A Primer on Aquarium Water Pumps

In the aquarium hobby, there is a gray area distinguishing between powerheads and water pumps. For those not familiar with the use of under-gravel filters, powerheads were the first submersible (some actually were NOT submersible) pumps we could use to draw the water up the lift tube of an under gravel filter and eliminate using an air pump and airstones. With their first introduction, powerheads were seen as a major advancement and quickly replaced air pumps.

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Retail Tails: Dull is Better

Back when I first started keeping aquariums, there was rather limited access to different brands of products, and everything was rather “generic.” I remember one of my local stores raved about how shiny their carbon was compared to the pre-packed stuff. This was supposed to be a good thing.

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Even the Best Fish Food Can Get Tiring

Most aquarium keepers are interested in providing a safe, beneficial environment for their fish, plants or corals. Outside of maintaining proper water conditions, one area that can have a big influence in the health of your aquatic inhabitants is the types of fish food you offer to them.

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Aquatic Report Card: Wavemakers for the Reef Aquarium

To ensure success with a coral reef aquarium, it will require the use of multiple water moving powerheads to create currents in the aquarium. By creating a turbulent flow in the saltwater aquarium, we will increase the oxygen levels and maintain a more even temperature gradient. Also, the back and forth motion of the water over the corals will eliminate any dead spots and remove any detritus that tries to settle out on the coral.

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Plumbing Nomenclature: Understanding Aquarium Plumbing Parts

Sometimes, just planning on how to connect all the plumbing parts of your aquarium filtration system is difficult enough without having to translate the unique language of plumbing parts. This article will attempt to clarify some of the confusion.

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