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Aquaria - Glossary
Actinic Lights - A fluorescent light that emits blue light (the colour of ocean water below about 10 meters) which is essential to all marine life.
Activated Carbon - A filtration medium used in the aquarium filter to remove impurities from the water and help maintain clarity. It can also used to absorb fish treatments from the aquarium after the course of treatment is finished. The Carbon should be changed at regular intervals to prevent the Carbon from leaching captured impurities back into the aquarium water.
Air Pump - An electro-mechanical pump used to supply air to the aquarium through air stones.
Air stones - Used with Air pumps to increase the oxygen content of the aquarium water. They also disrupt the water surface to prevent a surface film that would prohibit the proper gaseous exchanges.
Algae - Microscopic plant like organisms that grow in water. The main causes are usually by too much light, too much phosphate, or overfeeding.
Alkalinity - Sometimes referred to as Carbonate Hardness. The amount of your aquarium water's ability to resist changes in pH. The alkalinity can be raised by using a catalyst such as baking soda. Alkalinity is usually expressed in PPM (parts per million)
Ammonia (NH3) - A natural by-product of fish waste, toxic to fish at almost any detectable level. Ammonia is only present at a pH 7.0 or higher.
Ammonium (NH4) - A non toxic by-product of fish waste in water below a pH of 7.0.
Anaerobic - An area of water without any dissolved oxygen.
Artemia - The brine shrimp.
Biological Filter - A filter which uses naturally occurring bacteria to break down waste products in the aquarium water, turning them into substances which are less toxic or not toxic at all.
Bio Wheel - A rotating paddle wheel type filtration device that provides excellent wet and dry filtration.
Brackish - Stagnant saline water. Water somewhere between freshwater and marine.
Brine shrimp - Small shrimp used as live fish food.
Bubble Filter - An internal filter which uses air lift tubes to draw water thru a filter pad.
Buffer - A substance added to the water to increase the alkalinity. Increasing the buffer will also increase the pH.
Canister Filter - An external filter using a pump and tubes to circulate the water from the aquarium through a canister filled with different levels of filter media.
Carbon (C) - See Activated Carbon above.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - Absorbed by plants as a nutrient. Can also be used as a buffer to lower the pH of aquarium water.
Carbonate Hardness - See Alkalinity above.
Chemical Filter - A type of filter that utilizes a chemical medium, such as Carbon, to clean the aquarium water.
Chiller - A device used mainly in marine aquariums to help cool the water.
Chloramine (1-CH3C6H4-4-SO2NClNa:3H20) - Chloramine is a disinfectant added to water for public health protection in some areas. It is a combination of chlorine and ammonia that is currently considered best technology for controlling the formation of certain regulated organic disinfection by-products. This is very toxic for fish and should be removed using a dechlorinator that can also remove chloramines as well as chlorine.
Chlorine (Cl2) - A chemical substance used by municipal water treatment facilities to eliminate bacteria from the water supply. This is toxic to fish and should be removed using a dechlorinator, aerating, or by letting the water stand in an open container for 24 hrs.
Cichlid - A family of aggressive freshwater fish found in South America and Africa.
Deionizer - A device that filters municipal tap water prior to aquarium use.
Diatom Filter - A mechanical filter that uses diatomaceous earth to remove fine particles from the water.
Discus - A type of cichlid fish from South America. Considered by many to be 'The King' of freshwater fish.
Egg layer - Fish that reproduces by laying eggs, as opposed to a livebearer.
Filter - A device used to clean the aquarium water. The three main types are Biological, Chemical, and Mechanical. All three types of filtering can be used in the same aquarium.
Fluidized Bed Filters - A vertical tube filter containing a silica medium. A rapid upward moving column of water keeps a suspension of the media which provides a large surface area for bacterial action. This provides an excellent biological filtering system.
General Hardness - The measure of calcium (Ca++) and magnesium (Mg++) ion concentrations dissolved in the aquarium water.
Heater - An electrical device used to heat the aquarium water.
Hydrometer - A device for measuring the specific gravity of a marine tank.
Invertebrate - Creatures without a backbone.
Killifish - A family of African freshwater fish that only have a life span of one year.
Lift tube - Mainly used with under gravel type filters. Bubbles are produced at the bottom of the tube and as the bubbles rush upward they act like a pump on the water pushing it up the tube thereby creating a recirculation flow of water.
Livebearer - A fish that give birth to live young.
Live Rock - Rock that has been taken from a coral reef that contains life forms on them.
Mechanical Filter - A filter that removes unwanted particles from the aquarium water by using a mechanical device such as sieve, filament, fibre or another floss type material.
Metal halide - Lamps that produce very hot and very bright light. Used as an artificial sun for reef tanks.
Nitrification - The process where ammonia is converted to Nitrite (NO2) and eventually to Nitrate (NO3).
Nitrate (NO3) - This is a non-toxic compound in the nitrogen cycle. Although not a critical problem in freshwater tanks, marine tanks should be kept well below 10 ppm.
Nitrite (NO2) - This is a toxic compound of the nitrogen cycle and should be kept at as low a level as possible at all times.
Nitrogen Cycle - This describes how a fish's bodily waste is broken down in the aquarium. The waste decomposes as toxic Ammonia (NH3). Nitrsomona bacteria convert the Ammonia into Nitrite (NO2), which is also toxic. Nitrobacteria then break down the nitrite into the non-toxic Nitrate (NO3). This Nitrate is then removed from the aquarium by performing partial water changes.
Peat - This is a form of partially fossilised moss usually used to soften and lower the pH of the aquarium water. It is likely to colour the water slightly.
pH - Indicates how acidic or alkaline your aquarium water is. pH is an acronym the power of Hydrogen.
Power Filter - A filter that usually hangs on the back of an aquarium. Contains a built in water pump that draws water up an intake tube from the aquarium into and through the filter medium and then returned back into the aquarium.
Power Head - A submersible pump normally used in conjunction with an under gravel filter.
Redox (Reduction-Oxidation) - A measure of how an organic reactions to takes place. This is an indication of overall water quality.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) - A process to filter municipal tap water before use in the aquarium.
Reverse Under Gravel Filter - This filter runs opposite to a normal under gravel filter where it pushes water up thru the gravel bed. This requires less of a filter cleaning effort relying on bacterial action to reduce the toxins.
Sponge Filter - A filter that provides a mechanical and biological filtration. The filter consists of a lift tube connected to a power head that draws water through a sponge block removing the waste particles and growing bacteria.
Strontium - A trace element necessary for marine corals and shellfish to grow.
Trickle Filter - A wet and dry filter where water is dripped over plastic gravel like media which is also exposed to the open air. This promotes good bacterial growth.
Ultraviolet Sterilizer - A tubular device which water passing through at a very slowly, allowing ultraviolet light rays to irradiate the water and kill any existing bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and parasites.
Under gravel Filter (UGF) - Basically it is a perforated plate or series of joined perforated tubes which is placed under the aquarium gravel. Water is drawn through the gravel, through the plate or tubes, up through a lift tube, and finally recycled back on top of the aquarium water.
Wet/Dry Filter - This is a biological filter with plastic gravel like media exposed to the air in order to promote rapid bacterial growth.
Water Condition - Water is the life element for your fish
and plants.  That's
why it's important to choose the right water care products. Here you'll find
a wide selection of products to help you create the right water conditions. You'll
also find great products for your aquatic plants.
Brands such as, Easy-life,
Sera, Tetra, or Easy-Life can be found here.
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