• Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP (Home or Professional).


• A Pentium-class CPU (200 MHz or faster).


• 64 MB of system RAM.


• A DirectX 6 compatible, 3D Accelerator Video Card with 16 MB or more of on-board RAM.


• 2 MB of free Hard Disk Space.


• DirectX 6 or better installed on your computer.


• The latest drivers for your video card. These are best found at the video card manufacturer's site. The Windows update feature is not sufficient for this task. For more information, click HERE

If you purchased the Marine Aquarium CD, you will not need a keycode. After installing the program from the CD, leave the CD in the CD-ROM drive and start the Aquarium. The program will read the CD for authorization and you can now run the full version of the Aquarium. After the initial authorization, the CD does not have to be in the CD-ROM drive. Keep in mind that this will not work between the separate Marine Aquarium program series (.99, 1.0, 2.0, etc.).

PLEASE NOTE - This process will NOT work with the Microsoft Plus! CD or other demo CDs.

If you purchased the download version, please go HERE and enter your email to retrieve your keycode.

If this procedure does not work, e-mail us the following information where applicable and we can retrieve your information from our customer database:

• The full name you registered under.


• The Order Number from your confirmation e-mail.


• Both the first four AND last four numbers of the credit card you used.


• Your email address at the time of purchase.


• Your old Keycode. (If you are upgrading from an older code)


• The store or website you purchased the product from.


• The date of your purchase.

There are three things that can cause this error.

To copy and paste your Keycode, do the following:

Old Keycodes will not work between the separate Marine Aquarium program series (.99, 1.0, 2.0, etc.). In order to prevent piracy, we modified the Keycode system for the release of Marine Aquarium version 1.0 and again with version 2.0. If you wish to use a new version of Marine Aquarium, and you have an old code, you will have to aquire an upgraded Keycode.

Lastly, Keycodes that we see posted on the Internet are automatically deactivated in our database. You are urged to NEVER give out your Keycode to anyone. If you do, they might post YOUR Keycode to a website or forum. At that point we will be forced to disable the Keycode. We ONLY disable Keycodes that are posted to the Internet, or from customers that could not get the product to work on their computer. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN WE "RE-ACTIVATE" A KEYCODE. We apologize for any inconvenience.

On a computer with multiple user profiles, only profiles that have administrator access can effect changes to the computer's registry, where our Keycode is stored. Not having Administrator access to the computer means that Marine Aquarium cannot register itself correctly. You will have to change each user profile to accept registry changes and then enter the Keycode into each profile.

To change the user profile in Win 2000/XP:

Before the new Keycode system, we allowed customers to purchase a BASIC version of the Marine Aquarium that included only three Fish and some limited settings. For marketing reasons we no longer offer this as an option. Also, only the old DELUXE users were given the opportunity to upgrade for free. If you would like to upgrade please send US$10.00 in the form of a personal check or money order to:

Prolific Publishing, Inc.
SereneScreen Sales
3100 W. Burbank Blvd.
Suite 101
Burbank, CA 91505-1308

If this is an international order it must be an International Postal Money Order.

IMPORTANT - Be sure to include your e-mail address as well as your full name. We will e-mail your code to you as soon as we receive your payment.

Just a reminder, before you send money, the new Marine Aquarium is much improved over the old .99 series, requiring more from your computer. We suggest you download the program and run the demo version as outlined HERE

This can happen if Marine Aquarium was corrupted during installation. To solve this you will have to reinstall Marine Aquarium as outlined below:

2. First remove any previous versions of the Aquarium from your system. For more information on how to do this, click HERE

3. Re-boot your computer.

4. IMPORTANT: Before re-installing, be sure your anti-virus software is deactivated for the duration of the install.

5. Place your Marine Aquarium CD in the CD-ROM drive.

6. The CD will automatically run the Aquarium Setup Wizard, which will install Aquarium on your computer, simply read and follow the instructions for installation.

7. Once the installation process is complete, there should be a new icon on your desktop that looks like a pair of orange and white fish.

8. Double-click on the fish to run Aquarium to start the program. At this point Aquarium will read the CD for authorization and unlock the program.

9. While the Aquarium is running press the space bar to bring up the Settings menu.

10. Don't forget to reactivate your anti-virus software when you are finished.

Please let me know if you have any problems with this procedure.

This is a problem with InstallShield, a utility that guides software installation on Windows machines. The folks at InstallShield have identified this problem and offer a solution on their website HERE:

InstallShield fix

We recommend changing BOTH the TEMP and TMP variables as outlined in their fix.

There is no separate "demo version" of Marine Aquarium. We built the Marine Aquarium to act as a demo unless you entered a valid keycode. To properly install SereneScreen Marine Aquarium, and activate the demo mode, follow the instructions below:

• If you have purchased Marine Aquarium 2.0 you can simply download the latest version from the product page and use your keycode. This will only work with the Marine Aquarium 2 line.


• The price for upgrading from Marine Aquarium 1 to Marine Aquarium 2.0 is $5.95.


