Interesting article I read today.

[rvitko]

Axel's mother sent me a copy of Aquarium magazine from France and they had done a write up about the Tunze company. I thought some of thes date were interesting.

1960- First centrifugal aquarium water pump invented by Norbert Tunze- named Turbelle from Turbine and Libelle (dragonfly in German)

1963- First motorized protein skimmer with venturi invented by Norbert Tunze

1970- Tunze SYSTEM unveiled, osmolator and first calcium reactor invented by Norbert Tunze

1980- Tunze begins sales on an international level.

1986- Tunze produces their first submerse asynchronous pump

1993- The Electronic pump is invented by Norbert Tunze enabling controllable submerse pumps to be produced

1994- Axel Tunze takes over as General Manager


The main thing I found interesting was the date of the Electronic pump since people always ask me how long something will last or how tested is the idea. This first pump was like a 7400/2, the current driver is 7240.27, the first ones were 7240.22, the pump was connected with a phone cord looking cable. The transformer looked more like a 6oz tomato paste can than a hockey puck. While the first ones weren't great by any means some are still around and you can see the idea has stood the test of time. The purpose of the invention was to find a way to pulse the pump because previous attempts at oscillating pumps had been unreliable. It was an effort to broaden and diffuse the flow with the idea being that slow and fast pulses would crash forming a broad water motion.

 

[BreadmanMike]

Thanks for sharing! Cool info.


Roger, I know this is completely off topic but is Norbert still alive? Was he around for WWII?

 

[rvitko]

No, he passed away a March 10 2003. He was one of the greatest men I ever met. He was alive in WWII and that was how he got his start, he was German soldier who learned how to repair radios and when the Americans liberated Germany he was hired to fix their radios and started a shop that repaired all electrical apparatus. He was the only German I have met who spoke perfect American english, down to the colloquialisms like "chill out" and "settle down" and really without any accent. He had a brilliant mechanical mind all with no formal education in the topic, just a will to do it.

 

[BreadmanMike]

Wow that is a great story! He must have been a very impressive man for you to hold the feelings about him you do. I'm a big WWII buff. I would have loved to sit and talk with him and get a German soldier's view. My uncle's neighbor survived the first landing on Normandy. He's since passed away, but I loved sitting and talking with him about the experience. Out of curiosity did Norbert ever share any of his story's with you? I would be interested in hearing any if he did and you didn't mind sharing.

 

[jamesdawson]

1st aquarium centrifigal pump
1st protein skimmer
1st calcium reactor
1st speed controllable pump

I would say that Mr. Tunze's inventions could be found on virtually every hobbyist's aquarium in the world today.

Really!

James

 

[ujohnk]

Its also good to know it was just the americans who liberated germany..........

 

[rvitko]

To be fair the Protein Skimmer was invented by a hobbyist. A hobbyist in Germany in the late 50's noticed that a brown foam collected at the outlet of his Undergravel Filter. He divised a series of celloloid tubes that emptied into in inclined drain tube each with it's own airstone and he submitted his findings to the Max Plank institute for scientific research. Norbert Tunze and Erwin Sander both were the first (almost simultaneously) to make a commercial protein skimmer. If you really want a good laugh, get the Aquarium Ecology book and look at the picture of the first airstone Tunze skimmer SK-1, it has a very familiar holder system

The things that were really inventions of his were the conductivity meter- which it was only an invention in that it was taking a common measuring instrument and applying it to the aquarium.

The calcium reactor and I have the first model and it was incredibly primitive, a plastic beaker filled with limestone that CO2 bubbled through and it was powered by an airlift.

The motorized venturi protein skimmer.

Speed controllable pumps had been around the 2002 and 4002 have been around for 30 years almost and they were speed controllable but until the electronic pump was developed a submersible speed controllable pump was impossible and the first ones were a nightmare, most of them broke, they had real problems with reliability.

The centrifugal pump existed but all centrifugal pumps of the time took in water at the bottom and pumped it out at the top- what Norbert designed and patented was water came in at the bottom and came out the front and as easy as it sounds it wasn't very easy at the time.

The osmolator was also a first and one that the world laughed at, the major companies of the day thought people wouldn't be so lazy that they couldn't top off the tank on their own. What made it an accepted invention in short time was the findings that Lysmata sp. shrimp could be raised into later larval phases because it provided greater stability than topping off by hand.

 

[rvitko]

ujohnk- I never said that. The south was the American quadrant. I would rather not turn this into a political/historical debate, no offense was intended.

 

[rvitko]

Actually in rereading my post I guess I did say that but it was not my intention and I apologize, I was just trying to answer a question but Reef Central isn't the appropriate place for such a discussion. I am sorry.

 

[Fliger]

Man that is cool stuff. The osmolator is STILL my favorite thing on my tank! Now I have to commit it memory and rattle it off at a bar when I'm out of pick up lines.

Oh and thanks for the PM on the tank info. I'm kinda bummed but I think I found a replacement. ;-)