Aquagarden Barracuda Pond Pump

The Aquagarden Barracuda is a filtration type pump. It is great for fish pond filters, especially in dirty water. The cage at the front doesn't have any sponge, so all the particles that are big enough to fit will go through and not get caught up or damage the pump. Because pond pumps sit at the bottom of the pond they get exposed to all sorts of debris, anything from insects to branches and leaves, and this setup – the big wide grill without a sponge – will require less maintenance overall, because it is easier for these materials to simply go through. It can, in fact, handle particles of up to 6 mm in size. This pump can be both submerged and run in line outside of the pond. These characteristics make it ideal for use in polluted water – if you are not experienced and/or had bad contractors and your pond ended up being quite a mess, this pump can help bring it back to life, giving you another chance to create a truly beautiful pond.

The Baracuda uses non-corosive ceramic bearings that ensure a flawless operation over a longer period of time, and has a high quality Vortex impeller. There is a threaded inlet and a threaded outlet on top of which sits another component that adds a lot to the overall efficiency, a ball joint for adjusting the outlet of the hose to various positions without getting a 90o turn that would slow down the flow of water. The next part are the hose tails, they are made to fit different sized hoses and are easily attached to the ball joint. The way they work is quite simple, there are several widths, starting from the narrowest and cascading to the widest – looking sort of like a wedding cake – and if you have a hose that is a little wider, you can simply take a saw and hack off the narrower parts, leaving you with the perfect size hole. All of these components (the cage, ball joint and hose tails) can be removed by unscrewing a screw, making disassembly and maintenance an incredibly easy task to perform. Four screws at the back hold the impeller cover, so from time to time in addition to scrubbing of the cage and cleaning out the tubes, you can take the cover off and give it a more thorough cleaning, although this is not something you will need to do often. The impeller behind this cover is an open type impeller, which means that it doesn't have sharp edged blades and is able to pass larger pieces of debris without them clinging to it – so additional clean up will rarely be needed, but it is easy to do should the need arise.

Regular maintenance is essential for any machine to keep functioning properly, so you should make a mental note to clean up your pond pump from time to time. For the first few days the pump will be working at optimal levels and you will be able to get a feel of how everything looks when it’s running at 100%, so after a few weeks or a month if you look at your pond and you get the feeling that it’s getting dirtier, you will know it’s time to do some cleaning.

The Baracuda pond pump is also equipped with a thermal safety overload switch. You see, what usually happens if you haven’t been cleaning your pump regularly is it gets clogged up, the water flow will slow down, the pump will start heating up, and at a certain point it will burn out. This means you now have to replace your pump. With the Baracuda once the temperature gets too high it will automatically shut down to protect itself, just like a computer that is overheating. The models range from 3600 lph to 25000 lph, so the time it would take an unattended pump to heat up and shut down will vary depending on the model.

The sight of a dirty pond can leave a bad impression of you to your neighbors and visitors – you wouldn't want your colleagues to think you are some kind of swamp monster when you invite them over for a dinner. That is why you need a good, sturdy pond pump that will get the job done and require as little maintenance as possible no matter how dirty the water, and the Barracuda has got your back on this one.

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Red Sea Max Marine Aquarium - Perfect Simplicity

There are quite a lot of people out there who are more than willing to pay for all the bells and whistles and get themselves a very good quality marine aquarium, but even then they are faced with a big problem: it takes a lot of work just to set up a tank and maintaining it properly can be a nightmare. It is sort of one of those old video games where you can’t save your progress, one little mistake and it’s game over, you have to start all over again. At least with video games you only pay for the game once and you just lose some time and your nerves, but with marine aquariums you have to buy new fish every time. There is in fact an easier way for beginners and the busy, hard workers amongst us hobbyists and that is a tank that is set up and ready to use straight out of the box, just add salt water and live rock, wait a while and you are ready to go. You don’t have to be particularly handy with tools and good at assembling things and hooking up electronics, almost all of the work is already done for you with the Red Sea Max aquarium.

This marine aquarium is glass with rounded edges and has a volume of 130 liters, more than enough for a stunning display that will fit perfectly in any room of the house, provided you find a solid base to support the substantial weight. The hood has three separate access panels:

Filter panel – located in the back and allows easy access to the protein skimmer.

Front panel – full width panel, opening one third of the total length of aquarium and folds back revealing a working surface that can hold all the different accessories for feeding and monitoring.

