fish tank filters

A fish tank filter is required for any form of aquarium, the natural filtration and cleansing of the water has to be replicated to keep any water based species and wild plants alive. So, what makes the water so dirty and harmful? Dead fish and plants will be a large impact on the contamination of the aquariums environment. Listen, your aquarium isn't just about the fish, the plants need just as much care, you know? They go hand in hand with one another, it's all very well looking out for people, but you lose the trees and plants, and you lose both. Look, if you really don't want to put in that much effort into looking after your personal environment (why else would you want a fish tank aquarium?) then don't bother getting real plants.

Another good reason too not over feed your fish (typical beginner's mistake) is that uneaten, wasted food contaminates the water. If you have read any of my other articles, you'll know that i really try and drill home this fact to most beginners, don't over feed your fish! If this means supervising the kids every time they want to feed them, then so be it. A large part of the population don't know how to feed themselves properly, how are they going to know how to feed their pets? Serious topic folks, seek advice on your specific wildlife.

There's only one thing you really need to understand when caring for an aquarium, the nitrogen cycle. Let's take a tiny quick look at the details you should memorize.

The nitrogen cycle explained

A chemical cycle is basically what the nitrogen cycle is (the clues in the title), all life requires nitrogen-compounds (like nucleic acids and proteins). The a large part of the air's content is nitrogen, but most organisms can't use it like this. Plants incorporate in compounds such as; nitrate ions, ammonia and urea. Animals get theirs from plants (or the animals that have eaten plants(see protein)). Nitrogen returns to the air via decay from dead plants, animals and animal excretions.

Now, with the science stuff out of the way, what you need to understand is ammonia is going to be highly toxic to your fish if it reaches a high level. Where does high level of ammonia come from? That's right uneaten food (decay), dead plants (Decay) and fish (again, decay, get it?). Do i have to say don't over feed your fish? okay good!

Right, fish tank filters are going to play a big part in keeping the balance. Don't get to concerned over which internal, external, interexternal, upside down external-internal backflip filtration system to purchase (note. fictional). We'll take a looksy and see which ones suit your needs.

Which type of fish tank filter fits you?

There is no easy answer to which is the best fish tank filter, several different methods are recommended for various sizes of aquariums and its containing species. Let's look at some of the most common fish tank filters used by many a fish tank aquarium enthusiast.

external fish tank filter

Right, for those that don't know (or can't guess), an external fish tank filter pumps water out of the aquarium which is then treated by several different filtration 'media' and then returned back into the encased environment. An external fish tank filter is one of the most common filtration systems on the market, recommended by most pet stores for the beginner fish tank aquarium.

Internal fish tank filter

You guessed it, internal fish tank filters are filters that sit inside your fish tank. Want to hear the best part about it, it's okay if it leaks in the night! Anyone who's seen a fish tank filter up close probably thinks of one of these internal fish tank filters, you know the ones with the 'sponge' filter you have to remove and rinse out because its gone green. I had one of these filters in my first freshwater (aka tropical) fish tank aquarium.

Other filters

There are many filtration systems that are on the market, but i don't recommend using them to beginners, unless you know what these filtration systems specifically do, don't bother installing them. After gaining some experience as a aquarium keeper and looking at expanding your hobby, then this is a good time to research other aquarium systems more advanced that the standard 'beginners' fish tank aquariums.

Filtration systems that you may want to investigate are; Under gravel filters, Diatom filters, baffle filters, airlift filters, (marine specific filters) Protein skimmers, deep sand beds, the Berlin method.

That's all the beginners need to understand about fish tank filters for today, we will take a deeper look at some of the more advanced filtration and aquarium setups in the near future.