Fishes Aquarium

They provide valuable circulation, surface agitation, and oxygenation in any aquatic exhibit. Without them our aquaria would be lifeless stagnant pools of water.

Here is a brief roundup of the commonly available powerheads found in the aquarium hobby.

Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jets

The Maxi-Jet powerhead on the left is being used to power a small protein skimmer. The attachment on the inlet allows air to be drawn in through the impeller, producing very fine bubbles.

I have found these pumps to be some of the quietest and mos

A short length (perhaps just 3-6") is all that is needed on the end of each teed outlet on the manifold to superbly finesse water flow in the aquarium as needed. Clearly, effluent direction on the manifold can be tweaked and tuned in ways that are impossible with rigid and planar powerheads.

Ultimately, the goal with any interpretation of outlets/nozzles that you may ch

This species is spotted on the posterior part of the body and to a lesser extent on other parts of the body.

Tropical gar, Atractosteus tropicus
A very rare species.

Manfari or Cuban gar, Atractosteus tristoechus
Looks very similar to the alligator gar and since it is very rare in the trade you can usually assume that your gar is an alligator gar and not a Cuban gar unless otherwise stated. The Cuban gar has a broader snout and lacks pattern on its body.

Beside these species there are a number of hybrids such as the

The literal placement of such pumps is also somewhat to very inconvenient for servicing. It is for these last reasons that I personally prefer to run a manifold off a proper sump pump

With any external pump installation, please be absolutely sure to use flanking slip unions (quick disconnects) a

This technique is not appropriate for most retailers who are better off recirculating, mixing system water.

How it Works:

Each tank or tub on a system is drilled and fitted with an overflow through the back or a bottom standpipe. Acrylic aquaria are easily drilled wit

Gourami Attacking Other Fish
This Gourami owner is discovering that not all Gouramis play well together. Join the discussion and share your thoughts. "Hi I'm new to all this but I was wondering....

Blue Algae , cyanobacteria

Blue Algae ( cyanobacteria )

Most aquarium hobbyists know and fear this type of algae, well actually it's the organism cyanobacteria. The appearance of the blue algae is often a slimy blue green carpet, quickly spreading throughout the aquarium surface.