Filtration, Filtration, Filtration
The aquariums in the top and bottom image have a lot of similarities; They both have gravel, they both have decor, and similar sized fish inhabiting them. However, there is one key difference…filtration.
Filtration is the make or break of an aquarium. Personally, it is one of my favorite parts of the fish keeping hobby. Filtration is the equivalent of popping the hood on a sports car to see what makes it tick.
Filtration is the life support system of any aquarium. It plays the leading role in maintaining an aquarium by:
- Circulating the water throughout the entire system.
- Being the lung of the tank, delivering and dispersing oxygen.
- Removing and filtering out harmful compounds.
In reality, when you keep fish, you are keeping bacteria; The fish feed the bacteria. There is more life in the filter of an aquarium than there will ever be in the actual aquarium itself.
Types of Filtration
There are three main categories of filtration systems used within the aquarium hobby: submerged, emerged, and fluidized.
Submerged media filters are by far the most popular in the hobby. They do a fantastic job of keeping a tank clean with minimal maintenance. However, if your aquarium happens to be over 100 gallons, a submerged filter is almost useless. That is where emerged media filter and fluidized media filter come into play.
Emerged and fluidized media filters do an excellent job of delivering oxygen to the aquarium (and bacteria). These filters have a lot of positives. However, they require extreme amounts of maintenance, clog easily, and are very costly. These types of filters should only be used on huge tanks.
When choosing a filter, the species of fish in the tank also has a significant impact on what size and style of filter is needed.
For example, a 10-gallon tank that has one goldfish in it will require a stronger filter than a 10-gallon tank with five neon tetras in it. Goldfish are a species of carp, and a single goldfish will produce much more waste and give off much higher amounts of ammonia than five neon tetras.
So, when making a choice on a filter for an aquarium make sure to first take these factors into consideration:
- How large is the aquarium?
- What species of fish are being kept?
- How much weekly maintenance are you willing to do?
- What is your budget?
