The filter's purpose is to ensure that waste is removed from your tank, because unlike the ocean, your tank is a finite space where your livestock cannot escape. If you don't have a good filtration system and make the mistake of over-feeding your livestock, then you will quickly have problems inside your tank. This is because most fish process waste into ammonia, which then becomes toxic to your fish unless destroyed by your filtration system.
Let's examine what types there are available.
Biological Filters
Biological filters are going to constitute a portion of your tank because the natural foundation of your reef, from the sand, to the rock formations and plant life you choose all form part of the biological filter. What occurs in nature is that is that natural bacteria form on the rocks and in the sand, which is exactly what you want. The first batch of bacteria that will form will be ammonia eaters, but they will convert the ammonia into slightly less harmful nitrate. Fortunately, nitrate-eater bacteria will form next, thus clearing your tank of harmful waste. It takes more than a rock or two to have a one hundred percent biological filter however. There are many techniques, some of which are visually stunning, used to create a sound biological filter that eliminates the need for mechanical filtration. But the right materials all depend on your choice of livestock. Different fish, corral, and other livestock you may choose for your tank will require different biological filtration set-ups. So do your research based on your species.
Mechanical Filters
Mechanical filters used in conjunction with your biological setup puts you in full control, ensuring that if there is a waste problem that it can be dealt with immediately to ensure the survival of your livestock. But it is important to remember that mechanical filters will not be able to eliminate large solids in your tank, and require effort on your part to keep them from getting clogged. What they primarily do is strain solid particles from your tank to keep the water clear. Working in partnership with your biological filter, the mechanical filter is among the most important components of your entire tank.
Chemical Filters
Chemical filters work by gas activated carbon dissolving waste materials, and usually are used in combination with mechanical and/or biological filters. It is useful to use the carbon-based chemical filter when ammonia levels rise to a high enough level to harm the livestock in your tank, while allowing your biological system to do the regular, every day work.
It is useful to know that all three types can be used in combination or separately. It really depends on the size of your tank, the livestock you have chosen, and your particular tastes and design for your underwater habitat.
SaltySupply.com offers the most premium aquarium supplies on the net. We offer protein skimmers, powerheads, pumps and more for your saltwater aquarium.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Gilliland
Friday, March 21, 2008
Aquairum Equipment Explained
As a newcomer to the aquarium hobby, you may not be aware that as well as making your aquarium water clear, so that you can see your beautiful fishes, the main task of a filter is to break down the waste that fishes produce.
It is the nitrifying bacteria or friendly bacteria that live in the media of your filter that do this amazing job. They colonize the media in your filter, and their success is completely reliant upon it, and the higher the surface area of your media, the greater the efficiency of the filter.
Provided there is a plentiful supply of oxygen and nutrients, and the media is kept free of debris, the bacteria will thrive. There are many types of aquarium filter available, although you only need to consider the three main types for your basic set up.
These three types are: Undergravel Filtration, Internal filter, and External filter.
The undergravel system consists of undergravel plates that cover the whole of the bottom of the aquarium; these plates are full of small slits that allow water through them. Uplift tubes are inserted into the plates vertically at each end of the aquarium.
The plates are then covered with about 2-3ins (5-8cm) of gravel, the gravel works as the medium. The system can either be air operated, in which case an electrically operated air pump delivers air through a small bore tube, which in turn is placed down the uplift tube. As air leaves the small bore tubing at the bottom of the uplift, it rises in the form of bubbles.
The effect of the bubbles rising in the uplift tube makes the water rise with them, exiting at the top of the uplift at the water's surface, thus creating a circulation of water around the system. The water is filtered as it passes down through the gravel and then drawn through the gravel plates into the bottom of the uplift to be circulated again.
The alternative to air operated uplifts, and much preferred, are small electric water pumps known as powerheads. Powerheads sit on top of the uplift tubes and the way that the water is filtered is much the same as the air operated system, however, powerheads can circulate a much greater volume of water, making them far superior to air uplifts.
Indeed, it is this extra power that is necessary for an undergravel system to work well, powerheads also run much quieter than an airpump. Powerheads vary in size depending on the amount of water they are required to circulate. For a basic community aquarium this should be at least 3 times per hour.
Internal filters are normally smaller than their external counterpart, and generally contain only one filter medium, usually a foam structure. They are powered by pumps similar in design to the previously mentioned powerheads but usually an integral part of the filter.
As their name implies they operate from within the aquarium, water is drawn into the filter compartment by the pump where it passes through the foam, (this is where the nitrifying bacteria get to work), the water then returns to the aquarium from the pump outlet to be recycled again.
This type of filter is the easiest of all to install and maintain. Before choosing an internal filter as the ONLY means of filtration, think carefully about the size of your set up; remember water quality relies heavily on filtration.
External filter are generally larger than internals and contain at least two mediums, therefore biological capacity is increased, and it is possible to add different mediums to carry out different tasks, thereby being more adaptable to individual needs.
