most use gravity to accomplish filtering.
• Better for nitrification and oxygenation.
• Prone to clogging if primary filtration
  inefficient.

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Screen Filters (RDF)

• Screen/Microscreen filters
• A.k.a.rotating drum filters
• Utilize large particle size
• flocculation to remove
• solids.
• Excessive flow can
• reduce efficiency!

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Best of Both Worlds??

• Fluidized bed??
• Actually more simple than it sounds.
• Running a sandfilter backwards would give same
  effect.
• Huge potential for nitrification.
• Bed expansion by optimizing flow.

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Fluidized-Bed Filter

• Media maintained 50-100 expansion volume of
  original.

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Over 20 feet tall!
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Bead Filters

• Another form of fluidized
• filter system (upwelling).
• Media is usually plastic beads.
• Good nitrification.
• Performs poorly during heavy
• loading.
• -excessive stocking density
• -ad libitum feeding

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Aeration

• Oxygen
• Speeds up decomposition
• Circulates water (air lift pump)

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Aeration
Non-pressurized Downflow bubble contactor
(DBC) Counter current diffusion column U-tube
diffusers
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Production Tanks

• Production tanks can be made of fiberglass, wood,
  etc.
• Volume necessary and strength, not aesthetics!

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St. Croix Waters Fishery
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Mote Marine Laboratory
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Mote Marine Laboratory
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Biofilters

• Help to establish nitrogen cycle.
• Break down toxic fish wastes.

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• Liquid Oxygen
• Facilitates higher densities
• Cheaper than gas O2
• Increase O2 saturation
• Can increase CO2 levels
• False security
• -increased density
• -increased solids
• -may increase disease

• Ozone
• Increases flocculation
• Reduces disease outbreak
• -kills bateria, fungus,
• viruses
• Expensive

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• Protein Skimmers/ Foam Fractionators
• Removal of excessive organics
• -decreases B.O.D. and C.O.D.
• Increases flocculation
• -decreases solids
• -increases water clarity

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How Do I Condition a Biofilter?

• Since nitrifying bacteria are ubiquitous
  (everywhere) and can be found easily in the water
  column, soil and sediments you can just add some
  pond water or a little dirt to the system.
  (Could introduce pathogens or other toxins
  though.)
• A better way
• a. Use existing media from another filter as a
  starter colony (just like passing around
  grandmas sour dough starters).

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Recipe for Nitrification Success!

• Once youve achieved proper ph, hardness, and
  alkalinity for your target species its time to
  add the bacteria before you stock out.
• System start-up formulae
• a. Spike the system with ammonia.
• -(NH4)SO4 3.3 ppm (mg/L)
• -NH4Cl 3-6 ppm (mg/L)
• b. Place several fish in the system and feed
  them.
• Wait 4 weeks (if no starters present)presto!

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• Get em yourself!
• (Sewage treatment inspectors get top pay!!)