hi, im doing research for my industrial design thesis and im thinking of doing something that has to do with aquariums, but before i can make a design proposal i need first to know what kind of problems are you having with a conventional aquarium? when you buy them what problems do you encounter? and when your tank is not in use what do you do with it or where do you store your tank? and some people are just "seasonal" fish keepers and some are hardcore fanatics what kinds of problems dou you have? i hope you can help me with my research thank you.
please help me with my thesis project...
- Thread starter patrickjohnsgarcia
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Interesting topic, I can't think of anything to add at the moment. But, I'm curious to see how your project turns out.
I agree with Citrinellus, it sounds like an interesting topic.
Do you by chance have an aquarium of your own ?
In my opinion it all has to do with how well you educate yourself before jumping in to your first tank. If you do no research you are likely to have a variety of issues that run the gamut, from water quality to equipment service to stock compatability.
You have to be honest with yourself and know your capabilities and limitations. If you have basic mechanical ability and can think critically most systems can be DIY projects. If not , there is no shame in purchasing ready to run, off the shelf systems.
If you are a responsible fish keeper you need to have at least a working knowlege of the "Nitrification Cycle" that is the basis of fishkeeping.
You are also likely to have given at least a little thought to the filtration requirements of the fish you wish to keep.
You are likely to have considered how large a tank is required to house your choice of fish.
Last but not least you have given some basic thought to the compatability of the fish to each other.
There is a lot of information/misinformation out there. You just have to use your head, think for yourself and learn to separate myth from quantifiable facts.
As to "Seasonal fish Keeping" all I can say is if you enjoy this hobby you aren't likely to be doing it seasonally. It is far more likely you will soon suffer from MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome).
If the goal of your thesis is to reinvent the wheel or build a better mouse trap then you will need to narrow the scope of your question.
Given that your thesis is based on "industrial design" might I assume you are attempting to improve the mechanics of aquaria versus water quality ?
If so the possibilities are endless. Here is an incomplete list of "problems" I am working on:
Reducing electrical consumption of pumps
Improving Mechanical filtration while reducing backpressure
Reducing the frequency of gravel vacuuming
Reducing or eliminating water changes while conserving water
I'm sure I've missed a few but that should get you started.
Do you by chance have an aquarium of your own ?
In my opinion it all has to do with how well you educate yourself before jumping in to your first tank. If you do no research you are likely to have a variety of issues that run the gamut, from water quality to equipment service to stock compatability.
You have to be honest with yourself and know your capabilities and limitations. If you have basic mechanical ability and can think critically most systems can be DIY projects. If not , there is no shame in purchasing ready to run, off the shelf systems.
If you are a responsible fish keeper you need to have at least a working knowlege of the "Nitrification Cycle" that is the basis of fishkeeping.
You are also likely to have given at least a little thought to the filtration requirements of the fish you wish to keep.
You are likely to have considered how large a tank is required to house your choice of fish.
Last but not least you have given some basic thought to the compatability of the fish to each other.
There is a lot of information/misinformation out there. You just have to use your head, think for yourself and learn to separate myth from quantifiable facts.
As to "Seasonal fish Keeping" all I can say is if you enjoy this hobby you aren't likely to be doing it seasonally. It is far more likely you will soon suffer from MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome).
If the goal of your thesis is to reinvent the wheel or build a better mouse trap then you will need to narrow the scope of your question.
Given that your thesis is based on "industrial design" might I assume you are attempting to improve the mechanics of aquaria versus water quality ?
If so the possibilities are endless. Here is an incomplete list of "problems" I am working on:
Reducing electrical consumption of pumps
Improving Mechanical filtration while reducing backpressure
Reducing the frequency of gravel vacuuming
Reducing or eliminating water changes while conserving water
I'm sure I've missed a few but that should get you started.
wow thanks dawnmarie, im an industrial design student and although most of my peers have automobiles or equipments for their thesis i would really want mine to focus on aquariums...i cannot say for now what my thesis would be because we might be required to have them pattented 
thanks for your list i will try to look into reducing water changes and reducing energy consuption of aquarium equipments because the theme for this year is "green design" , thanks again
thanks for your list i will try to look into reducing water changes and reducing energy consuption of aquarium equipments because the theme for this year is "green design" , thanks again I don't want to be a prick about this , but If you attempt to have your idea "patented" they give extra points for spelling.patrickjohnsgarcia;4255512;4255512 said:i cannot say for now what my thesis would be because we might be required to have them pattented
Ok , enough joking , think about how you can heat, pump and light an aquarium using solar and you might actually have a marketable skill when you graduate.
If you come up with any ideas give me a holler and i'll help you build a prototype.
hey, its just a typo error ive been doing some research with using solar panels as a source of energy but i think its still way too expensive and is not yet that advanced to make it a feasible source of energy for an aquarium, but i will still look into it..thanks for your help dawnmarie 
ive been doing some research with using solar panels as a source of energy but i think its still way too expensive and is not yet that advanced to make it a feasible source of energy for an aquarium, but i will still look into it..thanks for your help dawnmarie LED lighting for planted/marine tanks that is affordable. No point using less energy to run them if you spend more buying them than you will safe on your electricity bill.
thanks apisto 
il look into it, my focus for now is the tank itself, i want to redesign it in such a way that...........i cannot say what i will do to the tank yet but i will try to redesign the whole aquarium setup in such a way that it will be consuming less energy
il look into it, my focus for now is the tank itself, i want to redesign it in such a way that...........i cannot say what i will do to the tank yet but i will try to redesign the whole aquarium setup in such a way that it will be consuming less energy 
Solar panels are going to drop in price next year if not sooner, BP is the largest producer of photovoltaics in the world and I'd imagine they are anxious since the projected cost for next year is low enough to make them worth the investment. As for install its simple: mount panels, run wire from panels to disconnect, run wires from disconnect to inverter(changes dc from panel to ac for home), run wires from inverter to an empty breaker in your electrical panel which allows the solar panels to back feed your electrical panel and reduce the amount of power supplied from your utility co