Aquarium filter media

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No one has ever had the heart to stand up and say that filtration may not be essential, because no one has yet had the courage to try and operate an aquarium without filtration. And hopefully they never will. The reason being that the costs and the effort involved in operating an effective aquarium filter media system are so minimal that it is not worth the argument, except possibly in large volume aquariums populated by very few fish and a large range and number of healthy aquatic plants.

Over all the aquarist’s goal should be to provide the finest environment for his fish to live and flourish in and much though must be given to find the ideal filter media to produce the best results within a realistic budget. Filter media for aquariums need not be expensive and there are many options available that can keep the cost within reasonable levels.

Once the decision has been made to install a filter system for your aquarium the next question will be which one? There are a few to choose from, some of them simple and some of them fairly complicated, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that the more complicated the filter system, the more effective it is.

One of the most important calculations that have to be made is the filter capacity required to operate an effective filtration system for the aquarium. The major factors to be taken into account will be the size of the tank, the number of fish to be kept and how often you want to process and filter the water in the tank. Most leading manufacturers will provide a list of criteria that their filters supply and from these figures you should be able to choose which filter capacity you will require to operate your filtration systems to a satisfactory level that meets both your and your fish’s requirements.

Experts in aquarium management will always advise to have more than one filter for all the obvious reasons. The larger the tank the more sensible it is to have filtration capacity in reserve, either to prevent clogging or if the motor fails in one of them.

There are a few explanations on the more “main stream” choices of aquarium filter media. The role of mechanical filtration is to separate solids such as fish food or excretions from the tank water. This form of media can be highly effective, through sieving the particles out of the stream of water flowing through the tank. Through ensuring that these particles are removed from the aquarium’s water, the levels of water purity will be high enough to keep the fish in the tank healthy.

Aquarium filter media can be made from sponge material, polyester fibres or other similar media, they should be always housed inside a filter and should be maintained in a condition that they are capable of trapping the particles. To draw the water into the filtration chamber pumps or fans are used dependant on the type of filter. Water is drawn through the filter media by a pump or flow of bubbles. The rate of water flow will be reduced as these particles are filtered from the aquarium water. Gradually through time and usage the filters will become clogged up with the particles that they have removed from the water and become gradually ineffective. This is why it is so important to maintain the filters, either through keeping them clean or replacing them as they become worn down.

Not only particles in the water have to be filtered out but also the chemicals that are introduced into the water during the process of the aquarium’s operation. Obviously chemicals are an entirely different ball game from dirt particles. They also require a process of chemical aquarium filtration that is different and aquarium filter media that is entirely different also.

The goal of chemical filtration in aquarium operation to is to harness the reactions between the various chemical compounds found in an aquarium and capture and remove the accumulated toxins, chlorines and heavy metals that can be harmful to the fish. Carbon and/or charcoal filter media can carry out this task, but the aquarist should be fully aware that these kinds of filters have a very limited life span, and need to be changed on a very regular basis.

Anyone who fails to replace their carbon of charcoal filters stands a very fair chance of poisoning their fish.

The last form of preventative filtration that the aquarist needs to know about is biological filtration. This form of filtration is highly important to the environmental equations involved in the aquarium and needs to be handled very carefully. The purpose of this form of filtration is to maintain the level of “friendly “bacteria in the water. The filters need to be hand washed, and preferably with tank water rather than tap water where the chlorine levels and the water temperature may be high enough to destroy the bacteria. Many aquarists maintain two set of filters and change only half at a time to keep these highly important bacteria in good shape to carry out their very important role.

While it is very important to install an effective filtration system for an aquarium and make all and every effort to ensure that it operates and is maintained to create a proper and healthy environment for the fish in the tank to thrive in, effort should also be made to reduce the work load on the filters by making sure that the input of excessive foreign bodies in the tank is reduced to a minimum. One of the biggest causes of clogging in aquariums is through overfeeding the fish. Fish in a tank will only eat what is in the tank for the first five minutes after it has been introduced. As no one yet has come up with a way to individually hand feed aquarium fish, all the excess food will backflow through the filters and clog them. Calculating the exact amount of food to give comes only with experience and through study and making the proper calculations. Until that knowledge has been achieved, special attention should be made to the filters soon after feeding to ensure that they have not become blocked.

Aquarium filter media maintenance is a bit of a balancing act, but once under control will lead to a pleasant environment and healthy fish.

Aquarium Filter Media

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