Although based on the same principle as the internal filter, these pressurized systems require plumbing-in and are normally situated remote from the aquarium, such as the cupboard of a purpose built aquarium cabinet. External filters are also available in various sizes, and are relatively easy to maintain, although you should always keep the pipe connections maintained for obvious reasons.
As previously mentioned air pumps can be used in a limited capacity to power an undergravel filtration system, but by enlarge they have been superseded by powerheads. Air pumps vary in size and your choice would be dependent on the number of features you wanted run, and although a cascade of bubbles rising to the surface may have a pleasing effect on the eye, the main reasons for aeration are rather more practical.
The primary function of an air pump is to inject air bubbles into the aquarium; what you are aiming for is to use a diffuser that produces extremely tiny bubbles. If you have ever noticed bubbles rising in water you will have realized that the larger the bubble, the faster it rises to the surface.
The idea is to have the bubbles rise to the surface as slowly as possible; this then gives the natural process of absorption the best opportunity to work. The longer the bubbles take to rise to the surface the better the chance is of oxygen being absorbed from them.
However, that is only part of the process; the slowly rising bubbles are also able to carry waste gases, such as carbon dioxide expelled from your fishes, to the surface and into the atmosphere, which in turn reduces its effect on pH.
It is important to note that the oxygen absorbed in this way is only a tiny proportion of the requirement needed for your living aquarium. It is from the surface area of your aquarium water that the most oxygen is absorbed, this is the very reason for having an aquarium with as large a surface area as possible; this gives a greater surface area for any given volume of water, which aids the absorption of oxygen and the "gassing off" effect of the carbon dioxide.
For more information about freshwater tropical fishkeeping please visit my site at http://www.freshwatertropicalfishkeeping.com for 30 years or more of fishkeeping experience. Or watch out for more fishkeeping articles from me, Kevin M. Yates at FWTFK
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_M_Yates
It is the nitrifying bacteria or friendly bacteria that live in the media of your filter that do this amazing job. They colonize the media in your filter, and their success is completely reliant upon it, and the higher the surface area of your media, the greater the efficiency of the filter.
Provided there is a plentiful supply of oxygen and nutrients, and the media is kept free of debris, the bacteria will thrive. There are many types of aquarium filter available, although you only need to consider the three main types for your basic set up.
These three types are: Undergravel Filtration, Internal filter, and External filter.
The undergravel system consists of undergravel plates that cover the whole of the bottom of the aquarium; these plates are full of small slits that allow water through them. Uplift tubes are inserted into the plates vertically at each end of the aquarium.
The plates are then covered with about 2-3ins (5-8cm) of gravel, the gravel works as the medium. The system can either be air operated, in which case an electrically operated air pump delivers air through a small bore tube, which in turn is placed down the uplift tube. As air leaves the small bore tubing at the bottom of the uplift, it rises in the form of bubbles.
The effect of the bubbles rising in the uplift tube makes the water rise with them, exiting at the top of the uplift at the water's surface, thus creating a circulation of water around the system. The water is filtered as it passes down through the gravel and then drawn through the gravel plates into the bottom of the uplift to be circulated again.
The alternative to air operated uplifts, and much preferred, are small electric water pumps known as powerheads. Powerheads sit on top of the uplift tubes and the way that the water is filtered is much the same as the air operated system, however, powerheads can circulate a much greater volume of water, making them far superior to air uplifts.
Indeed, it is this extra power that is necessary for an undergravel system to work well, powerheads also run much quieter than an airpump. Powerheads vary in size depending on the amount of water they are required to circulate. For a basic community aquarium this should be at least 3 times per hour.
Internal filters are normally smaller than their external counterpart, and generally contain only one filter medium, usually a foam structure. They are powered by pumps similar in design to the previously mentioned powerheads but usually an integral part of the filter.
As their name implies they operate from within the aquarium, water is drawn into the filter compartment by the pump where it passes through the foam, (this is where the nitrifying bacteria get to work), the water then returns to the aquarium from the pump outlet to be recycled again.
This type of filter is the easiest of all to install and maintain. Before choosing an internal filter as the ONLY means of filtration, think carefully about the size of your set up; remember water quality relies heavily on filtration.
External filter are generally larger than internals and contain at least two mediums, therefore biological capacity is increased, and it is possible to add different mediums to carry out different tasks, thereby being more adaptable to individual needs.
Although based on the same principle as the internal filter, these pressurized systems require plumbing-in and are normally situated remote from the aquarium, such as the cupboard of a purpose built aquarium cabinet. External filters are also available in various sizes, and are relatively easy to maintain, although you should always keep the pipe connections maintained for obvious reasons.
As previously mentioned air pumps can be used in a limited capacity to power an undergravel filtration system, but by enlarge they have been superseded by powerheads. Air pumps vary in size and your choice would be dependent on the number of features you wanted run, and although a cascade of bubbles rising to the surface may have a pleasing effect on the eye, the main reasons for aeration are rather more practical.
The primary function of an air pump is to inject air bubbles into the aquarium; what you are aiming for is to use a diffuser that produces extremely tiny bubbles. If you have ever noticed bubbles rising in water you will have realized that the larger the bubble, the faster it rises to the surface.
