Aquarium's Evolution

I'm going to make a prediction that the next major leap in aquarium
design will be the canopy. I've watched technologies evolve, filters,
filter media, heaters, lighting technologies, feeding systems and water
parameter related equipment. Occasionally some of these technologies
have imbedded themselves into the canopy. For example, 8 years ago, an
Italian aquarium manufacturer had an auto-feeder built into a canopy with
T6 fluorescent lighting. They were a little ahead of their time.
Marineland has a line of tanks with their filters built into the canopy,
and the design has persisted, even with many drawbacks.

The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things like:

1. Filter system
- integrated biowheel, and sponge media which would be serviced through a
hatch in the canopy.
- backwash capability into overflows (see para. 7. below)

2. Storage
- nets, test kits etc

3. Heater
- why use precious aquarium real-estate for an unsightly heater

4. Food storage
- empty/mix all your dried fish foods, pellets, flakes, freeze-dried etc
into a compartment which is sealed when the hatch is closed.
- there is a screw-type feeder with rubber blades (to keep humidity away
from the food) operated/programmed from a keypad (integrated into the
canopy)
- level indicator (proximity switch) provides visual indicator of low
food levels (ie: by reversing light operation to get your attention)
- filters would automatically turn off for 10 minutes during feeding

5. Light System
- staged lighting, programmed from same keypad
- dawn/dusk lights, small halogen making a spot light effect, with
ripples shadowing the substrate, used to transition to/from nightfall and
daylight main lighting
- main lights (two CF groups, morning 1/2 on, mid-day all on, and evening
1/2 on again)
- programmed variability (cloudy periods) to reduce algae (currently done
with timers set to 1 hour off)
- twilight lighting (typically red or actinic) not programmed, set
manually, for those bottle of wine by the fire late evenings.

6. Ventilation & Cooling
- all that lighting will require that the ballasts are in a separate
vented area (separate from the air under the canopy)
- stainless steel tubing (with cooling fins) replaces conventional hoses,
allowing atmospheric cooling using a small fan triggered by a
thermocouple.

7. Water/Atmospheric control
- pH regulated through CO2 injected inside canopy (or skip to next item)
- low pH amber/tannic appearance through black-water concentrate pellets,
or processed/compressed leaf pellets
- kH regulated through baking soda pellets
- continuous monitoring of conductivity (TDS control)
- plumbed directly into home's DWV and cold water supply line (for
continuous water changes through a drip system)
- thermocouple (replaces thermometer), to activate dynamic cooling
(para.6) and reduce lighting to cool as required. (heater's thermocouple
would be a separate unit in-line with heating elements).
- backwash cycle which would pulse water in through the gravel, trapping
mulm in screens located near overflow pipes

8. Power distribution
- plug the canopy in and all peripherals connect to canopy's integrated
GFI protected power bar.

9. Water Purification option
- clear plastic bell fits on top of canopy (semi-integrated), housing
various bog/terrestrial plants whose roots would strip out any remaining
NO3 from non-planted tanks (silk plants would make a come back, but some
people will always want real plants).

10. Live Food option
- habitat section in canopy for growing small creatures (ie: white worms
in earth, feeding off decay from mechanical filtration stage, or mysis
shrimp hatchery etc). Hatchery occupants will randomly 'escape' into
main tank to be eaten.


Did I miss anything? Today, this equipment & electronics exist
separately, much of it in high volume consumer goods, except for:
a) the canopy itself (fairly straightforward mould with several options
and expansion panels to include odd sized aquarium dimensions).
b) the canopy horizontal filter (plastic moulds) utilizing twin
(redundancy) generic powerheads
c) the controller and fairly straightforward programming
d) integration of all the components

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in 12
months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?
--
www.NetMax.tk

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
I'm going to make a prediction that the next major leap in aquarium design
will be the canopy. I've watched technologies evolve, filters, filter
media, heaters, lighting technologies, feeding systems and water parameter
related equipment. Occasionally some of these technologies have imbedded
themselves into the canopy. For example, 8 years ago, an Italian aquarium
manufacturer had an auto-feeder built into a canopy with T6 fluorescent
lighting. They were a little ahead of their time. Marineland has a line
of tanks with their filters built into the canopy, and the design has
persisted, even with many drawbacks.

