Aquariums are really artificial homes for our fish, these confined spaces without freely running water and with proportionately an extremely high number of fish per litre of water require the support of technology to maintain conditions in which fish can survive and flourish. All fish produce a range of waste products which, if they are allowed to accumulate within the aquarium, will lead to a decline in water quality and fish health. Whilst stringent feeding practices and regular water changes may help, most aquarists will rely upon some form of filter to remove and break down these potentially toxic waste products. There are many different types of filters to keep your aquarium clean and healthy.
When purchasing a filtration unit for your aquarium there is a few things you need to think about so we have jotted down a bit of information to start you off.
With filtration we have three types, bio-logical (the breakdown of waste by bacteria), chemical ( the removal of waste by a man made media like carbon or resins) and mechanical (removal of waste by sponges or pads). All of these types of filtration help to keep your tank healthy.
All filters will use one, two or all three types of filtration in the one filter unit it all depends on how large or small the unit is. With small filters it is hard to fit a lot of things into them as their size doesn’t permit it. With larger filters mainly used on larger aquariums they have plenty of room, so lots of things will fit in. The best type of filter uses all three.
Other points to remember when purchasing a filter is, where is the filter going to go, inside or outside the aquarium, how much room do you have in your tank or on the outside of you aquarium to fit a filter, what is the cost going to be, do you want to buy a hundred dollar filter on a fifty dollar tank or is your aquarium large, how big a filter will you need. (Here’s a point, a fifty dollar filter won’t be good enough for a three hundred litre aquarium). So you will have a few things to mull over or come in and talk to us, we can always point you in the right direction.
We have listed the two main types of filters available HANG ON and INTERNAL.