• Before making your purchase you may want to check to see if you have already been upgraded. Click HERE for information on how to retrieve your Keycodes.


• If you purchased Marine Aquarium 1.1 as an online download from this site, please click HERE for information on purchasing an Upgrade Keycode.


• If you have purchased the Marine Aquarium 1.0 CD (Not the XP Plus! CD), click HERE for information on purchasing a CD Upgrade Keycode.


• If your email has changed since your purchase or you have lost you original keycode click HERE for information on how to email Customer Support.


• If you do not wish to upgrade but would like the old Marine Aquarium 1, here is the link for downloading the program:

Marine Aquarium 1 for Windows

The simplest way to uninstall any Marine Aquarium program is to use the Uninstall option through the Start menu under Programs/SereneScreen or use the Add/Remove utility located in the Windows Control Panel to remove all Marine Aquarium programs.

This should clean your system of any Aquarium data. However, if you want to be doubly sure, you can go through the longer uninstall process below:

1. First remove any previous versions of the Aquarium from your system. Click on the Start button then select "Find" or "Search" and search for the file names of the products you installed. When the list of files displays in the Find window, right click on each of the fish icons and choose delete. Here is a list of the file names for each Marine Aquarium product:

Marine Aquarium 0.99 - fish.scr

Marine Aquarium 1 - Aquarium.scr

Marine Aquarium 1.5 - MAEncore.scr

Marine Aquarium 2 - MarineAquarium2.scr OR Marine Aquarium 2.scr

Marine Aquarium 2 MD - MarineAquarium2MD.scr

Marine Aquarium Time - MarineAquariumTime.scr

Marine Aquarium Time 2 - MAT2.scr

Marine Aquarium Time 2 MD - MarineAquarium2MD.scr

Marine Aquarium Crystal "The Fish" - AMCrystal-theFish.scr

Microsoft Plus! Marine Aquarium Demo - plusaqar.scr

2. Click on the Start button then select Programs/SereneScreen/Aquarium/Uninstall SereneScreen Aquarium.

3. IMPORTANT: Download the SachsRemove utility from HERE

This utility will delete all entries associated with the any version of our program from you computer's registry. Once the download is complete, double click on the program. Then click "YES" and "OK".

4. Re-boot your computer. Your Computer should now be completely free of all Aquarium data and programs.

All of the options below are found under the Marine Aquarium 2.5 menu under the "Settings" tab. To bring up the menu, press the spacebar on your keyboard while Marine Aquarium 2.5 is running.

Exit on Mouse Move - If this is checked; you can exit the Marine Aquarium by moving your mouse or pressing a non-hotkey (see above) on your keyboard. If this option is not checked, you can only exit the program by pressing the ESC key.

Disable Monitor Sleep Mode - Some monitors will shutdown after a period of time. This option allows the Marine Aquarium to override this shutdown and continue playing the aquarium on your monitor.

Always on Top in Windowed Mode - When the Marine Aquarium is in Windowed Mode (See "W" hot key above.) this option will place the aquarium window over any other program you are running.

Starfish Allowed on Glass - If this box is checked and the automatic lighting is on (see below) the starfish will climb onto the "glass" of your monitor and show off its belly.

Limit Frame Rate - Forces the frame rate (animation speed) of the Marine Aquarium to the frequency you select. If your the Marine Aquarium is jerking, or running slowly, you may need to reduce the frame rate below the default 62 by using the slider bar.

Windows Resolution and Color Bit - Controls the Desktop resolution and Color depth settings that the Marine Aquarium uses when it runs full screen.

• Resolution Dropdown menu - "Default Desktop Resolution" will match the aquarium display to your current desktop settings for color depth and resolution.



• 16/32 bit - Forces program to display at 16 or 32bit color depth regardless of desktop settings.

Automatic Lights - To prevent your monitor from burning in, the Marine Aquarium will cycle the lighting from light to dark across the tank. Un-checking this box will give you full control of the lighting.

• Delay Slider - Determines the length, from light to dark, of the lighting cycle when in Automatic lighting mode.


• Lights Slider - Manual setting for the lighting when not in Automatic lighting mode.

Bubbles - Controls the bubble column and sound.

• Column - Activates/Deactivates bubble column. Bubble sound will still be present and is controlled by the sound settings below.

Sound - Bubble column sound.

• Volume Slider - Controls bubble volume.



• Always On - Bubble sound will always be heard when the Aquarium is running.



• When Active - Bubble sound will only be heard when the Aquarium window is visible. Helpful when Aquarium is in Windowed mode (see "F" hotkey above.)



• Off - Turns off bubble sound entirely.

There are some additional options in the Settings menu for Marine Aquarium 2 MD, our multimonitor and widescreen version of Marine Aquarium 2. For more information on this special version, click HERE.

Start Window Mode - This sets the windowed mode of Marine Aquarium 2 to a specific Anamamorphic setting. The Anamorphic settings are as follows, though they may require slightly different numbers on your specific monitor:

1.0 fills any screen. If the Aquarium is set to widescreen and you have a widscreen monitor, there will be no distortion.