Full access panel – raises the entire hood, securing it at an angle which gives the user full access and full visibility of the entire tank when aquascaping and during regular maintenance

When the Red Sea Max is turned on, the water in the aquarium circulates 10 times an hour. All of the equipment, that you would usually need to install and arrange in some sort of compartment below the tank itself, is housed behind a smoked glass divide that keeps it’s mechanical components hidden from sight so as not to detriment the overall aesthetics of the corral and fish on display. The components that are integrated into the system include:

Reef lighting – dual 55 watt T5 power compact lights and moon glow LED nightlights with a built-in 24 hour programmable lighting timer, located in the hood

Removable inlet filter comb – with adjustable shutter, used for surface skimming
Two-stage mechanical filter

Professional high capacity protein skimmer – with a 1200 liters per hour pump and heater with a thermostat

Biological and chemical filtration compartment – fully equipped

Twin circulation pumps – with adjustable dual outlet jets for optimizing water currents

Water chiller – optional

All of the above components are connected to a built-in power center that is splash proof, allowing only a single cord to portrude from the tank and making it very easy to hook up to a power outlet. There is an external control panel, accessed by opening the small door on the side of the tank, and it contains buttons that allow each separate component to be turned on or off. The door has nice little white symbols of the various components that are affected by the corresponding buttons, thus allowing even a small child to efficiently manipulate the marine aquarium. The Max also comes with a detailed guide on reef keeping and for just a little bit extra money you can get the Max starter kit which contains all the necessary feeding and monitoring accessories you will need.

Those of us who don’t have too much time to spend on our hobbies and want the precious few hours we have to ourselves to be fun and relaxing, not boring and tedious, where it feels like it’s just more work. The best thing about the Red Sea Max aquarium is that we don’t have to worry about buying and setting up all of the equipment, so all of our free time can be spent doing what we love – finding the best fish and reef-scaping. All in all it is a brilliant product that will save you a lot of time and energy, and that even the uninitiated can be trusted with in your absence.

If you want to find out more about other types of aquariums, check out our fish tanks selection.

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Outdoor Water Features - Great Way To Cope With Stress

Today, in this hard economic climate, work is stressful enough to create health conditions that would entail much healthcare cost. Hence, a good solution would be engaging oneself in relaxing hobbies like caring for pets like fishes, having a backyard pond or even an aquarium.

Perhaps you have noticed that Asians are fond of water elements in their home or office setting. Many Japanese homeowners maintain a beautiful Koi pond in their backyard because they find it relaxing to watch bright colored Kois. It can be a truly relaxing experience enough to relieve you from daily stress.



Another great way to cope with stress is pursuing aquascape as a hobby. The water is an important element and Feng Shui is a term that translates to “wind water” and defines the Asian practice of harnessing the energy (“chi”) of a location for maximum prosperity. Using the ancient secrets of Feng Shui to balance your home can help alleviate stress, remove obstacles and invite harmony.

Can you really imagine such a balance in the environment, today?

Just gazing at a refreshing waterscape such as mini waterfall can refresh you from a hard day at the office. You may even find yourself listening to the gentle gurgling of water that drips from rocks. Even gazing at the fluid movements of fish in the water can make you fall asleep.

If you are looking for a water feature that will make your garden pond look both sophisticated and very beautiful, if you want to make all those neighbors jealous, if you are a successful man or woman who has exquisite taste and wants to show it, then, call off the search because the Oase Pond Jet is most certainly the thing you have been seeking. This is a stationary floating fountain unit. It will fit like a glove and improve the overall look of your garden wherever you put it, and if you have any problems with dirty surfaces or ponds that you cannot remove the time has come to stop worrying about it. Just install the magnificent Oase Pond Jet on these surfaces, put an easy chair at a desirable distance from it, sit down, relax, and enjoy the show.

Let’s now go into the details and specifications of this remarkable product.

