Insights & Science

The ADEC Journal

Science-based articles on recirculating aquaculture systems and aquarium life support engineering, written by the ADEC team.

Staff Training & SOPs: The Human Factor in Aquarium Life Support

Aquarium LSS

3 October 2026

Staff Training & SOPs: The Human Factor in Aquarium Life Support

Peer-reviewed safety-science research on checklists, SOPs, and handoffs shows why procedure design, not equipment, determines life-support reliability.

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Waste and Sludge Management in Aquarium Life Support Systems

Aquarium LSS

2 October 2026

Waste and Sludge Management in Aquarium Life Support Systems

Captured solids don't vanish at the drum filter: see how aquarium LSS teams thicken, dewater, and responsibly dispose of or beneficially reuse exhibit sludge.

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Transport Stress and Acclimation Science for New Aquarium Arrivals

Aquarium LSS

1 October 2026

Transport Stress and Acclimation Science for New Aquarium Arrivals

How transport stress affects fish and invertebrate physiology, and what peer-reviewed research says about safely acclimating new public aquarium arrivals.

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Coral Propagation and Fragmentation Labs: Back-of-House Aquaculture for Exhibits

Aquarium LSS

30 September 2026

Coral Propagation and Fragmentation Labs: Back-of-House Aquaculture for Exhibits

How public aquariums grow their own coral stock in-house through fragmentation labs, grounded in peer-reviewed coral wound-healing and regeneration biology.

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Life Support Engineering for Jellyfish, Cephalopods & Soft-Bodied Invertebrates

Aquarium LSS

29 September 2026

Life Support Engineering for Jellyfish, Cephalopods & Soft-Bodied Invertebrates

How life support systems for jellyfish, octopuses, cuttlefish, and soft-bodied invertebrates must depart from standard fish-focused aquarium engineering.

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Diet Preparation Kitchens: The Science Behind Aquarium Food Prep

Aquarium LSS

28 September 2026

Diet Preparation Kitchens: The Science Behind Aquarium Food Prep

How aquarium diet-prep kitchens apply nutrition science and food-safety protocols to prevent vitamin loss and bacterial contamination in prepared seafood diets.

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Monitoring, Alarms, and Automation in Aquarium Life Support

Aquarium LSS

27 September 2026

Monitoring, Alarms, and Automation in Aquarium Life Support

How sensor reliability, SCADA automation, and alarm-response protocols determine whether an aquarium LSS problem is caught in minutes or too late.

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Aquarium LSS

26 September 2026

Live Feed Culture Systems and Biological Load in Aquarium LSS Sizing

How back-of-house rotifer, copepod, Artemia, and microalgae culture systems add real nitrogen and oxygen demand that aquarium LSS biofilters must be sized for.

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The Economics of Quarantine Capacity in Public Aquariums

Aquarium LSS

25 September 2026

The Economics of Quarantine Capacity in Public Aquariums

How much quarantine capacity a public aquarium actually needs, and what the peer-reviewed economics literature says it costs to get that number wrong.

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Back-of-House Laboratories in Public Aquariums: Why Diagnostics Matter

Aquarium LSS

24 September 2026

Back-of-House Laboratories in Public Aquariums: Why Diagnostics Matter

Public aquariums operate in-house water-chemistry and microbiology labs to speed husbandry decisions, routine monitoring, and disease diagnostics onsite.

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Biofouling Control in Marine Life Support Systems

Aquarium LSS

22 August 2026

Biofouling Control in Marine Life Support Systems

The science of biofouling inside marine aquarium LSS pipework and heat exchangers — how biofilms form, why they threaten flow and heat transfer, and the control strategies research supports.

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Off-Flavor in RAS Fish: The Science of Geosmin and MIB

RAS Aquaculture

19 August 2026

Off-Flavor in RAS Fish: The Science of Geosmin and MIB

Why recirculating aquaculture systems are uniquely prone to musty, earthy off-flavor in fish — the microbiology behind geosmin and 2-MIB, and the depuration and removal science used to solve it.

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Dissolved Oxygen and Aeration Strategy in High-Density RAS

RAS Aquaculture

15 August 2026

Dissolved Oxygen and Aeration Strategy in High-Density RAS

The science of dissolved oxygen management in recirculating aquaculture — fish and bacterial oxygen demand, aeration versus pure oxygen injection, and why DO is the fastest-moving variable in RAS.

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RO/DI Water Treatment for Marine Aquariums Explained

Aquarium LSS

11 August 2026

RO/DI Water Treatment for Marine Aquariums Explained

Why source water quality matters before it ever reaches a marine aquarium — the science of reverse osmosis and deionization and what they remove that tap water leaves behind.

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Energy Efficiency and Heat Recovery in RAS

RAS Aquaculture

9 August 2026

Energy Efficiency and Heat Recovery in RAS

Where RAS energy actually goes — pumping, aeration and temperature control — and how heat recovery and system optimization reduce operating costs in land-based fish farms.

