The basic of Fishkeeping

Most important parts of fish keeping: tank, water, filter. Without a good filter your fish will not be happy, and you will have to do much more work on your tank. Filters can be expensive but they are worth every penny. On this page we will talk about different types of filtration and different filter options. The most important thing to remember is RESEARCH. No matter what filter you want to get, always look at online consumer reports and get informed. Nothing feels worse then buying a 200$ filter that breaks in two days...

Biological Filtration

This is Fluval biomax, a great biological filter.

Types of Filtration

There are 3 main types of filtration: Mechanical, biological, and chemical. All three are equally important and must be taken care of to have sparkling clean water.

Mechanical- Mechanical filtration is the physical filtration of poo and other "gunk" the builds in the tank. This is an important 1st step of filtration the acts as a coarse filter. Sponges are an example of mechanical filtration. Mechanical filtration needs to be rinsed in water from the tank, and replaced once it becomes too dirty.

Biological- Biological filtration is very important to get rid of ammonia and nitrites. Biological filtration is any type of filtration that can build beneficial bacteria and keep the toxins in the tank low. This filtration could also be sponge, although there are specialized materials like "biomax" that can maximize beneficial bacteria colonies. this filtration material should never be replaced, but should be
rinsed in water from the tank.

Chemical- Checmical filtration is used to remove chemical and minerals from the water. This type of filtration is not very good to use in a planted tank because these minerals are needed by the plants. Chemical filtration is usually used to take medication out of a tank, once its inhabitants are healed. Chemical filtration is also used to remove nutrients to inhibit algae growth. An example would be activated carbon.

Chemical Filtration Activated Carbon

Mechanical Filtration Fluval sponge replacement

Internal Filter

Diffferent Filters

In this section I discuss some several different filter types and some of their advantages and disadvantages.

Power Filters- very commonly used filters. This hang on the back of a tank, sucking water up by a tube. The water than flows through some filter material and splashes back into the tank. This filter has some good mechanical filtration and can be filled with activated carbon for additional chemical filtration. Some of the newer brands come with "bio wheels". Overall, pretty good filters for smaller tanks (under 50 gallons). There are also easy to clean and access, an added bonus. These filters tend to come in aquarium kits and do a good job as a first filter.

Internal Filters- Internal filters are like power filters that sit in the tank. These filters can take up quiet a bit of room and don't look very good in the tank. They have standard filtration and are not really for tanks over 30 gallons. Fluval makes some good internal filters.

Canister Filters- Canister filters are heavy duty filters that sit under an aquarium. They are hidden from sight, and can handle much bigger biological loads. These filters also tend to be a lot more versatile then other filters. They can have many more combination of filter material, and are therefore very favorable filters. These are great filters for tanks 30 gallons and bigger. They are more expensive than other filters, but they are really worth the money. Canister filters are harder to access however. Tubes need to be unhooked and the big lid taken off. Cleaning them takes some time, and effort.

Sump filters- sump filters are generally used in saltwater/reef aquariums. However, they do exist in freshwater aquariums as well. These are more complicated, DIY type of filters. They use overflow boxes to bring water to another aquarium under the tank, that is full of biological material. As the water flows around this material it gets purified. A pump then returns the clean water to the aquarium. These are more sophisticated systems that need to carefully used. If you are interested in a DIY route that can give you a lot of choices on filter material.

Built-in filters- Some smaller aquariums come with "hidden" built-in filtration units. This make the unit more compact and can be appealing to many people. However, this filtration is almost never adequete enough, so these units should generally be avoided. Not to mention, these only come with tanks under 10 gallons big; Anything under 10 gallons big should not have fish in it.

Under Gravel Filters- These filters are plates of plastic/acrylic that rest under the gravel/sand. An air pump or powerhead forms a current, so that junk is drawn down inot the filter. These are biological filters. There are many controversies as to their usefulness. They can clog up very easily and need A LOT of maintenance. For sure, these filters should not be used alone or in bigger tanks. They are cheap, but do not provide very good filtration. Overall, not recommended.

Canister Filter

Undergravel Filter

Power Filter

Remember

• Bigger is always better!
• More expensive is NOT always better. Compare brands, prices and consumer reviews carefully, before investing in this essential part of an aquarium.
• In order to get truly adequate filtration, the filter must be able to filter all the water in the aquarium 3-6 times an hour. So, if the aquarium is 50 gallons, the filter should be able to filter at least 150 gallons/hour (gph).
• The better the filter the least amount of work and maintenance it will take to upkeep. This means more time enjoying the aquarium and less time cleaning it.
• Never clean your filter with regular water, always clean it with dirty aquarium water. This helps keep the beneficial bacteria alive.