• The Oase Pond Jet has a 12000 liters per hour pump. The maximum height that the spray of water can reach is 3.5 meters in height and 3 meters in weight. If you think about it, this is extremely high. The demotions of the product are 670mm x 540mm. The maximum head of the water is 7.7 meters. It weighs 9kg, and the voltage used is 230V/50Hz. The place where you should connect the water hose is an inch wide in diameter. With it you get a 20 meter cable. Now, these are all just numbers, but, if you compare these numbers to the specifications of another product like this, you will eventually find out that the Oase Pond Jet is better than most (if not the best) of its competition.
• This product comes completely ready for installation. This means that you don’t have to worry about the whole process of combining parts and components in order to get it working. The best place to put it is a natural pond or some kind of lake, or even at places where the depth of the water is too big.
• The process of installing the Oase Pond Jet is rather easy, with just a small amount of money spent for necessary cost. Of course, a simple and easily comprehensible guide is supplied within the package. Having said this, it is natural to conclude, that you don’t have to have a permanent spot for it. If you are dissatisfied with the place you put it after some time, simply install it somewhere else. You can also use it just for special occasions like fancy dress parties, weddings, birthdays, any kinds of performances, and so on. It will definitely make you feel good about yourself when all of your guests start complementing you and your magnificent garden.
• The Oase Jet Pond Illumination Set is sold separately, but it is strongly recommended that you consider acquiring this as well. With it you get loads of fascinating light effects at night. When this add-on is installed I can guarantee that you will be spending more and more time in the garden, just sitting and enjoying the very beautiful display in front of you. You will find that friends and family are stopping by your house more frequently, just to drink a cup of coffee in the garden, but we all know that, besides a healthy conversation with you, they came to relax near the water and enjoy the futuristic light and water effects.
• The minimum water level required for the Oase Pond Jet is 1 meter if the water is clear, and 1.5 meters if the water is rather muddy. The illumination functions like this. You have three 50 watt halogen spotlights marked Oase – Laguna 10, and they are connected to UST 150 transformer which are located under water. As a result you get fantastic illumination of the patterns that the spray of water makes.
• Within the complete package you get the pump, the float, the nozzle, the dual function nozzle which gives you the opportunity to connect even more nozzles. The lights are sold separately, as mentioned before, but for your pleasure it is highly recommendable that you complete the set by purchasing them too.

In order to show how this product looks like when it is installed properly here are some pictures:

Without lights:



With lights:



In conclusion, is perfect for sitting in the garden during the summer and relaxing with this product near you. It is definitely what you deserve after a long day of work. It is most certainly at the top of the list of outdoor water features, and it has certainly satisfied many customers in the past. Now, it is your turn.

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Yasha Nano Reef Tank

For most people the word aquarium simply means an overgrown fish bowl. They think of it as simply pouring some tap water into a glass container and filling it with a bunch of cool-looking fish. However, there are people out there who can appreciate the finer things in life, and know how to relax and enjoy the colorful nature of the world around them. If you are one of those people, I can tell you that there is nothing you can set up in your home that will bring a sense of serenity and put a smile on your face quite like a nicely decorated marine aquarium. The most beautiful and awe inspiring of these are reef aquariums, with their plethora of colorful corals and various exotic sea creatures.

If you have seen pictures of huge, wall mounted aquariums and lamented over the fact that you could never afford such beauty, than the Yasha Nano Reef Tank is perhaps just the right thing for you. It is, as its name suggests, a smaller, budget friendly version of its big reef aquarium brothers, and is one of the best and most popular models on the market. It can hold a few sea creatures and fish, but the main focus of a tank, with the size of 36 liters, are the actual live corals themselves. It is designed to best showcase these magnificent corals, without consuming too much space in your house, or in your office.

The Yasha Nano Reef Tank has a maximum capacity of 36 liters, it weighs 15 kg (empty) and it measures 40cm by 30cm by 30cm, so as you can see it really doesn’t take up a lot of space. It can be easily installed in your living room, even if you don’t have a great amount free space – simply put it on a small table, a counter or even in a corner. You could put it in your office to brighten it up with some colour, and it goes well with other room decorations and furniture. It fits both the modern and more traditional interior decorating styles. There are of course larger models if space isn’t an issue, but they do cost more.

In terms of equipment, the Yasha Nano Reef Tank has a rear filter compartment with two components. First there is the Turboflotor Blue 500 protein skimmer, a very important part of the aquarium – it removes decomposing organic compounds before turning into nitrogenous waste. The protein skimmers main task is basically keeping everything inside the aquarium alive and happy. The second component in the filter compartment is the NanoProp 5000 stream pump with an adjustable output ranging from 2000 to 5000 l/h. This reef tank is of a solid construction and compact size, and will remain in perfect working condition  for years, even decades if proper care is taken. It can, as it is often the case with beautiful reef aquariums, remain a treasured household item for the generations to come.

In order to better showcase the beauty of the live corals, the Yasha Nano Reef Tank includes three Aquasunspot LEDs, each giving 9 watts of light at a 14.000 Kelvin colour temperature. This keeps the water at an optimal temperature for the organisms living inside, but also helps illuminate the whole reef tank with intense light providing you with an astonishing display that everyone will admire. One must experience the sight of this aquarium sitting atop a table in a dark room to fully appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the intricate shapes and vivid colours of the corals and tropical fish. It is quite something to gaze at as ones mind drifts of, a sort of zen moment you can have a few times during the day as you relax, and put your worries on hold.