The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things like:

1. Filter system
- integrated biowheel, and sponge media which would be serviced through a
hatch in the canopy.
- backwash capability into overflows (see para. 7. below)

2. Storage
- nets, test kits etc

3. Heater
- why use precious aquarium real-estate for an unsightly heater

4. Food storage
- empty/mix all your dried fish foods, pellets, flakes, freeze-dried etc
into a compartment which is sealed when the hatch is closed.
- there is a screw-type feeder with rubber blades (to keep humidity away
from the food) operated/programmed from a keypad (integrated into the
canopy)
- level indicator (proximity switch) provides visual indicator of low food
levels (ie: by reversing light operation to get your attention)
- filters would automatically turn off for 10 minutes during feeding

5. Light System
- staged lighting, programmed from same keypad
- dawn/dusk lights, small halogen making a spot light effect, with ripples
shadowing the substrate, used to transition to/from nightfall and daylight
main lighting
- main lights (two CF groups, morning 1/2 on, mid-day all on, and evening
1/2 on again)
- programmed variability (cloudy periods) to reduce algae (currently done
with timers set to 1 hour off)
- twilight lighting (typically red or actinic) not programmed, set
manually, for those bottle of wine by the fire late evenings.

6. Ventilation & Cooling
- all that lighting will require that the ballasts are in a separate
vented area (separate from the air under the canopy)
- stainless steel tubing (with cooling fins) replaces conventional hoses,
allowing atmospheric cooling using a small fan triggered by a
thermocouple.

7. Water/Atmospheric control
- pH regulated through CO2 injected inside canopy (or skip to next item)
- low pH amber/tannic appearance through black-water concentrate pellets,
or processed/compressed leaf pellets
- kH regulated through baking soda pellets
- continuous monitoring of conductivity (TDS control)
- plumbed directly into home's DWV and cold water supply line (for
continuous water changes through a drip system)
- thermocouple (replaces thermometer), to activate dynamic cooling
(para.6) and reduce lighting to cool as required. (heater's thermocouple
would be a separate unit in-line with heating elements).
- backwash cycle which would pulse water in through the gravel, trapping
mulm in screens located near overflow pipes

8. Power distribution
- plug the canopy in and all peripherals connect to canopy's integrated
GFI protected power bar.

9. Water Purification option
- clear plastic bell fits on top of canopy (semi-integrated), housing
various bog/terrestrial plants whose roots would strip out any remaining
NO3 from non-planted tanks (silk plants would make a come back, but some
people will always want real plants).

10. Live Food option
- habitat section in canopy for growing small creatures (ie: white worms
in earth, feeding off decay from mechanical filtration stage, or mysis
shrimp hatchery etc). Hatchery occupants will randomly 'escape' into main
tank to be eaten.


Did I miss anything? Today, this equipment & electronics exist
separately, much of it in high volume consumer goods, except for:
a) the canopy itself (fairly straightforward mould with several options
and expansion panels to include odd sized aquarium dimensions).
b) the canopy horizontal filter (plastic moulds) utilizing twin
(redundancy) generic powerheads
c) the controller and fairly straightforward programming
d) integration of all the components

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in 12
months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?
--
www.NetMax.tk


I would buy into this idea..particularly if the various components could be
modular and individually selected. All of what you say is perfectly
available now. In my situation, with severe space, weight, and maintenance
issues an integrated, modular system would be excellent.

"NetMax" wrote

snipped


The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things like:


snipped

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one?

