WHAT ARE FILTERS?
WHAT FILTERS DO AND DO WE NEED THEM?
Well, filters as we know them as mechanical filters are like the heart of your aquarium. They are there to purify your tank’s water. They pump water and circulate the waters around your fish aquarium keeping the water clean and providing much-needed oxygen. – In a SIMILAR way as the heart pumps blood around the body as well as oxygen!. This is an important part of fish keeping and there are a few different ways and means of filtration that we would like to discuss here in this post.
DO WE NEED TO FILTER?
Filtration Process
To properly answer this we first need to understand what we mean by filtration. If we mean adding to our tanks ie mechanical filtration. Then NO there are some fish that you can keep without filtering in this way.
Let me explain in a bit more detail. For instance, you could quite happily keep a betta fish or goldfish in small populations. A few fish in a tank and keep them healthy but there’s a caveat.
Which is although you haven’t added a filter there will be some filtration happening. This is called biological filtration and or chemical filtration!.
Fish And Biowaste
Fish produce a lot of waste wee and poo and general biowaste. From the gills etc not to mention food waste decaying! These leftovers produce toxins namely ammonia!.
Which left untapped will burn your fish and over time kill them. Unlike in the wild where this ammonia is broken down or more accurately diluted into a much larger water area.
Your fish are in a much smaller enclosed system so produce much more ammonia much more quickly and this needs help in the form of filtration here’s how!.
Growing Beneficial Bacteria
We need beneficial bacteria called NITRATE to grow. This bacteria will keep ammonia under control. We need this growing so we will need ornaments decorations driftwood rocks etc.
These beneficial bacteria will grow and break down the ammonia and nitrite. Which are bad bacteria and transform them into nitrate.
Which is much less harmful and your fish can thrive!. We would also need to add chemical filtration to help the process along in the form of a bio boost.
This keeps ammonia from spiking out of control by removing it from your water. As stated above this is fine for tanks with certain fish and with a small population of up to six fish.
For most tanks, we will need this and more by way of mechanical filtration!.
WHAT ABOUT MECHANICAL FILTERS?
Mechanical filters. Come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes and types too in waterfall or hang on the back filters.
These as the name suggests hang on the side or back of the tank and trickle water back into the tank itself.
External or Canister filters are housed outside the tank. Usually, underneath or hidden away. They are more powerful and can contain much more sponge and media and are more suited for larger tanks.
as can break down greater amounts of ammonia etc!.
And of course, the more usual internal filters. They sit inside your tank and are best for most people with small to midsize tanks. You can also get sponge filters that are smaller and sit on your air pumps great for breeding tanks!.
HOW DO MECHANICAL FILTERS WORK?
Mechanical filters work by removing toxins from the water and debris. From leftover food etc they remove them before the bacteria turns into ammonia.
They also agitate the water. Allowing for good flow and oxygen in turn helps for good bacteria to grow. They also collect all the debris.
They collect in what’s known as media within the filter. which grows beneficial bacteria!. Even though the filter does not remove ammonia.
Or turn ammonia into nitrate. It still does an amazing job in that it removes the food waste and particles from the water.
Keeps the water clean so ammonia doesn’t build up and the filter allows the good bacteria to grow. Which in turn eats the ammonia brilliant stuff right!.
OTHER FILTERS
Fluidized Bed Filters
These are efficient biological filters that use sand or silica chips as the filter medium. These types of filters hang from the back of an aquarium.
Where water is pumped through it and then down through a mass of sand or other media. The small particles provide an excellent surface area for the bacterial colonies to thrive.
Most units do not come with water pumps, which need to be purchased separately. These units do not provide very good chemical filtration, but mechanical filtration is moderately good because the sand media traps suspended particles.
Diatomic Filters
Diatomic systems are specialized aquarium filters that clean the water by removing very small particles. In design, these are similar to swimming pool filters. Which operate by pumping water through a layer of very fine particles to scrub the water clean.
Diatomic filters are most often used in temporary situations when fine particulate matter, such as diatomic algae, is a problem. Because a diatomic filter is used only for special situations. Some standard filters are made with diatomic inserts so they may serve a dual function when needed.
UNDER GRAVEL FILTERS
These are used as the name suggests under your substrate via a pump. The water is pumped down under the substrate.
The waste is taken into the substrate and disposed of in the media. This filter takes the look and form of a plate although inexpensive. They are also ineffective and prone to clogging up. They are also not so good if you have live plants!.
IN CLOSING OUR THOUGHTS
Although you can get away without a mechanical filter for smaller tanks it’s more beneficial to have some form of it!.
If you have a bigger tank and or you can afford the costs external is the way to go in our humble opinion. Although a good internal will do just as well in most cases.
as we’ve covered here in this post fish in our tanks are in fact in an enclosed system. With waste and debris producing harmful bacteria biological and chemical filtration will not remove alone.
For this reason, a good filter will be needed. To produce good bacteria to keep your tank healthy plus your filter will oxygenate the water too!.
Remember that the filter media will need cleaning and replacing every 4 weeks or so to be effective. Pro tip when changing keep half the old media in with the new as to keep some good bacteria around!.
As always we would love to hear from you in the comments and we hope you enjoyed the read. Please have a look around our site and keep on keeping fish that is!.
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