Guide To Fish Tank Filters
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Guide To Fish Tank Filters
A fish tank is a closed environment. This means that the conditions inside the tank should be properly monitored and the ideal settings should be maintained to ensure a healthy fish population. Clean water is one important factor to having this equilibrium. Changes such as fish deaths, uneaten fish food, fish waste, changes in water composition, dead plants, and the like will compromise the water quality.
If left untreated, water pollution will build up and toxic substances will also abound, causing fish illnesses and deaths. To ensure that clean water is circulating inside the tank at all times, fish tank filters should be a part of your fish tank setup.
Types of filters
The type of filter you will need will basically be dictated by the size of your tank. Fish tank filters perform either mechanical, chemical, or biological filtration. Some types combine two or all filtration methods.
Inexpensive filters such as hang-on filters, box or corner filters, internal power filters, diatom filters, and sponge filters are generally ideal for small tanks. Consisting of just a sponge or foam and a tube, sponge filters are the cheapest and simplest fish tank filters, ideal for tanks with small or newborn fish and quarantine tanks. Also known as external power filters, hang-on filters are among the most popular since they often provide all three filtration methods. On the other hand, internal power filters are placed inside the tank. These are ideal only for small freshwater tanks. Box or corner filters are also placed inside the aquarium, providing mechanical and chemical filtration for small tanks. To provide the best method of mechanical filtration, diatom filters use diatomaceous earth .
Aside from being sufficient for small tanks, these filters can also be used in larger tanks but only as complementary or backup filters. Hang-on filters and internal power filters can support all filtration methods. However, their small media chambers, which translate to smaller surface area, means that they won’t be efficient in tanks with large populations. Diatom, sponge, and box or corner filters tend to easily clog up, requiring you to clean more often.
Canister, undergravel, fluidized bed, and wet/dry fish tank
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filters are used for larger and heavily populated fish tanks. Canister filters are popular since they can provide all stages of filtration and are located outside of the tank. Undergravel filters consist of a filter plate and uplift tubes located under your aquarium gravel, while fluidized bed filters are made of fine-grained sand suspended in a column of water, providing either biological or chemical filtration. The efficiency and power of wet/dry filters makes it the best choice for a complete three-stage filtration system.
The large surface area of undergravel filters give excellent mechanical and biological filtration but you have to know that stubborn buildup will develop, making it lose efficiency over time. On the other hand, fluidized filters tend to deplete your tank’s oxygen supply and add nitrates during power failures. Being the most advanced filtration type, wet/dry filters are for advanced aquarists, as they require more planning, time to set up, and additional equipment or plumbing.
Filter accessories
It is important that you also know about the different filter accessories available for your fish tank filters. Accessories such as filter bags, cartridges, and filter media are the ones used and replaced regularly.
By: Jeffry Johnston
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Sean Kerring is a pet store owner and an aquarium enthusiast who likes to help others succeed in raising their fish as well. He is a featured member and guest speaker at many aquarium clubs, as well as having a few very large tanks of his own. To learn more about fish tank filters and aquarium wet/dry filters, please go to marinedepot.com.
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