I wouldn't buy a foot thick canopy no. If anything I'd like
canopies to get smaller and less obtrusive.


--
Graham Ramsay
Secretary
Fair City Aquarist Society

"Graham Ramsay" wrote in message
...
"NetMax" wrote

snipped


The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things
like:


snipped

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one?

I wouldn't buy a foot thick canopy no. If anything I'd like
canopies to get smaller and less obtrusive.


--
Graham Ramsay
Secretary
Fair City Aquarist Society

Understood. It would be a bit of a paradyne shift. There is some
consumer demand to integrate terrestrial and aquatic flora & fauna, in
the push for more realistic slices of nature in our livingroom. Along
these lines, very tall sheets of glass could be used, such that a 48"
tall aquarium would only be filled halfway with water, leaving the upper
24" for small shelves (rock appearance) for bog plants, water elements
(small water fall), flowering aquatic plants (some need a lot of
headspace above the water), and terrestrial critters (some insects,
amphibians, reptiles etc as space allowed).

If this sounds attractive, there are many drawbacks i) the glass
thickness cannot be reduced for the upper portion (manufacturing
constraint) making a very heavy and expensive structure, ii) maintenance
access is horrific (our reach is only about 24" to reach the bottom of
the tank), and the upper terrestrial portion of the tank would tend to
have condensation negatively affecting our view.

The work around is a bit of a hybrid on the idea, by integrating some of
the nicer aspects into a canopy. This allows less expensive materials
for the terrestrial portion, better access (canopy sections open to more
easily reach the bottom of the tank) and the use of plastics which would
promote less condensation obscuring our vision.

The canopy becomes another biotope, and hides all the mechanics to
support both terrestrial and aquatic biotopes. It's just food for
thought ). Thanks for the feedback.
--
www.NetMax.tk

"NetMax" wrote in message
...
I'm going to make a prediction that the next major leap in aquarium design
will be the canopy. I've watched technologies evolve, filters, filter
media, heaters, lighting technologies, feeding systems and water parameter
related equipment. Occasionally some of these technologies have imbedded
themselves into the canopy. For example, 8 years ago, an Italian aquarium
manufacturer had an auto-feeder built into a canopy with T6 fluorescent
lighting. They were a little ahead of their time. Marineland has a line
of tanks with their filters built into the canopy, and the design has
persisted, even with many drawbacks.

The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things like:

1. Filter system
- integrated biowheel, and sponge media which would be serviced through a
hatch in the canopy.
- backwash capability into overflows (see para. 7. below)

2. Storage
- nets, test kits etc

3. Heater
- why use precious aquarium real-estate for an unsightly heater

4. Food storage
- empty/mix all your dried fish foods, pellets, flakes, freeze-dried etc
into a compartment which is sealed when the hatch is closed.
- there is a screw-type feeder with rubber blades (to keep humidity away
from the food) operated/programmed from a keypad (integrated into the
canopy)
- level indicator (proximity switch) provides visual indicator of low food
levels (ie: by reversing light operation to get your attention)
- filters would automatically turn off for 10 minutes during feeding

5. Light System
- staged lighting, programmed from same keypad
- dawn/dusk lights, small halogen making a spot light effect, with ripples
shadowing the substrate, used to transition to/from nightfall and daylight
main lighting
- main lights (two CF groups, morning 1/2 on, mid-day all on, and evening
1/2 on again)
- programmed variability (cloudy periods) to reduce algae (currently done
with timers set to 1 hour off)
- twilight lighting (typically red or actinic) not programmed, set
manually, for those bottle of wine by the fire late evenings.

6. Ventilation & Cooling
- all that lighting will require that the ballasts are in a separate
vented area (separate from the air under the canopy)
- stainless steel tubing (with cooling fins) replaces conventional hoses,
allowing atmospheric cooling using a small fan triggered by a
thermocouple.