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Aquarium Lighting Science: Spectrum, PAR and Photosynthesis

Aquarium LSS

4 August 2026

Aquarium Lighting Science: Spectrum, PAR and Photosynthesis

The peer-reviewed science of coral photosynthesis — how light spectrum and PAR intensity drive zooxanthellae activity, and why aquarium lighting is a biological system, not just illumination.

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Denitrification in RAS: Toward Zero-Discharge Aquaculture

RAS Aquaculture

27 July 2026

Denitrification in RAS: Toward Zero-Discharge Aquaculture

How denitrification bioreactors convert nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas, letting recirculating aquaculture systems reduce water exchange even further toward zero-discharge operation.

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RAS Water Quality Parameters Explained: A Reference Guide

RAS Aquaculture

23 July 2026

RAS Water Quality Parameters Explained: A Reference Guide

The core water quality parameters every RAS operator monitors — pH, alkalinity, salinity, temperature and more — and why they must be managed together, not in isolation.

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Protein Skimming Explained: The Chemistry Behind It

Aquarium LSS

17 July 2026

Protein Skimming Explained: The Chemistry Behind It

The science of foam fractionation — how protein skimmers remove dissolved organic compounds from marine aquarium water before biological filtration ever has to process them.

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The Nitrogen Cycle in RAS: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate

RAS Aquaculture

15 July 2026

The Nitrogen Cycle in RAS: Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate

A deeper look at the science of the nitrogen cycle in recirculating aquaculture systems — how ammonia, nitrite and nitrate each threaten fish health, and how biofiltration manages every stage.

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RAS vs. Traditional Aquaculture: Economics for GCC Farms

RAS Aquaculture

14 July 2026

RAS vs. Traditional Aquaculture: Economics for GCC Farms

A science-based look at RAS economics — water savings, siting flexibility and ROI drivers — compared to traditional aquaculture, with implications for GCC fish farming.

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Designing a Life Support System: Turnover and Redundancy

Aquarium LSS

12 July 2026

Designing a Life Support System: Turnover and Redundancy

How LSS engineers determine turnover rate, redundancy and sizing for public aquarium exhibits — treating design choices as life-safety decisions for the collection.

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Biofilter Sizing: Nitrification Kinetics in Commercial RAS

RAS Aquaculture

11 July 2026

Biofilter Sizing: Nitrification Kinetics in Commercial RAS

How engineers size RAS biofilters using nitrification kinetics and Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN) removal rates — the science behind matching biofilter capacity to fish biomass.

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Aquarium LSS

7 July 2026

UV vs. Ozone Disinfection in Aquarium LSS: A Comparison

A science-based comparison of UV sterilization and ozone disinfection for aquarium life support systems — mechanisms, effectiveness, and the trade-offs behind each technology.

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How Does a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) Work?

RAS Aquaculture

24 June 2026

How Does a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) Work?

A science-based guide to how RAS works — mechanical filtration, biofiltration and the nitrogen cycle, disinfection and oxygenation — and why closed-loop fish farming is gaining ground in water-scarce regions.

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Quarantine and Biosecurity Systems for Public Aquariums

Aquarium LSS

23 June 2026

Quarantine and Biosecurity Systems for Public Aquariums

How quarantine system design and biosecurity protocols protect public aquarium collections from disease outbreaks, grounded in veterinary and fisheries research.

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Solids Removal in RAS: Drum Filters and Particle Dynamics

RAS Aquaculture

18 June 2026

Solids Removal in RAS: Drum Filters and Particle Dynamics

How commercial RAS remove suspended solids — drum filters, settling basins, and the particle-size science that determines which mechanical filtration technology actually works.

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Fish Welfare and Stocking Density in RAS: The Science

RAS Aquaculture

16 June 2026

Fish Welfare and Stocking Density in RAS: The Science

What peer-reviewed research says about stocking density, fish welfare and growth performance in recirculating aquaculture systems — and why higher density isn't always better production.

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Biological Filtration in Public Aquariums: The Science

Aquarium LSS

15 June 2026

Biological Filtration in Public Aquariums: The Science

How nitrifying bacteria colonize aquarium biofilters, why media selection matters, and what peer-reviewed research reveals about the microbial communities keeping exhibits stable.

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What Is a Life Support System (LSS) in a Public Aquarium?

Aquarium LSS

13 June 2026

What Is a Life Support System (LSS) in a Public Aquarium?

The engineering behind every public aquarium exhibit — how life support systems combine mechanical, biological and chemical filtration to keep marine and freshwater collections alive.

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Drum and Mechanical Filtration in Large Aquarium Systems

Aquarium LSS

12 June 2026

Drum and Mechanical Filtration in Large Aquarium Systems

How drum filters and mechanical filtration remove suspended solids in large-scale aquarium life support systems, and the particle-size science behind sizing them correctly.

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Water Chemistry for Coral Reef Aquariums: The Science

Aquarium LSS

11 June 2026

Water Chemistry for Coral Reef Aquariums: The Science

The carbonate chemistry behind coral calcification — calcium, alkalinity and aragonite saturation — and why balancing them is essential for coral reef aquarium life support.

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