From: jimh@ultra.com (Jim Hurley)
Subject: [FRESH] Aquarius product review #9 (long)
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 92 18:36:22 GMT

You may recall that the Aquarius product review
I was conducting a while back, I was awaiting a
note from the folks at Aquarius. I received this
note a bit ago, but somehow I lost it and
just received a copy from Aquarius.

As long as I am posting on the topic I
may as well give you an update on my Aquarius tank.

I made only one water change in this tank since my last
posting in February. The tank has been completely trouble-free.
I have been putting in plants that have overgrown
other tanks. They seem to do well in the
20W Ultralume lighting in this 35 gallon tank. Algae
is not a problem, growth is what I would expect.

I haven't made any chemical tests since last February,
I just watch the occupants for signs of stress. The
tanks is about as easy to manage as you could want.
I haven't seen any symptoms of distress in the occupants,
they feed well, are quite active, and the colors are good.
At no time have I ever noticed any bad odor from the tank.

One thing I noticed when planting is that undergravel debris
looks different in this tank. I had UGFs in the past and
you need to vacuum the gravel all the time. When you do so,
you see debris that is darkish, or orangeish, and obviously organic. I
have never vacuumed the gravel in this tank, but when I put in
some plants, the digging stirred up a bit of grunge. This
grunge appears gray and powdery, like dirt, not organic. It is as if
it were completely broken down chemically while still in the gravel.

The folks at Aquarius were kind enough to give me a present
of another Aquarius unit, for which I thank them. This was
a complete surprise to me - I didn't start this review with
any intention of getting favorable treatment.

In the letter (below) they refer
to communications from Ultra Network. These are postings
I saved from this newsgroup on the general Aquarius subject
and my own review postings. I have a complete set of
these filed - if anyone wants a copy, feel free to request them
via e-mail from me. Also note that I got tired of
typing 'Aquarius unit' in my postings and simply referred to
it frequently as a 'gizmo', a generic phrase for a black box,
which is a good physical description of the unit.

Here's the complete text, typos, if any, are mine:
-----------------------------------------------------------
                                           March 19, 1992
  
Dear Jim,
  
    This letter is in reference to Aquarius the "gizmo". Aquarius
virtually eliminates the need for water changes in freshwater
aquariums. We have obtained phenomenal success with this unit, as you
well know.
    Aquarius is not a miracle worker and will not solve all aquarium
problems. The main functions of Aquarius are elimination of:
1. anaerobic bacteria and their byproducts (hydrogen sulfide, methane,
sulfur, etc.); 2. ammonia problems, nitrite problems; 3. normal aquarium
maintenance (water changes).
    We have a multitude of letters from hobbyists around the country
expressing to us their continued success and amazement that the
"gizmo" has virtually eliminated time and energies spent on
maintaining freshwater aquariums. Aquarius actually performs as
advertized!
    After reading the communications in Ultra Network for the past
six months, we would like to answer some of the questions and clarify
some of the concerns.

1. Aquarius is presently under patent pending status, therefore all
information concerning the "gizmo" will have to remain proprietary
until a patent is granted.

2. Aquarius virtually eliminates the need for water changes: however,
some hobbyists like to do water changes a couple of times a year to
remove physical debris for aesthetics. The actual number of necessary
water changes will be dependent upon fish load and feeding practices.
We have had aquariums go as long as thirteen months without water
changes and still maintain acceptable water quality. We would
recommend that people do a partial water change at 5 to 6 month
intervals.

3. Aquarius' research and development department has spent a 
considerable amount of time and effort determining the proper content
of the wire now used on the "gizmo". Of course, this information is
proprietary, however, the wire does not contain any copper.
    The red-tipped wire decomposes and it is important that the
hobbyist restrips the wire upon decomposition. Wires should be
checked weekly.

4. Ultimately, it is not important HOW the Aquarius unit works ...
just, that it does work. We guarantee that the unit does work.

   We would like to take this opportunity to thank Jim Hurley for
all the time and effort he put forth independently testing Aquarius.
His tests were totally unbiased and conducted to insure that the
Aquarius device does fulfill all the claims made by the manufacture.

                        Sincerely,
                        
                           (signed)
                           Robert Kirshbaum
                           Norm Wedgle


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Jim Hurley --> jimh@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!jimh  (408) 922-0100
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