7. Water/Atmospheric control
- pH regulated through CO2 injected inside canopy (or skip to next item)
- low pH amber/tannic appearance through black-water concentrate pellets,
or processed/compressed leaf pellets
- kH regulated through baking soda pellets
- continuous monitoring of conductivity (TDS control)
- plumbed directly into home's DWV and cold water supply line (for
continuous water changes through a drip system)
- thermocouple (replaces thermometer), to activate dynamic cooling
(para.6) and reduce lighting to cool as required. (heater's thermocouple
would be a separate unit in-line with heating elements).
- backwash cycle which would pulse water in through the gravel, trapping
mulm in screens located near overflow pipes

8. Power distribution
- plug the canopy in and all peripherals connect to canopy's integrated
GFI protected power bar.

9. Water Purification option
- clear plastic bell fits on top of canopy (semi-integrated), housing
various bog/terrestrial plants whose roots would strip out any remaining
NO3 from non-planted tanks (silk plants would make a come back, but some
people will always want real plants).

10. Live Food option
- habitat section in canopy for growing small creatures (ie: white worms
in earth, feeding off decay from mechanical filtration stage, or mysis
shrimp hatchery etc). Hatchery occupants will randomly 'escape' into main
tank to be eaten.


Did I miss anything? Today, this equipment & electronics exist
separately, much of it in high volume consumer goods, except for:
a) the canopy itself (fairly straightforward mould with several options
and expansion panels to include odd sized aquarium dimensions).
b) the canopy horizontal filter (plastic moulds) utilizing twin
(redundancy) generic powerheads
c) the controller and fairly straightforward programming
d) integration of all the components

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in 12
months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?
--
www.NetMax.tk

I would buy a canopy that included your
items 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 but the other items either
I don't need or use, or they would seem to
make the unit too bulky to be self-contained
(e.g., the food storage items). I *really* like
the idea of the heater built into the canopy.

BTW I do have heavily planted tanks but don't
use CO2 injection and it seems to work just fine.

Perhaps manufacturers will offer a line of
canopies from basic (my needs) to complex.

Gail

"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
"NetMax" wrote in message
...
I'm going to make a prediction that the next major leap in aquarium
design will be the canopy.

snipped for brevity

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in
12 months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?
--
www.NetMax.tk

I would buy a canopy that included your
items 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 but the other items either
I don't need or use, or they would seem to
make the unit too bulky to be self-contained
(e.g., the food storage items). I *really* like
the idea of the heater built into the canopy.

BTW I do have heavily planted tanks but don't
use CO2 injection and it seems to work just fine.

Perhaps manufacturers will offer a line of
canopies from basic (my needs) to complex.

Gail

The challenge would be in the design of the canopy, such that as few
moulds as possible would be needed to mass produce it cost-effectively.
This makes many features cost-neutral, so you would simply not use them,
but they would be included by default.

I've designed products with complicated option tables, and the options
themselves can become an administrative nuisance with only the designer
really understanding all the nuances ;~), so I think I understand better
now the need for simplicity.

I'm not sure what shape a basic model would take, but you are right that
there would need to be an entry level design (if the strategy was to go
that way). Many products do not have basic entry level designs, and they
simply target a niche where consumers have more experience and money,
than time.

Thanks for the feedback.
--
www.NetMax.tk

NetMax wrote:
I'm going to make a prediction that the next major leap in aquarium
design will be the canopy. I've watched technologies evolve, filters,
filter media, heaters, lighting technologies, feeding systems and water
parameter related equipment. Occasionally some of these technologies
have imbedded themselves into the canopy. For example, 8 years ago, an
Italian aquarium manufacturer had an auto-feeder built into a canopy with
T6 fluorescent lighting. They were a little ahead of their time.
Marineland has a line of tanks with their filters built into the canopy,
and the design has persisted, even with many drawbacks.

