Aquarium Equipment

Blue-lit built-in reef aquarium with open cabinets and a yellow step ladder in a living room during setup.

Aquarium Filter Maintenance for Wheeling and Glenview Owners

Put aquarium filter care on a practical schedule. Marine Concepts maintains freshwater and saltwater tanks within 15 miles of Wheeling, including Glenview.

3 days ago2 min read

Mixed reef aquarium that depends on pumps and heaters running through a power outage

Aquarium Power Outage Plan for North Suburban Homes

Storms and ice knock out power across the north suburbs. How to keep fish and corals alive through an outage, what to buy now and what to do after.

Oct 24 min read

Aquarium support equipment installed in a Chicago-area basement and serviced on a regular schedule

Aquarium Equipment Maintenance: Pumps, Heaters, Skimmers

Pumps clog, heaters fail and skimmers fade long before they stop. A practical equipment maintenance schedule for freshwater and reef aquariums.

Oct 24 min read

Marine Concept Supply banner introducing the Sicce Mega Filtra aquarium filtration line

Sicce Mega Filtra: Filtration Worth the Sump Space

Filtration is the piece people shop for last and regret first. Here is what the Sicce Mega Filtra line does, who it suits, and how to add one to a tank that is already running.

Jan 137 min read

Mixed reef aquarium under blue-dominant LED lighting, with soft corals, LPS and SPS colonies showing fluorescent color

Reef Light Spectrum for Soft, LPS and SPS Corals

Kelvin describes how a light looks, not what a coral receives. Here is how reef light spectrum works, and how blue, violet and white balance changes color and growth in soft corals, LPS and SPS.

Dec 10, 20257 min read

Product photo of the IceCap in-sump UV sterilizer, the lamp housing that sits inside an aquarium sump

IceCap UV In-Sump Sterilizer: When It's Worth It

A UV sterilizer treats only the water that passes through it. Here is what the IceCap in-sump unit fixes, what it leaves untouched, and how flow rate and bulb life change the result.

Nov 25, 20257 min read

IceCap FP-200 flow pump shown with its magnet mount and controller, the parts included in the box

IceCap FP-200 Flow Pump: Setup and Real Flow

The IceCap FP-200 is rated for up to 4,755 gph, but the number on the box is not the flow your corals feel. Here is how to size, mount and tune one properly.

Nov 23, 20257 min read

Mixed reef aquarium under an LED fixture, with corals arranged from the sand bed to the top of the rockwork

Reef Lighting Guide for Chicago Reef Tanks

PAR targets, fixture coverage, mounting height, photoperiod and a six-week acclimation plan: the practical side of reef lighting for a mixed reef tank.

Nov 15, 20257 min read

A single goldfish swimming in a clear, well-lit freshwater aquarium set up with basic beginner equipment

Your First 90 Days: The Aquarium Supply Checklist

An aquarium supply checklist ordered by time rather than by aisle: what to buy on day one, what waits until the tank runs, what comes later, and what to skip.

Aug 13, 20257 min read

Established reef display running on a sump system, with all filtration equipment hidden in the cabinet below

Reef Tank Sump Setup: Plumbing, Gear and Order

A sump is the easiest part of a reef build to get wrong and the hardest to fix later. Here is how the chambers, baffles, drains and pumps fit together.

Aug 13, 20257 min read

Chicago's Premier Custom Aquarium Company

From stunning reef systems to commercial-grade installations up to 2,000+ gallons. Marine Concepts Inc designs, builds, and maintains aquariums that transform any space into a living masterpiece.

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