50 Years of TUNZE 1960-2010

Posted on January 12th, 2010 by 15

We are extremely pleased to welcome a great inaugural post by our newest contributor, Mirko Belosevic, who will become the Reef Builders Eastern European correspondent. Mirko is a professional aquarist and writer, he is the former editor and publisher of the groundbreaking Italian Aquart magazine and he currently is the front man behind the premier Croatian reefing website, CroReef.

tunze-50-years

2010 is a great year for the names TUNZE® and Turbelle® as they have been known and valued in aquariums world-wide for fifty years now. The former Turbelle® pumps have evolved into modern products of excellent quality, design and significance.axel-tunze-50 The company has remained true to its philosophy right from the beginning, researching natural water biotopes all over the world to develop components which enable near-nature water conditions in the closed-loop environment of an aquarium. In the implementation of this know-how, effectiveness and power consumption take the lead on a par with environmental compatibility. Many products and components which have been developed by TUNZE® in the course of time belong to standard features in aquarium technology today. Follow the break to see the historic timeline of Tunze innovations and achievements.

Ed. Biggest congratulations to Axel Tunze and all the employees of Tunze Aquarientechnik for five decades of well deserved success. We raise our steins to your next 50 years!

1960
“Turbelle® 400“ submerged centrifugal pump with quick-run filter: First centrifugal pump developed especially for aquariums. Complete Turbelle® pump line up to 4,000 l/h (1,056.6 US gal./h) with quick-run filter.

turbelle-400-quick-run-filter

1963
First motor-driven Venturi protein skimmer with Turbelle®, without air pump and wooden discharge unit.

turbelle-venturi-skimmer-tunze

1968
First conductometer as a pocket unit for aquariums.

1975
“Turbelle® System Filter Set“ provides quick and complete cleaning of water.

tunze-turbelle

1981
Automatic skimmer „SKS“ operating on the rotation principle, extremely compact and powerful.

TUNZE-Powered-skimmerSM

1984
Modular “TUNZE SYSTEM“ filtering technique for fresh and salt water – at the time the most
modern technology for aquarium biotopes requiring a change of water every three years.

1988
Submerged motor-driven pump “Turbelle® powerhead“ with unidirectional
impeller supplying 3,000 l/h (792.5 US gal./h) at 22 W !

1989
First CO2 controlled calcium reactor; dissolves lime in the form of calcium and hydrogen carbonate ions.Tunze-Calcium-Reactor

1992
Modular filter technology “TUNZE® Comline“ with vertical construction,
developed especially for Turbelle® power head.

1994
Submerged motor-driven pump “Turbelle® electronic“; speed
controllable operating on safety extra-low voltage.

tunze-3000_2

2001
New generation of “TUNZE® Osmolator“ with static and compact sensor using infrared technology.

2002
“Turbelle® stream“, first compact propeller pump for water circulation in
aquariums: opens new horizons, especially in reef aquariums.

turbelle-stream-tunze

2004
Wave generator “Wavebox“ produces an oscillating current in the aquarium like in reef top zones.

2004
“Magnet holder“ for uncomplicated magnetic attachment of all Turbelle® pump and Comline components.

Tunze-magnet-holder

2006
„Turbelle® nanostream®“ is the smallest propeller pump in aquariums; 3D
adjustable for aquariums from 40 to 500 l (10.5 to 132 US gal.). With a diameter
of 70 mm (2.7 in.) the 6055 supplies up to 5,500 l/h (1,453 US gal./h).

nano-stream-tunze

2008
Eco-energetic “Turbelle® stream 2“ as a further development of „Turbelle® stream“; 3D
adjustable, with magnet holder and a water flow of up to 30,000 l/h (7,925 US gal./h).

2008
New generation of “Multicontroller 7096“ adjustable and programmable by means
of a computer, simulating marine current conditions in the aquarium.

multicontroller-7096-tunze

2008
“Hydrofoamer Silence“, pump especially developed for protein skimming with a very high air
output of more then 1,100 l/h (290.5 US gal./h) at a power consumption of only 15 W !

2008
“DOC Skimmer 9410“, skimmer for aquariums up to 1,000 litres (264 US gal.). The aquarium
can be skimmed, filtered and aerated at a power consumption of only 11 W.

tunze-doc-skimmer-9002.000

2008
“Nano Wavebox“, compact wave generator for aquarium of 150 to 600 l
(39.6 to 158.5 US gal.) with a power consumption of only 10 W !

nano-wavebox-TUNZE

2009
Submerged motor-driven pump “Turbelle® e-jet“, 3D adjustable controllable, contains
an electronic motor and replaces all Turbelle® powerhead built since 1988.