All in all, if you are looking for something that will liven up your room and bring some colour and style into your life, but you don’t have the space, time and money to invest in a large fish tank, then you should definitely start your home decorating journey by looking into the Yasha Nano Reef Tank 36L model. It is sturdy and compact, user friendly, aesthetically pleasing and it will only cost you $595, which is quite good as nano reef tank prices go.

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OASE Aquamax Eco Pond Pump

OASE has been making the Aquamax range for about almost two decades now, and their products have only become increasingly efficient over the years. They are great at displacing the dirt and muck, and this really is their  main task - sucking muck from the pond and displacing it from the pump into the filter. The Aquamax Eco pump has a big, semi-globular cage with some generously sized holes – each hole is about 10mm in diameter. Anything getting sucked in there will get pumped up to the filter with ease.

Because it draws from such a large area, there is no place on the cage where the pump sucks very forcefully, therefore wildlife tend not to get sucked into this particular design – which means it is good for the environment as well.

This design has two pipes, an inlet and an outlet. The pump sucks from the surface of the domed cage, as well as from the inlet pipe, which allows it to draw from two locations at the same time, while remaining situated at the bottom of your pond. There is also an optional smaller cage that attaches to the inlet via pipe, so that you can then set the inlet to draw with varying degrees of power, leaving the big cage with the smaller percentage of draw power, or disabling the suction on one end entirely. This can be useful in the winter, when the water at the bottom is relatively warm, you can set the part attached to the skimmer to draw at full power, drawing of the surface, so that the water at the bottom of the pond stays pretty much at the same temperature.

The double suction feature especially comes in handy if you have a crescent moon shaped or elongated pond – like a sort of canal, because you can draw from both ends (by attaching a length of a hose to the inlet pipe and draw it out to the desired area while the main apparatus remains on the other end). The inlet can also be attached to the skimmer, so you can actually suck water from the top of your pond, sucking away all the filth and muck, the dead leaves, dead bugs, small twigs and other materials that eventually accumulate on the surface, while at the same time drawing from the bottom of your pond as well. So by setting it fifty-fifty, you can maintain a steady suction on both the surface and the bottom.

As far as what pipework to attach to the inlet and outlet of your pond pump, using a big hose is recommended, so that you have the maximum amount of water being pumped out without pressure. Ultimately you will get more water coming down your cascade or more water being pushed through your filter.

            The Aqua Max range carries a 5 year guarantee, and you can be sure that you will still be using them for years after the warranty has expired. Most of the time, when people experience a problem with one of these pumps it is simply neglected. They install the pump and then just leave it laying at the bottom for years, without ever giving it a second thought, so it eventually gets all clogged up. Periodical cleaning of the Aquamax Eco will ensure that the sturdy little pond pump keeps on chugging along, as good as new, for years and years.

            The running costs on these pumps are really low, even the Aquamax ECO 16000, which pumps 16000 liters an hour, runs at only 170 watts. Eco models 12000 and 16000 also have “Seasonal Flow Control” (SFC) that adapts all year round to the relevant seasonal changes within the pond, and enables a circulation that is dependent on the water temperature.

They are not cheap to buy, their price range is from $900 to $1150, but in the long run they will save you a lot of money on running costs (since they will last for years with little maintenance you can expect great savings over time), and you don’t have to buy a new one every few years like some of the cheap models found in hardware stores.

So in conclusion, you get a very functional, high quality garden pond pump, with enhanced sucking capabilities, that is also very eco-friendly and saves you a ton of money in the long run. These Aquamax pumps are just one of those things for which you might have to save up and carefully plan to purchase in between various everyday expenses, but then ten years from the time of purchase you will look at the good job it’s still performing and mutter to yourself that it was money well spent.

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Garden Pond Filters 101

An indispensable element of sustaining a healthy ponds is by utilizing garden pond filters to keep pond water clear and sanitized. There are multiple factors continuously doing their best to turn your pond into a murky bed of debris. These factors include decaying grass, sticks, and leaves; fish excrement, and detrimental compounds like ammonia.

A dirty pond is not a pleasing sight, and if there are plants, Koi and other creatures trying to survive in there, hygienic water is vital to their continued existence and health. The best way of guaranteeing sanitary water is by using a verified garden-pond filter, or a number of pond filters together.