0.8 will "Letterbox" the Aquarium image, placing a black bar at the top and bottom of the screen. This setting will allow the widescreen mode to appear without distortion on a normal ratio display.

1.2 will "Sidebox" box the Aquarium image, placing a black bar on the left and right of the screen. This setting will allow the normal mode to appear without distortion on a widescreen display.

The graphics used in the SereneScreen Marine Aquarium require a fairly up-to-date computer with a strong graphics card. Our realistic graphics use the same system resources as some video games. If you do not have your computer set up for this kind of activity, do not worry, 99% of all graphics problems can be solved by simply updating your computer's video card drivers. Click HERE for more information on your video card and how to check it.

The best way to test the Aquarium's compatibility is to download the program and run the demo version as outlined HERE

Slow animation, jittering, or freezing can be caused by a variety of things. Let's try a few of the basics and see what might be causing the issue:

A. IMPORTANT: Be sure that your video card has 16 megabytes or more of video memory and an up to date driver. Do not skip this step! Even if your computer is brand new or you've recently updated drivers, there can still be problems in this area.

Click HERE for more information on your video card and how to check it.

B. Limit the Aquarium's animation frame rate as follows:

1. Run Marine Aquarium and press the spacebar to bring up the settings menu.

2. Click the "Settings" tab.

3. Check the "Limit frame rate (fps)" box and use the slider bar to set the frame rate below 30.

4. Click the OKAY button.

C. Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you item's full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray.

If the icon is Windows or another program waiting to update, run the updates then continue.

If the icon is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking will usually give you options. Then, check if Marine Aquarium exhibits the same behavior.

D. Double-check your computer for spyware or viruses.

If none of the above solutions work, please create a system information report as outlined HERE and e-mail it to us along with a description of your problem.

1. Close all programs that are running.

2. Click on the START button and select RUN.

3. In the box that appears, type in "dxdiag" (not the quotes, just what's in them).

4. This will bring up the DirectX Diagnostic tool. Wait for it to fully load.

5. Click the "Display" tab.

6. All the information on your video card is in the upper left under the heading "Device". You'll want to write down the following information:

• Name
• Manufacturer
• Chip Type
• Approx. Total Memory

If the Approx. Total Memory is below 16MB (megabytes), your video card does not have enough video memory to run Marine Aquarium and you should contact us to let us know.

7. All of the information about your video driver is on the right-hand side under the heading "Driver". You'll want to write down the following information:

• Version
• Date

If the date is more than six months old, you will want to update your video driver. As outlined HERE.

IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturer's website to find a new driver.

IMPORTANT: If you have a laptop, you will want to go to the laptop manufacturer's website to find a new driver.

If this update does not solve your problem, please create a system information report as outlined HERE and e-mail it to us along with a description of your problem.

We have found that Marine Aquarium can be minimized by Windows when another program steals priority from your system's processor. This can be caused by any combination of the following:

1. Programs running in the background. Nearly all computers have programs and utilities running in the background, not noticed, but requiring resources to operate. Some of these programs are less obtrusive than others.

Examine the programs in your System Tray (The area just to the left of the clock on the Taskbar). Placing your mouse cursor over the icons will give you item's full name. If you have Windows XP you may have to "Show hidden icons" using the small circle and arrow button to the left of the System Tray.

If it is not one of your basic system functions (volume, task manager, mouse, video card, printer, etc.) exit, disable or close the program. Right-clicking will usually give you options.

2. Windows or another program is trying to update. Be sure that ALL programs on your system have been updated or do not update automatically.

3. Viruses and Spyware can steal a lot of system resources; in fact this is one of the symptoms of being infested with this malevolent software. Update and run your antivirus program. Do a full system scan to be sure that your computer is clean.

For Spyware, we recommend AdAware from LavaSoft. AdAware has served us well for years and they have a free version on their site.

Also, Microsoft has recently released their anti-spyware program. Information on it can be found HERE.

You should run a Spyware scan even if you have a Spyware blocker or filter of some sort. No one program can catch everything.

This problem has been identified as a Windows XP issue. More information can be found on the Microsoft support site HERE.

Sometimes we need to know more about your system so we can more accurately diagnose a problem. Please use the following procedure to gather this information:

We will look through this information and see what the trouble might be.

Thank you for your patience.

Several reasons.

A real saltwater aquarium of this size could not support more fish, and it also gets visually crowded. The second reason is the graphics overhead for more fish slows the system down too much. We know that many people have very powerful graphics cards, which are producing 100 frames per second, but most do not, and we want the Aquarium to be a satisfying experience for the largest possible audience.

We do not permit people to create or add custom fish for Marine Aquarium at this time. There are many reasons for this, but the most important is that while we trust an artisan would be motivated, and capable of creating a truly wonderful masterpiece, there are others that might not, and if a version were to get out that was less than the highest quality, it would reflect poorly on us.

If you are interesting in creating fish or wildlife for our company, we are always seeking talented artists. Please e-mail us samples of your work.

Thank you for your support.