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aquarium filters

Having a good aquarium filter will make the main difference between enjoying fish-keeping or not. Here are descriptions of the different types of aquarium filters available, what kind of tanks they are perfect for, and also the overall benefits and drawbacks of each and every option.

Corner filters

These small clear packaged filters have an airstone that pushes water up through layers of floss and charcoal. The therapy lamp sits within the gravel in the corner of the tank. Sometimes they need to be weighted as a result of have them from floating. They are inexpensive, but not terribly efficient. Since they do add some aeration with a tank, you aren't planning to tidy up a unclean tank with this particular type of filter.

Sponge filters

They are much like corner filter, there is however no floss or charcoal or even a packaged -- all filtering is completed through a sponge. Again, this is not an extremely efficient filter, however it helps. Sponge filters are utilized in fry and quarantine tanks simply because they create no strong currents, and they do cleanup a tank a little, and so they provide some aeration. Fry could also enjoy nibbling algae off of the sponge.


aquarium filter

Undergravel filters

Undergravel will be the best option for the standard community tank. You can also combine an undergravel filter with a exterior box filter for some extra water that is clean. The advantages are that undergravel filters are relatively cheap, they actually do a great job after they are in place, and so they do not create strong currents that some fish, like bettas or discus, is not going to like. These filters use biological and mechanical filtration by pulling the dirty water within the tank down through the gravel. The plastic aisles of the undergravel filter contain the gravel up there is a small space at the end from the tank. This is when a lot of the debris is captured. The water that is clean is pushed up through two tubes on either side of the back from the aquarium and pushes the clean water out -- fairly gently -- through two window-shaped grates.

Undergravel filters use your aquarium's gravel as the filtration media. Nevertheless there is mechanical filtration, a lot of the action is occurring via biological filtration inside the gravel. So these filters usually takes several days tell you clean water. In addition there are absolutely no way to upgrade them apart from adding a powerhead, that is only planning to increase the amount of pull. You'll need an air pump to run an undergravel filter. The stronger it is, the more filtration you're going to get.

External/hang privately filters

These filters are boxes that most of their work just outside from the tank. They hang on along side it with an uptake tube which goes on to the tank. The dirty water is opened up the intake tube and pushed via a number of sponges and usually a bag of activated carbon. This performs biological, mechanical and chemical filtration. The clean water is pushed out via a trough formation that spills to the tank.

Such filters do create a bit of current, particularly if you have a relatively large tank. They are able to handle tanks up to 100 gallons, and if you'd a more substantial tank (lucky you) you might just put in a second filter. These types of filters must be cleaned about weekly or two weeks by squeezing the sponges until every one of the trapped particles are freed. Sometimes small fish get caught or opened up by the intake tube, however this only happens with very, really small fish. Nevertheless, do not use most of these filters in the fry tank. Otherwise, they actually do an excellent job and therefore are a good filter for the investment. They run about $20 for any 20 gallon tank. "Trickle" filters is similar technology.

Canister filters

These are the "big dogs" with the filter world. Until you have a community tank that is over 50 gallons, using a canister filter is a little like swatting a fly having a cannonball. The main benefit to canister filters is that they execute a very, excellent job and also you don't need to clean them more often than once monthly if that.