The canopy of the future will resemble what we have today, but will be
much bigger, possibly 8 to 12" thick. It will incorporate things like:

1. Filter system
- integrated biowheel, and sponge media which would be serviced through a
hatch in the canopy.
- backwash capability into overflows (see para. 7. below)

2. Storage
- nets, test kits etc

3. Heater
- why use precious aquarium real-estate for an unsightly heater

4. Food storage
- empty/mix all your dried fish foods, pellets, flakes, freeze-dried etc
into a compartment which is sealed when the hatch is closed.
- there is a screw-type feeder with rubber blades (to keep humidity away
from the food) operated/programmed from a keypad (integrated into the
canopy)
- level indicator (proximity switch) provides visual indicator of low
food levels (ie: by reversing light operation to get your attention)
- filters would automatically turn off for 10 minutes during feeding

5. Light System
- staged lighting, programmed from same keypad
- dawn/dusk lights, small halogen making a spot light effect, with
ripples shadowing the substrate, used to transition to/from nightfall and
daylight main lighting
- main lights (two CF groups, morning 1/2 on, mid-day all on, and evening
1/2 on again)
- programmed variability (cloudy periods) to reduce algae (currently done
with timers set to 1 hour off)
- twilight lighting (typically red or actinic) not programmed, set
manually, for those bottle of wine by the fire late evenings.

6. Ventilation & Cooling
- all that lighting will require that the ballasts are in a separate
vented area (separate from the air under the canopy)
- stainless steel tubing (with cooling fins) replaces conventional hoses,
allowing atmospheric cooling using a small fan triggered by a
thermocouple.

7. Water/Atmospheric control
- pH regulated through CO2 injected inside canopy (or skip to next item)
- low pH amber/tannic appearance through black-water concentrate pellets,
or processed/compressed leaf pellets
- kH regulated through baking soda pellets
- continuous monitoring of conductivity (TDS control)
- plumbed directly into home's DWV and cold water supply line (for
continuous water changes through a drip system)
- thermocouple (replaces thermometer), to activate dynamic cooling
(para.6) and reduce lighting to cool as required. (heater's thermocouple
would be a separate unit in-line with heating elements).
- backwash cycle which would pulse water in through the gravel, trapping
mulm in screens located near overflow pipes

8. Power distribution
- plug the canopy in and all peripherals connect to canopy's integrated
GFI protected power bar.

9. Water Purification option
- clear plastic bell fits on top of canopy (semi-integrated), housing
various bog/terrestrial plants whose roots would strip out any remaining
NO3 from non-planted tanks (silk plants would make a come back, but some
people will always want real plants).

10. Live Food option
- habitat section in canopy for growing small creatures (ie: white worms
in earth, feeding off decay from mechanical filtration stage, or mysis
shrimp hatchery etc). Hatchery occupants will randomly 'escape' into
main tank to be eaten.


Did I miss anything? Today, this equipment & electronics exist
separately, much of it in high volume consumer goods, except for:
a) the canopy itself (fairly straightforward mould with several options
and expansion panels to include odd sized aquarium dimensions).
b) the canopy horizontal filter (plastic moulds) utilizing twin
(redundancy) generic powerheads
c) the controller and fairly straightforward programming
d) integration of all the components

Alone, I could prototype this in about 6 years (it is that easy), so a
group of people could probably get one into pre-production testing in 12
months, and into production, 6 months after that.

The question is, would it sell. Would you buy one? Is it complete,
anything missing?