The idea is to have the bubbles rise to the surface as slowly as possible; this then gives the natural process of absorption the best opportunity to work. The longer the bubbles take to rise to the surface the better the chance is of oxygen being absorbed from them.
However, that is only part of the process; the slowly rising bubbles are also able to carry waste gases, such as carbon dioxide expelled from your fishes, to the surface and into the atmosphere, which in turn reduces its effect on pH.
It is important to note that the oxygen absorbed in this way is only a tiny proportion of the requirement needed for your living aquarium. It is from the surface area of your aquarium water that the most oxygen is absorbed, this is the very reason for having an aquarium with as large a surface area as possible; this gives a greater surface area for any given volume of water, which aids the absorption of oxygen and the "gassing off" effect of the carbon dioxide.
For more information about freshwater tropical fishkeeping please visit my site at http://www.freshwatertropicalfishkeeping.com for 30 years or more of fishkeeping experience. Or watch out for more fishkeeping articles from me, Kevin M. Yates at FWTFK
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_M_Yates
Best Filtration Method
This is a common question everyone will ask after looking through various comments or remarks from the internet source. Lets take a look at what various filtration methods there are and decide which is the best.
A combination of all three forms of filtration is the recommended to ensure that all aspects of water purification will be effectively carried out, leaving fresh, clear water for the fish to inhabit. Be aware, though, that as good as any filtration system is, it is not a substitute for regular water changes and will also need maintaining in its own right. Mechanical media will need to be rinsed or replaced about every month to prevent blockages, and biological media should be rinsed about every two months in tank water ( not tap water ) to remove any detritus. Chemical media are rarely used on their own, except for purifying water at the source ( such as filtering tapwater or rainwater ). Zeolite is sometimes used in bags when water is transported over long distances, but neither carbon nor Zeolite would make effective long term media for keeping fish if they used exclusively.
While you cannot over-filter aquarium water, you can under-filter it without necessarily noticing immediately. Water tests that indicated that ammonia or nitrite were present in the water for more than a few weeks would suggest inadequate biological media compared to the number of fish. The solution to this would be to opt for a larger filter or to double up and add another identical filter to the tank, perhaps the opposite end.
A good filter is one that both clears and breaks down water, but before you buy also consider factors such as ease of maintenance and service. The advantage of mass-produced, brand-leading filters is that lots of stores will stock spare filter media and all the other various parts, such as impellers, that are also needed for the aquarium.
When deciding which type of media is the best all round, prize must go to the humble sponge. Although is the cheapest option, its mechanical and biological filtering properties make it the only medium that can be used as effective method of filtration in the aquarium. When maintained properly, it can be very effective, even when used on very sensitive fish like Discus. So if budget has to come into the equation, an air-powered sponge filter or internal power filter will always be the BEST option.
Note: As good as any biological filter medium may be, when you purchase it, it will need several weeks before becoming fully colonized with bacteria and therefore effective.
Interested reading more about fish keeping? Want to know the review and comment of various aquarium product and quality? Want to know how to make your own fish food?
Visit http://www.fishkeepingdiscussion.blogspot.com to know more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jincheng_Ong
A combination of all three forms of filtration is the recommended to ensure that all aspects of water purification will be effectively carried out, leaving fresh, clear water for the fish to inhabit. Be aware, though, that as good as any filtration system is, it is not a substitute for regular water changes and will also need maintaining in its own right. Mechanical media will need to be rinsed or replaced about every month to prevent blockages, and biological media should be rinsed about every two months in tank water ( not tap water ) to remove any detritus. Chemical media are rarely used on their own, except for purifying water at the source ( such as filtering tapwater or rainwater ). Zeolite is sometimes used in bags when water is transported over long distances, but neither carbon nor Zeolite would make effective long term media for keeping fish if they used exclusively.
While you cannot over-filter aquarium water, you can under-filter it without necessarily noticing immediately. Water tests that indicated that ammonia or nitrite were present in the water for more than a few weeks would suggest inadequate biological media compared to the number of fish. The solution to this would be to opt for a larger filter or to double up and add another identical filter to the tank, perhaps the opposite end.
A good filter is one that both clears and breaks down water, but before you buy also consider factors such as ease of maintenance and service. The advantage of mass-produced, brand-leading filters is that lots of stores will stock spare filter media and all the other various parts, such as impellers, that are also needed for the aquarium.
When deciding which type of media is the best all round, prize must go to the humble sponge. Although is the cheapest option, its mechanical and biological filtering properties make it the only medium that can be used as effective method of filtration in the aquarium. When maintained properly, it can be very effective, even when used on very sensitive fish like Discus. So if budget has to come into the equation, an air-powered sponge filter or internal power filter will always be the BEST option.
Note: As good as any biological filter medium may be, when you purchase it, it will need several weeks before becoming fully colonized with bacteria and therefore effective.
Interested reading more about fish keeping? Want to know the review and comment of various aquarium product and quality? Want to know how to make your own fish food?
Visit http://www.fishkeepingdiscussion.blogspot.com to know more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jincheng_Ong
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