At Aquarium Concepts, we specialize in Custom Glass Aquariums, from small to large. We now sell custom aquariums by Deep Sea Aquatics and together we can make you just about anything. It is important to select an experienced aquarium service professional that can install and maintain your new custom aquarium. At Aquarium Concepts, we ensure your ultimate satisfaction with over 30 years of experience.

We can also work with your designer, contractor or home builder and support them with CAD drawing and exact specification to make the selection and installation of your aquarium as easy and enjoyable as possible. Please feel free to review our gallery and call us if you have any questions, we will do our best to help you and guide you from start to finish.

SHREVEPORT August 14, 2013 — Aquarium Concepts has been selected for the 2013 Best of Shreveport Award in the Pet Stores category by the Shreveport Award Program.

Each year, the Shreveport Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Shreveport area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 Shreveport Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Shreveport Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Shreveport Award Program

The Shreveport Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Shreveport area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Shreveport Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

Technologies used by marine aquarists over the past few decades range from various types of fluorescent, HID, and LED lighting systems.

1960’s

In the 60’s, aquarium lighting was largely limited to incandescent lighting which was unsuitable for a marine “reef” tank. It comes as no surprise that most aquariums of that era were fresh water aquariums including fish, a ceramic castle, and maybe a plant or two. Options for producing high intensity artificial light suitable for coral growth were limited and expensive. But I’m sure that didn’t keep many dedicated aquarists from using real sunlight in open top aquariums.
1970’s

The first major innovation in aquarium lighting was the advent of florescent aquarium light fixtures. By the end of the 70’s, T12 fluorescent fixtures came in a variety of wavelengths such as “soft white”, “cool white”, and “plant lights” that were heavy in the red and blue wavelengths needed for terrestrial plant growth. It is this point in lighting technology where things really became interesting. Around this time, fluorescent lighting branched into several directions. Higher output HO and VHO fixtures came on the market which increased the intensity of light produced by a single bulb. At the same time a greater variety of wavelengths specifically designed for the aquarium environment appeared in retail stores, the most notable being “actinic” tubes which operate deep in the blue and ultraviolet spectrum so useful for coral growth.

1980’s

One of the properties of mother nature is that the warmer red wavelengths of sunlight do not penetrate ocean water as easily as the cooler blue wavelengths. This is a major reason why ocean water appears more blue the deeper and deeper you go. Corals, algae, an other lifeforms living between 30 and 100 feet are accustomed to the cooler blue wavelengths of light. You can think of water as a “light filter” that is more effective on red light than blue light. Thus, the actinic fluorescent tube and later the metal halide actinic bulb came to market. Reaching out to the 10K level was a major stretch in the right direction for “mini reef aquariums” as they became really popular in the 80’s.

1990’s

Another major advance in marine aquarium lighting is the electronic ballast. Instead of using conventional heavy transformers that generate a lot of heat, electronic ballasts use circuitry to produce the right voltage and frequency to the light source. The advantages of these new ballasts were increased light output, less heat, and in some cases dim-able operation could be achieved to simulate a sunrise and sunset effect. Once costing $500 or more, electronic ballasts continue drop in cost as they become mainstream and eventually replace the less efficient conventional ballasts that leak tar all over. T5 Fluorescent bulbs combined with higher efficiency ballasts produce a good amount of light for averaged sized reef aquariums.

2000’s

High output LED lighting now all the rage in automobile headlamps, sidewalk lighting, even flood lamps for your home. As LED lighting sweeps through the lighting world, marine aquarists have taken notice and developed daylight and actinic LED lighting systems that produce an amazing amount of light. Banks of individual LED’s are combined in arrays to produce high intensity daylight and/or actinic light. These LED systems are gaining a lot of momentum and provide great alternate to more traditional fluorescent metal halide fixtures.

One of the major scientific principles of mother nature is that all energy here on planet earth comes from the sun. From the smallest creature to the largest mammal, all lifeforms depend on the sun somewhere in their food chain.

One of the major goals of marine aquarists is to replicate a small piece of mother nature inside of a relatively closed aquarium system. So it comes to no surprise that aquarium lighting is of major importance when designing a marine aquarium environment. In addition to water quality, temperature, PH, and salinity, light is an important factor for coral growth. Sufficient wavelengths or colors of light are critical for the growth of corals, algae, and many invertebrates.

The color or hue emitted by a light source is its “color temperature” which is often measured in degrees Kelvin. The lower number of degrees, the closer the light source is to the red or warmer side of the spectrum whereas the higher the number, the light source is closer to the blue or cooler side of the spectrum.

Here are some sample numbers that may help you put color temperature into perspective:

Soft White Incandescent 2700K
Soft White Fluorescent 3200K
Cool White Fluorescent 5000K
Daylight 6500K
Blue Ocean Depths 10,000K-25,000K

More information on color temperature may be found here:

The evolution of aquarium lighting spans decades and parallels the technical breakthroughs occurring in fluorescent, Metal Halide, and LED light sources. Over time lighting manufacturers have increased their ability to produce a wider range of color temperatures and increase intensity as well as energy efficiency.

Below is a rough outline of lighting technologies since the advent of artificial lighting:

1960’s – Largely Incandescent Lighting. Not suitable for reef tanks.

1970’s – Largely Fluorescent Lighting (T12). Often not bright enough for reef tanks.

1980’s – VHO fluorescent and Metal Halide Lighting. Reef tanks start to appear using one or both technologies.

1990’s – Compact Fluorescent Lighting (T8 & T5) Smaller, brighter and more efficient than VHO.

2000’s – High Intensity LED Lighting. Compact, bright, efficient.

Continue to Part 2 of this Article