Review done by Anthony Ramsey in the third edition of the Australian Aquarium Magazine (AAM3)
Mr Ramsey has very extensive and long-term experience in fish-keeping and perhaps because of this he taught he did not need to fully read the instructions booklet we ship with every filter. As a result he set up his filter with a major mistake as shown on the pictures in the magazine: the extractor standpipe was below water level, short-circuiting the filter completely and the flushing action was also shown incorrectly.
This error was very courageously admitted by the editor Alex Cooney on page 6 of the next issue AAM4 and our advertisement in this issue showed the correct installation and flush.
Here is what Mr Cooney wrote on page 6 of AAM4:
Australia’s aquaculture industry is world class. The innovations of aquaculture have positive run-on effects in the aquarium hobby and industry. One such innovation is the impressive Aqua Genie reverse-flush filtration system featured in AAM3 and on the New Inventors episode 29. Regrettably, our recent review missed an important detail in the set-up process of the filter and we acknowledge that we set it up incorrectly. It is therefore even more impressive that the Aqua Genie still managed its performance in our trials. Its unique reverse flush cleaning system is likely to revolutionise filter design. An important lesson was learned: read the instructions prior to use!
Now keep this in mind when you read this review and imagine what the review would have been if Anthony Ramsey had not made this very obvious mistake?
The concept
A couple of months ago I was given a box with a new type of filter in it and told to give it a go; the Aqua Genie has arrived.
Upon closer inspection as I unpacked the box I found a bizarre green space age looking creation, a siphon pump and a bag of marbles. With a great deal of scepticism I asked myself how a bag of marbles and a green plastic box was going to be the next revolution in aquarium filtration?
However I promised with an open mind to give the Aqua Genie a fair go. As I read the instructions provided by Aqua Genies Australian inventors it started to become clear to me that the Aqua Genie did not operate all that differently from most conventional air operated box filters despite it\'s space age design. (note: unfortunately Mr Ramsay did not finish reading the instructions or he would have noticed a major difference and avoided his unforgiveable set-up mistake)
Where the Aqua Genie has set about providing a point of difference is that it allows a quick, easy and effective means to back flush the dirt and detritus from the no clog marbles filtration media.
In traditional biological and mechanical filters the dirt is left trapped in the filter for many weeks where it ultimately breaks down to Nitrates (NO3) as it is processed by the nitrifying bacteria. This nitrates must then be diluted through regular water changes. Instead the Aqua Genie seeks to remove this dirt in its rawest form before it be allowed to decompose.
It is recommended that regular once or twice weekly back flushes be performed to simply suck the dirt away within seconds. The Aqua Genie provides everything required to perform these tasks quickly and simply.
Effectiveness
Having found an over-crowed 120lt aquarium brimming with African cichlid fry I decided I had found my guinea-pig aquarium, thinking to myself that there is no way that the Aqua Genie and its marbles would be up to the task!
Installing the filter took less than 30 seconds. After running for a week or so without a flush the aquarium started to turn a little hazy (note: it was short circuited by the wrong set-up), time to hook up the siphon hose and give the Aqua Genie it’s first flush.
After pushing on the siphon pump and a couple of squeezes the bucket filled with black gunk and a couple of litres of water. The aquarium returned to clear within a day or so and to my surprise the Aqua Genie was actually supporting 100+ 4cm cichlid fry within a week of installation. I continued to run the Aqua Genie for the next 4 weeks or so making various observations. The Aqua Genie continued to sustain the aquarium provided it was flushed every 5 days however; if it was left any longer the aquarium would rapidly turn hazy.(note: this never happen when the filter is set up correctly)
Pros and Cons
The process of back flushing the filter happens very quickly and you can very easy let your mind wander, removing far more water from the aquarium than anticipated; within a few seconds all the dirt is removed and you are simply siphoning out clean aquarium water.
You may also use this siphon for regular water changes but there is no substitute for the gravel vacuum in my opinion. Given most people install their filter in the back corner It can also be a little bit of a fiddle to connect the siphon to the standpipe particularly if you have to deal with glass lids, lighting and hoods.(note: again, when set up correctly this is on the contrary really very easy, see pictures in AAM4 on on this site, page 2)
It is also worth posing the question why the marbles could not be replaced with an alternate filter media offering a greater surface area for bacterial colonisation thus allowing more time between flushes without the aquarium turning cloudy.
Any alternate media will obviously clog quicker and need periodic replacement but it is certainly an option to consider that would allow the Aqua Genie the ability to perform better on larger or heavily stocked aquariums.
The Future
With a recommended retail price of $49.95 the Aqua Genie certainly provides simple and effective filtration for the smaller aquarium. The Aqua Genie also sets to introduce the 4th element of filtration being the back flush to the main stream aquarist.
All in all probably not something I would run on my pride and joy display aquarium in my living room but certainly a viable alternative to traditional filtrations for breeders and hobbyists who have garages full of aquariums. It is also noted that the Aqua Genie is set to release a greater range of filters covering options from the smallest goldfish bowl to the large display aquaria running canister filtration.
The entire Aqua Genie range of filters are all to carry the revolutionary reverse flush system.
I am sure with further refined design and the possibility of mass manufacture for the world wide market the Aqua Genie will continue to evolve and improve for years to come, offering the aquarists of Australia a genuine easier alternative when it comes to cleaning their filters.
Response from the Inventor (this response was given BEFORE having seen the published pictures showing the mistake done by Ramsey!)
We gave Philippe Dor, the inventor of the Aqua Genie the opportunity to respond to this review.
In response to:
“There is no substitute for the gravel vacuum in my opinion.”
Response:
The Aqua Genie is recommended for aquariums using coarse sand, not gravel. For aquariums still using gravel it’s efficiency is reduced, like all filters in this situation, because the dirt will be trapped more by the gravel instead of it being captured by the filter. Aquariums still using the gravel system must of course still vacuum this gravel regularly, which is much more time consuming than flushing an Aqua Genie!
In response to:
“It is also worth posing the question why the marbles could not be replaced with an alternate filter media offering a greater surface area for bacterial colonisation”
Response:
Like all filters, the Aqua Genie will take about 5 weeks for enough bacteria on the marbles to develop a “bio-filter”. Only after this normal delay has been observed will the water not turn hazy any more between flushes.
The longer the Aqua Genie has been in operation, the better it works as bio-filter and as mechanical filter with a water-flow of close to 1000lt/hr for such a small filter. One must also remember the purpose of the Aqua Genie filter is to avoid the decomposition of the debris for which these bacteria are needed. Only marbles of a certain size will do the job correctly, that is capture the debris, evacuate these debris, and still biologically decompose the few dissolved liquid fish-waste materials left in the aquarium.
The flush is so easy and fast, why would anybody not take advantage of this very short time needed to maintain a healthy aquarium?