2010

This year at Interzoo 13 – 16.05.2010 Nürnberg, Germany will be BIG party ! Don’t miss it !

New TUNZE catalog 2010-2011 in PDF format, with all products, technical data and prices are ready for download at : http://www.tunze.com/fileadmin/downloads_all_lang/Katalog_A.pdf

All photos courtesy of Claude Hug – TUNZE Research & Development

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  • http://coralidea.com Jake Adams

    Does 50 years make Tunze the oldest aquarium product company? Any other companies truly older?

  • http://coralidea.com Jake Adams

    Does 50 years make Tunze the oldest aquarium product company? Any other companies truly older?

  • Roger

    Sander was founded just a year or two later and Eheim is actually older but didn’t get into aquarium equipment until a couple years later. Eheim was a toy manufacturer that specialized in model railroads. The Turbelle 400 actually came into existence because Norbert Tunze ran a general repair shop specializing in radios and an Eheim pump used for creating fountains and effects on a model railroad diorama was brought in and he tested it in his aquarium after the repair was completed. He first wrote to Eheim that it was a great addition to aquariums and asked if they would build an aquarium pump and at the time they weren’t interested so he developed the Turbelle 400 and the first units were made in his garage. I would believe some air pump companies are likely older. I would bet Schego is about the same age or older, the earliest air pumps were powered by water pressure and connected to a garden hose faucet, I have seen one, but not sure of the maker, these were common in the 20′s and before. Silent Giant was the old American producer of airpumps and I have seen ads of theres that dated back to the 50′s. Boyd and Tetra have very long histories, at least back to the 50′s. Jager was founded at about the same time as Tunze. Danner is also a very old company. Instant Ocean has had many owners over the years but it was originally a subsidiary of STP, the owner of STP wanted to keep saltwater fish and was land locked so he put his chemists to work developing a salt mix. I think that was in the early 60′s at the time the first salts were Instant Ocean and hW Marinemix. I may have some details wrong, but that is a general synopsis.

  • Roger

    Sander was founded just a year or two later and Eheim is actually older but didn’t get into aquarium equipment until a couple years later. Eheim was a toy manufacturer that specialized in model railroads. The Turbelle 400 actually came into existence because Norbert Tunze ran a general repair shop specializing in radios and an Eheim pump used for creating fountains and effects on a model railroad diorama was brought in and he tested it in his aquarium after the repair was completed. He first wrote to Eheim that it was a great addition to aquariums and asked if they would build an aquarium pump and at the time they weren’t interested so he developed the Turbelle 400 and the first units were made in his garage. I would believe some air pump companies are likely older. I would bet Schego is about the same age or older, the earliest air pumps were powered by water pressure and connected to a garden hose faucet, I have seen one, but not sure of the maker, these were common in the 20′s and before. Silent Giant was the old American producer of airpumps and I have seen ads of theres that dated back to the 50′s. Boyd and Tetra have very long histories, at least back to the 50′s. Jager was founded at about the same time as Tunze. Danner is also a very old company. Instant Ocean has had many owners over the years but it was originally a subsidiary of STP, the owner of STP wanted to keep saltwater fish and was land locked so he put his chemists to work developing a salt mix. I think that was in the early 60′s at the time the first salts were Instant Ocean and hW Marinemix. I may have some details wrong, but that is a general synopsis.

  • B

    Roger thats a very familiar name to me when i hear TUNZE USA and some of the greatest customer service known to the Aquarium Industry.!!!!

  • B

    Roger thats a very familiar name to me when i hear TUNZE USA and some of the greatest customer service known to the Aquarium Industry.!!!!

  • Roger

    Yes it is me, Roger from Tunze USA.

  • Roger

    Yes it is me, Roger from Tunze USA.

  • Jon ‘hahnmeister’

    Eheim is older by one year.

  • Jon ‘hahnmeister’

    Eheim is older by one year.

  • B

    Roger you guys kick butt.

    Love your products and the great service.

    I think its great how your guys and profilux and these led fixture companys are finally doing specialized controllers.

    Inter compatability is some thing we really dont see in the USA.

  • B

    Roger you guys kick butt.

    Love your products and the great service.

    I think its great how your guys and profilux and these led fixture companys are finally doing specialized controllers.

    Inter compatability is some thing we really dont see in the USA.

  • Pingback: 50 ANOS DE TUNZE – 1960-2010 « Reefsimples – Blog de aquarismo do Roberto Pinto

  • Pingback: History of protein skimmers featured as one of the first posts on the new Tunze blog

  • Anonymous

    FWIW, Tetra was founded in 1949/1950.