Sounds good but there is one thing that I would add. This summer, as
some of you might remember, I came home from my holiday to face fish
soup in my Community Tank. Most of my fish had died due to toxic water
when the Fluval 304 failed to work (could have been for up to 2 weeks).
Unfortunately, noone had noticed :-(

Now, what I would like, and am researching implementing when I get the
new tank, is a warning system that would send a text message to my
mobile once certain thresholds are exceeded or drop too low. This would
give so many of us peace of mind....and most certainly would have saved
the lives of my fish while I was on holiday. I need to see what type of
monitoring stuff is out there right now as to how much development work
would need to be done - but I'm pretty sure it is possible to do. This
could look at water flow, mechanical workings of the pump, temperature
control, lighting levels and hopefully some essential diagnostic water
tests. Not only could it warn when things are becoming critical it could
also give trend information - say for example if temperatures fluctuate
greatly over a given time scale, or if the heat distribution is not
even.....all sorts of possibilites - I think this is going to be a fun
project :-)



Gill

I think the temperature stuff would be no problem - electronic controls
are already available specifically for fish tanks and I would think one
of them will plug into your computer for the text messaging part of
things. I'm sure there's also non-fish-specific equipment that will do
this.

I've seen electronic pH meters as well.

For lighting, I'd bet there's something, but the easiest would be to
have something which senses a loss of power.... But then, how's it
gonna send you a message with no power? Perhaps program the UPS
software on your computer to send the text message when the UPS kicks
in (and again when it starts up again) - then you'd know your house
lost power. (This would require an "always on" internet connection -
make sure you've got good firewalls and anti-virus software in place.)

Don't look for stuff made for aquariums - it's not all gonna exist -
it's too expensive - look for stuff made for labs, plants and similar
industrial application - then pretty much everything will exist (for a
price). If you have specific questions, I'd be willing to run a few
past our metrology department (I work in a non-clinical testing lab -
in IT).

IMO, knowing if the power goes out, having redundant filters and
redundant heating would take care of the biggest concerns.

Liz

PS: Will post a separate reply to NetMax's idea later...

"Liz" wrote in message
oups.com...
I think the temperature stuff would be no problem - electronic controls
are already available specifically for fish tanks and I would think one
of them will plug into your computer for the text messaging part of
things. I'm sure there's also non-fish-specific equipment that will do
this.

I've seen electronic pH meters as well.

For lighting, I'd bet there's something, but the easiest would be to
have something which senses a loss of power.... But then, how's it
gonna send you a message with no power? Perhaps program the UPS
software on your computer to send the text message when the UPS kicks
in (and again when it starts up again) - then you'd know your house
lost power. (This would require an "always on" internet connection -
make sure you've got good firewalls and anti-virus software in place.)

Don't look for stuff made for aquariums - it's not all gonna exist -
it's too expensive - look for stuff made for labs, plants and similar
industrial application - then pretty much everything will exist (for a
price). If you have specific questions, I'd be willing to run a few
past our metrology department (I work in a non-clinical testing lab -
in IT).

IMO, knowing if the power goes out, having redundant filters and
redundant heating would take care of the biggest concerns.

Liz

PS: Will post a separate reply to NetMax's idea later...


Typically (system backup design), ac power is used to hold a relay on a
dc circuit in an open state. During a municipal power loss, the relay
coil is de-energized and closes a dc path, which provides 12Vdc from a
marine/motorcycle battery to a dc powerhead (commonly sold as bilge
pumps) which is always in line with your filtration system.
Additionally, 12V airpumps are sold for this purpose as well. This
requires no controller IO access or special programming. It is logic
with pedals ;~).

Communicating the problem to your office phone or cell phone will usually
not be difficult if an auto-dialer is triggered on a landline. The call
is typically routed to a telco phone switch which utilizes banks of 48Vdc
batteries to provide loop current to phones (why some phones work during
a power failure). If there is a repeater in the path, or your office is
also having a power failure, then the reliability of the call is suspect.
Many office PBXs have partial service on their analog lines. ymmv, but
again, no controller IO access or special programming would be needed.

hth
--
www.NetMax.tk

Any use of the word "program" in my message should be taken as
"configure" - e.g. UPS software generally has a bunch of options like
this - just enter the phone number or the email address or tell it to
launch a program which does the emailing/calling.

Marine batteries as backup power for your aquarium equipment seems
reasonable if it's worth the expense to you.

Liz