Welcome all. I'm starting this thread in hopes that it will aid New Aquarium owners as well as those who are considering starting an Aquarium. I also hope experienced aquarium owners will aid in this thread with any and all helpful tips/advice they wish to share.
The Aquarium Filter. One only has to visit a local fish store <LFS> to see how daunting a task it can be selecting a filter for their future tank. There are many styles, shapes, colors a literal myriad of choices, however in effect they all boil down into 5 categories.
Undergravel, Hang on Back <HoB>, Canister, Sponge and Sump.
But "which style is best?" you say? Have no fear there are many here at Aquariacentral that will do our best to aid you. Before we go to much further into styles it will help most to understand just exactly what our filters do and what they weren't designed to do.
In a nutshell an Aquarium filter does a few very important things that are quite obvious just by understanding the word filter. However these filters also perform tasks that some people might not be aware of even though it is part of the filtration process.
1st: and foremost a Filter's duty is to cleanse & condition the water to make a safe and comfortable environment for your aquatic pets. This is done by 3 methods known as Biological, Mechanical and Chemical.
2nd: They help to remove debris and detritus from the aquarium making it clean and pleasing to they eye as best as it really can. This is actually a secondary benefit that comes from the method of taking water from the Aquarium and run through the filtration process. Debris and such will be drawn into the filter intake as water moves around the tank as a result of the current generated by the filter. This is called Mechanical filtration.
Biological and Chemical Filtration take place within most filters as a form of insert, Carbon, Purigen, Sponge, Floss and a porous surface material like Bioballs or Rings etc..
The mechanical filtration of most filters while good is not the 1st primary function of most of them as might be commonly believed, though by no means do they fail in this regard. Most if any of them will not scour the tank bottom and remove all of the debris. The Mechanical part of their job will collect whatever is in the water that can make it to the intake and that's as far as they can go. They need help with the bigger stuff and that is why you must also act as a guard for your filter. This is usually and most easily accomplished by doing regular vacuuming <or other collection method> of your gravel or substrate to remove the bigger debris before it gets to the filter and begins clogging it up, thereby causing water flow and quality to begin dropping. Alot of people also prefer putting a sponge prefilter onto their filter intake tubes to help in this regard as well. This will not only prolong the life and ability of your filter but will aid in pristine water clarity and quality.
Cycling the Filter: Also known as "Tank cycling" I need not go into this for Rbishop has made an outstanding sticky on how to go about this process. You will find it at the top of this forum section or you can follow this link to get there.
www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?84598-Freshwater-cycling
Your Filter will be the Single most important piece of equipment in your Aquarium and making the right choice on type, Style and even in some case Brand will go light years in making your Aquarium enjoyable and safe for both you and your Pets.
More to come later doing a breakdown of each filter type and the Pro's and Con's of each.
So let's all get together and do a breakdown of the filter options for those that want and or need to know this. I only ask that replies in this thread go towards this goal and any filters you Add have a breakdown of the good and any bad points and your experiences with that style.
The Aquarium Filter. One only has to visit a local fish store <LFS> to see how daunting a task it can be selecting a filter for their future tank. There are many styles, shapes, colors a literal myriad of choices, however in effect they all boil down into 5 categories.
Undergravel, Hang on Back <HoB>, Canister, Sponge and Sump.
But "which style is best?" you say? Have no fear there are many here at Aquariacentral that will do our best to aid you. Before we go to much further into styles it will help most to understand just exactly what our filters do and what they weren't designed to do.
In a nutshell an Aquarium filter does a few very important things that are quite obvious just by understanding the word filter. However these filters also perform tasks that some people might not be aware of even though it is part of the filtration process.
1st: and foremost a Filter's duty is to cleanse & condition the water to make a safe and comfortable environment for your aquatic pets. This is done by 3 methods known as Biological, Mechanical and Chemical.
2nd: They help to remove debris and detritus from the aquarium making it clean and pleasing to they eye as best as it really can. This is actually a secondary benefit that comes from the method of taking water from the Aquarium and run through the filtration process. Debris and such will be drawn into the filter intake as water moves around the tank as a result of the current generated by the filter. This is called Mechanical filtration.
Biological and Chemical Filtration take place within most filters as a form of insert, Carbon, Purigen, Sponge, Floss and a porous surface material like Bioballs or Rings etc..
The mechanical filtration of most filters while good is not the 1st primary function of most of them as might be commonly believed, though by no means do they fail in this regard. Most if any of them will not scour the tank bottom and remove all of the debris. The Mechanical part of their job will collect whatever is in the water that can make it to the intake and that's as far as they can go. They need help with the bigger stuff and that is why you must also act as a guard for your filter. This is usually and most easily accomplished by doing regular vacuuming <or other collection method> of your gravel or substrate to remove the bigger debris before it gets to the filter and begins clogging it up, thereby causing water flow and quality to begin dropping. Alot of people also prefer putting a sponge prefilter onto their filter intake tubes to help in this regard as well. This will not only prolong the life and ability of your filter but will aid in pristine water clarity and quality.
Cycling the Filter: Also known as "Tank cycling" I need not go into this for Rbishop has made an outstanding sticky on how to go about this process. You will find it at the top of this forum section or you can follow this link to get there.
www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?84598-Freshwater-cycling
Your Filter will be the Single most important piece of equipment in your Aquarium and making the right choice on type, Style and even in some case Brand will go light years in making your Aquarium enjoyable and safe for both you and your Pets.
More to come later doing a breakdown of each filter type and the Pro's and Con's of each.
So let's all get together and do a breakdown of the filter options for those that want and or need to know this. I only ask that replies in this thread go towards this goal and any filters you Add have a breakdown of the good and any bad points and your experiences with that style.
