Usually, this can be found in the form of sponges, sieves, foams and matting, all capturing solid matter and particulates such as fish waste, surplus food, debris and anything else that turns your water murky.
Even more periodically, you will need to replace your mechanical filter media, all available from Swell UK. The next stage of aquarium filtration is a little more advanced.
Most filters feature a chamber containing biological filter media, often in the form of plastic balls with a high surface area to volume ratio. The water simply flows through the network of holes and gaps these balls create but come into contact with cultures of nitrifying bacteria that colonise the balls bio-media. Your fish create waste in the form of ammonia, the ammonia filled water goes into the biological filter and comes into contact with the nitrifying bacteria, which turns it from ammonia a dangerous chemical into nitrite still dangerous and then into Nitrates pretty harmless.
This is probably the most important part of fish keeping. But while incredibly important, biological filtration takes time to become effective in a new fish tank.
This is because the colonies of beneficial bacteria take a while to establish themselves and to develop into quantities that can be effective. This can lead to New Tank Syndrome where algae and poor water quality can be a factor. Consider the use of a filter start treatment, and fishless cycling to begin with. An optional extra on smaller tanks, and considered essential by professional keepers of larger tanks, UV clarifiers are a fantastic extra augmentation for your aquarium filter system.
There are many kinds of biological media for sale, but what they all have in common is that they should be left alone as much as possible. Disturbing your biological filter media can cause ammonia spikes, so cleaning is not necessary. A third, but less important kind of filtration is chemical filtration, which is usually done with activated charcoal. I personally only use it when I need to remove medication from my aquariums.
Other chemical filtration materials include peat moss used to lower pH and zeolite used to remove excess ammonia. Sufficient filtration is one of the most important factors when it comes to maintaining a stable aquarium with healthy fish. Although your tank will still need regular cleaning and water changes, doing some research before you buy and getting the right type of filter with the right combination of biological and mechanical media will save you a lot of work and trouble.
Happy fishkeeping! Cover photo: The Ensemble by cito I have a 15 gal tank with 10 cardinal tetras and 10 neon tetras in it. I use a hang on filter. Besides the activated carbon filter I added a sponge in it. Do you think I can still add some biological filter media in it if space permits? Also called corner filters or internal filters , these were the first aquarium filters available for home aquariums.
Although less common than in the past, they are very inexpensive and can be loaded with a variety of filter media. Many box filters are compact units that stick to the glass inside an aquarium, making them suitable for small aquariums of 20 gallons or less. Corner filters are often used for hospital tanks used to treat sick fish because fish owners don't wish to invest a lot of money setting up a tank that is used infrequently. Their less powerful intake flow also makes box filters popular for use in breeding tanks with tiny fry.
Some types require an air pump and air line to produce the movement necessary to move water through the filter. These systems create air bubbles that also enhance chemical and biological filtration. Canisters are powerful mechanical aquarium filters best suited for medium- to large-sized tanks—those larger than 40 gallons. Because canister filters are positioned outside the tank, they may be easily concealed behind or beneath the aquarium stand.
These large units provide very good mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. Canister filters are pressurized to force water through the filter media , rather than allowing it to flow past it as other filters do.
This makes them ideal for heavy loads. Adding a biowheel increases the biological filtration capacity of the aquarium filter. On the negative side, canister filters are difficult to take apart for cleaning and maintenance, and they are difficult to get primed and restarted afterward.
Canister filters are very good for saltwater aquariums or those with many living plants. Diatomic systems are specialized aquarium filters that "polish" the water by removing very small particles. In design, these are similar to diatomaceous earth swimming pool filters, which operate by pumping water through a layer of very fine particles to scrub the water clean. Diatomic filters are most often used in temporary situations when fine particulate matter, such as diatomic algae , is a problem. Because a diatomic filter is used only for special situations, some standard filters are made with diatomic inserts so they may serve a dual function when needed.
Relatively new, these systems are very efficient biological filters that utilize sand or silica chips as the filter medium. These units hang from the back of an aquarium, where water is pumped through it then down through a mass of sand or other media.
The small particles provide an excellent surface area for the bacterial colonies to thrive. Most units do not come with water pumps, which need to be purchased separately. These units do not provide very good chemical filtration, but mechanical filtration is moderately good because the sand media traps suspended particles.
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