Now that you understand how important it is to have a superb working pond filter, you must decide which type of filter suits your pond best. Making the right choice may seem a bit perplexing; however, pond filters are classified into several key groups. First, we will decipher how to select your garden pond filter.

-Garden Pond Filter Shopping Tips

1. First, you must consider how much water needs to be filtered. If your filter is not large enough, you will inevitably have to worry about algae problems, which can turn the water environment of your pond into a hazard for the creatures living there.

2. Check vigilantly for the capacity the filter can cope with. You will find volume-measuring devices that are available through the Internet or at your local pond equipment shop to decide what size is most appropriate.

3. In essence, it is better to have a garden-pond filter that is too large than one that is too small, so if you become a bit confused always select the larger one.

-Different Types of Garden Pond Filters

Pond Skimmers
Skimmers are garden pond filters, also known as mechanical filters that require some type of screen, basket, or net to trap waste. Skimmers are normally installed around the surface of a garden-pond and drags in the top-layer of water, filtering-out floating waste like grass, sticks, and leaves. Skimmers are vital for preventing free flowing debris from ultimately plummeting to the floor of a garden-pond and putrefying. The amount of debris floating within a pond will establish how frequently the filter will be detached-from the skimmer to get rid of debris.

Biological Filters
Biological filters consist of useful bacteria inside the actual filter that sanitizes the pond water at a molecular level. In order to decompose ammonia within the fish-excrement, a biological-filter will be required. Biological filters metamorphoses destructive ammonia into nitrates, that then turns into a form of food for vegetation inside the pond.

-Summary

Mechanical filters with a pond skimmer are quite efficient; however, it must be installed on the exterior of the garden-pond because it can occupy such a wide area. Therefore it is best suited for large garden-ponds. Many people prefer a combination of mechanical and biological filters. The best thing to do is to consider where you have space to install your garden pond filter and how you want the outcome to appear.


If you want to find out more, check out our pond filtration guide:
http://www.pondquip.com.au/pages/Pond-Filtration-Guide.html

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Garden Water Features: Calming Influence Provided by the Fountains

Water features such as mini waterfalls and fountains provide a cool and soothing atmosphere to both the home garden and also to the office reception areas. The sound of the flowing water from the waterfall or the fountain would make the people feel as if they are in the midst of a river stream. 

By adding matching decorative features one could really convert the home garden in to a river side place. Among the different water features available, fountain water feature has been found to be most preferred one by the home owners and also by the corporate sector.

Statue fountains are actually made out of glass reinforced concrete and are capable of lasting for a life time.

These statues are available in attractive designs and if you are looking for a particular water fountain statue design for your garden, then you could look at a wide variety of statue designs that are available for selection.

Different fountain statue designs:
1. Cathedral Fountain design
2. Corinthian design
3. Bali wall fountain design
4. Maldives design
5. Two tier Taft design
6. Vernacular design
7. Three tier Versailles design

Each and every design comes with outstanding features that would provide an elegant look and feel to your garden.

Cathedral fountain design comes in the form of two arching podiums with the smaller one sitting inside the bigger arch podium. This fountain water feature design is available in two attractive colors of chocolate brown and Medium Lead. It weighs 73kg and rises to a height of 1240mm. It also comes within an inbuilt pump. 

If you are looking for a small fountain for your garden, then you could opt for the Corinthian design. This fountain design weighs 82Kg and is made out of glass reinforced concrete. This design resembles a drum being placed on top of a copper chimney. Corinthian fountain feature is available in dark chocolate brown color.

If you are looking for a fountain water feature that could either be used in your home or in your office, then you could opt for the Bali wall fountain feature. 

This is available in medium lead color and raise to a height of 1500mm. The design resembles a rectangular vertical wall being mounted on top of a horizontal block. Water will continue to flow along the walls of the vertical rectangular structure.

Maldives fountain water structure is another attractive design that comes in greenish bronze color and weighs 66kg. They rise to a height of 1655mm providing a beautiful spectacle to the onlookers.

Two tier Taft design is another fountain feature that could be used in both the offices and homes. It consists of two circular discs being mounted on a central tapering shaft with the bigger disc at the bottom and the smaller disc at the top. 

The water flows from the smaller disc to the bigger disc and then collects finally at the base. This fountain design is available dark chocolate color and the tapering shaft rises to a height of 1180mm.

Vernacular fountain water feature consists of a metallic sphere that sits on top of a cup shaped structure. You could have a look at the different designs and then choose a design that meets your requirements.

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