Oceans are warming becoming more acidic, and coral reefs are rapidly declining primarily due to anthropogenic global warming (climate change). Methods must be found to preserve as many of the 3000 species of soft corals as possible before they are gone. Maintaining biodiversity on coral reefs is essential to a balanced healthy reef. Since the chances of a political solution to reducing greenhouses gases are very unlikely, steps must be taken now to collect, preserve, and propagate as many marine reef organisms as possible including soft corals. Propagation methods of stony corals are well known, but soft corals are far more difficult to propagate due to their lack of a stony skeleton. This invention presents three methods for high volume, efficient, and inexpensive propagation of soft corals Alcyonacea (Octocorallia) and Corallimorpharia. Two methods use cubes in an eggcrate matrix, and the third involves propagating soft corals on glass plates.

An aquarium including a first water chamber providing a habitat for aquatic species, a second water chamber, wherein the second water chamber is fluidly coupled to the first water chamber, and a third water chamber, wherein the third water chamber is fluidly coupled to the second water chamber. The aquarium also includes a water discharge arrangement housed at least partially within the third water chamber, wherein the water discharge arrangement includes a pump and a discharge outlet coupled to the pump such that water within the third water chamber may discharged from the discharge outlet, and further wherein the discharge outlet is selectively rotatable such that water may be discharged either a) into one of the first water chamber or the third water chamber, or b) out of the aquarium.

A multi-path aquarium filtration system has multiple chambers adapted to receive different types of treatment systems, and has a bypass gate assembly and at least one alternative flow path. By adjusting the bypass gate assembly volumetric flow rate between certain chambers is managed.

A filter enhancement device applied to a circulating water culture system and the method of making same, the device includes four components: protective shell, protective agents, microbial powder and proliferation promoting agents. The interior of the protective shell contains protective agents, microbial powder and proliferation promoting agents. Microbial powder and proliferation promoting agents are embedded in the modified-release layer.

A water treatment and recirculation system includes means to transport water flows at required pressures, a mechanical filter of approximately 100 microns to capture coarse particles, oxygen production means, autonomous electricity generation means, and variable control means using a PLC that administers parameters such as pressure, oxygen and CO.sub.2 levels, flows, pH, etc. The system also includes means to ultrafilter and remove particles of up to 0.02 microns, the purpose being removing organic material macromolecules, disinfecting bacteria and viruses with mechanical removal, and eliminate harmful contaminants such as ammonia, degasifying means to eliminate CO.sub.2 with a multitubular exchanger with membranes made of hydrophobic materials and micro perforations to take CO.sub.2 away to an extraction gas in atmospheric or vacuum conditions; and means to oxygenate water with a multitubular exchanger having membranes constituted by hydrophobic materials and microperforations that inject O.sub.2 into water of a gas under atmospheric conditions.

An aquatic biofiltration system where invertebrate aquatic filtering organisms in the form of tunicates filter free-floating particulates in a water volume is disclosed. The system provides a habitat for tunicates with at least one residence device (5, 6) adapted to be arranged in a water volume, and a collection system (7) adapted to collect expelled solids from the tunicates. A biofiltration method for filtering particulates from a volume of water is also disclosed.

A device for reducing the number of exterior parasites on fish, comprising a hollow cylindrical filter member having an inlet and an outlet, the circumference of the inlet and/or outlet being provided with a nozzle, wherein the nozzle comprises a substantially annular slit along the circumference of the inlet and/or outlet for ejecting a fluid towards the interior of the cylindrical filter.

Embodiments include a vacuum airlift system for treating an aqueous effluent including an upflow liquid column, where the upflow liquid column is configured to retain a fluid, a fluid inlet, the fluid inlet being fluidly coupled with the upflow liquid column, where the fluid inlet is positioned at about the bottom of the upflow liquid column, a downflow liquid column, a fluid outlet, the fluid outlet being fluidly coupled with the downflow liquid column, wherein the fluid outlet is positioned at about the bottom of the downflow liquid column, and a plurality of moving bed biofilm reactors, the plurality of moving bed biofilm reactors being positioned in the upflow liquid column or the downflow liquid column.

A method and system for self-contained growth and harvesting of plant and animal foodstuffs and energy generation for terrestrial and non-terrestrial uses. The system can be self-contained and sealed from an ambient atmosphere wherein sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide levels are maintained (bio-regenerative) to support human life. The system and method may utilize aquaculture and hydroponic plant growth with a digester for converting waste into nutrients. Water may circulate among the digester, aquaculture tanks and hydroponic growth tanks. The method may be scalable to support varying quantities of human life. The system and method may generate energy and consume greater quantities of carbon dioxide than generated. The system may be energy self-sufficient utilizing solar, wind or other energy sources such as generated methane gas.

A filter arrangement for an aquarium is disclosed. The filter arrangement can include a filter housing assembly, a pump assembly, and a transfer tube assembly. In one aspect, the housing assembly and the pump assembly are separately constructed assemblies that are connected to each other via a first dampening member to prevent vibration and sound from being transmitted from the pump assembly to the filter housing assembly. The filter arrangement can further include a second dampening member connecting the pump assembly with the transfer tube assembly to further prevent vibration and sound from being transmitted from the pump assembly to the filter housing assembly. A third dampening member can be provided at a location where the transfer tube assembly is supported within the filter housing assembly to further isolate vibration and sound from being transmitted from the pump assembly to the filter housing assembly via the transfer tube assembly.