FILTERS

Why filters are a must

   A filter is a must for all tanks. You must have one for each tank whether small or big. There are a few types available in the market, I will make a brief mention of each type and its application. The filters mainly help in removing the fish excreta and serve as a medium for bacteria which convert the fish waste into nitrogenous matter which are consumed by the plants. The filter consists of a filter medium, a driver mechanism which drives the water through the medium and a housing which houses these. The filter medium harbours the good bacteria.

Filter Media

• Sponge : nbsp;  Commercially available sponges are the best. These work much like a sieve trapping particulate waste as it passes through the material.

• Acrylic floss :    A completely neutral filter wool. The fine structure of this synthetic material traps tiny particles of dirt. It should be loosely placed as the last layer in your filter arrangement.

• Ceramic Beads :   A coarse mechanical filter material which is to be used as bottom or first layer of filtering. Its hollow ceramic design creates eddies which disburse the water into many paths. It traps large debris while creating an even flow of water for subsequent layers.

• Biological filter media :    This type of filtration is the purification of the aquarium water by using living organisms, such as nitrifying bacteria. These desirable bacteria will attach themselves to all hard surfaces within the aquarium system. They use the toxins as a food, converting harmful toxins such as ammonia and nitrite into less harmful nitrate. Nitrate can then be removed by performing regular water changes.

     Biological filtering is based on a natural decomposition of harmful substances using helpful bacteria. They convert ammonia and nitrite into relatively non-toxic nitrate. The efficiency of biological filtration is limited by the media that bacteria are growing on. After prolonged use, mechanical and chemical filter media will act in a biological manner. They provide some surface area for bacterial colonization but this is actually very limited.

  • Sintered Glass    This is a specially designed sintered glass. Bacteria are able to stick better to a surface which has a complex pore system. These are specially developed to offer optimum sites for bacteria colonization. The effectiveness of these bacteria is linked to how much oxygen and toxins can flow by. With faster decomposition of toxins compared to other media. Highly effective, economically priced, it is the best biological media available to aquarium hobbyists. A commercially available media from EHEIM is EHFISUBSTRAT. BIOMAX is another commercially available material which is equally good. You have to be very careful not to add too thick a layer of EHFISUBSTRAT, or the water won't go through and it just overflows the media, bypassing filtration. That's not what you want to accomplish. With Biomax, Bioglass or Siporax, the channels are large enough that water flows through easily. No bypass problems there.

  • Porous Volcanic rocks   A naturally occuring porous volcanic rock which is ideal for biological filtration where large debris is present such as ponds and highly stocked aquariums. This natural product is pre-tested for impurities before pachaging to ensure that it is free of toxins. A commercially available media from EHEIM is EHFILAV.

• Adsorptive filter media :    Adsorptive filtration is a process in which dissolved substances are captured by solid bodies such as carbon. These dissolved substances can be harmful to aquatic life. They are generally of chemical origin such as chlorine in tap water, alkaline residues of aquarium medication and even some dissolved metals. However the toxic substances accumulate and the absorption capacity of the carbon is limited. With all types of carbon, the effectiveness is limited to a short period of time. They must then be removed from the filter, to avoid having the adsorbed substances washed back into the aquarium. We recommend that carbon be used for short -term only and for a specific purpose. After the inital aquarium setup or to remove medications or additives, turbidity, water discoloration and odor. But really you don't need the carbon, since water changes will remove all toxins and unwanted colors, etc., better than the carbon, and will do so for free

     About the carbon: If you have already a bag of it just leave it in the filter, after about 30 days, the carbon no longer acts like carbon, but it does make for a very effective biological media, not unlike BioMax. It is porous and contains a huge surface area, similar to sintered glass products such as Biomax. Some aquarists just leave the carbon bag in place, rinsing it periodically to remove debris, but never changing it out. Used this way, the carbon can be an effective biological media for years to come.

• Ammonia removing resin :    Supplied with AquaClear filter media is a mesh bag that looks like gravel. That is ammonia removing resin, and it is stealing the ammonia your cycle bacteria need to grow. If you remove the bag suddenly, you'll get an ammonia spike, and you won't connect what is really happening. However, the bag does need to come out, or your cycle bacteria will never properly develop.

     If you have already put in a ammonia resin bag without knowing then just leave it as it is. The ammonia resin, as mentioned, cannot just be yanked out as it would cause an ammonia spike. Instead, what I would suggest is to leave it in the filter box for a couple of months. In time, the resin will progressively exhaust, and ammonia will slowly rise, rather than spike suddenly. This allows the bacteria to progressively grow as the ammonia resin peters out. In 2 months time, the resin will be completely exhausted, and the cycle bacteria should have grown to full strength.

• Peat Moss filteration :    A specially treated media, which makes the water more acidic and lowers the carbon hardness. The peat filter is recommedable for soft water fishes in order to achieve a tropical aquatic environment. Just like in the case of all other additives the changed water property has to be regularly monitored.

• Some Filter Advice :

     I would slip a 1/2" layer of filter floss over the top of the sponge, and leave the carbon and ammonia remover resin. In about 2 months, remove the ammonia remover resin, and then either leave the carbon bag as the top layer, or throw it out, too, and overlay the floss with BioMax. Frankly, biological filtration is so easy to attain, it wouldn't be inappropriate to just run the sponge, floss, carbon forever. When you service the filter (every few weeks or so), rinse and reinstall the sponge (it lasts literally forever), throw away the floss and replace it with fresh, and rinse the carbon and re-use it, or throw it away and put in BioMax or Siporax. I don't put my Biomax in mesh bags; I just let the Biomax rest over the floss. The real secret ingredient in this filter arrangement is the filter floss. It is extremely efficient at removing fine particulate matter, and will polish your water to a clarity not possible with any standard filter media in any ordinary HOB filter. Eheim canister filters, of course, use filter floss in their media, and they also polish water to a very high level. The AquaClear arranged as I have described will very closely approach the efficiency of a canister filter, and do so for a fraction of the cost while being much easier to maintain and service.

    Biofiltration is not a big deal if there are live plants, plants do most of that work and that's the way I want it. In some of my tanks, I don't use biomedia at all, just sponge and floss. I replace the floss every time I clean the filters. Even if it's not real dirty, it's so cheap I just find it easier that way.

• Box Filter :

  Box Sponge filter -EHEIM

  Box Corner filter -Quick & Easy

     This filter consists of a housing which contains filter medium. The filter can be attached to the tank inside with suction cups provided with the filter. The medium is usually acrylic floss or sponge. An air pump is connected to the bottom of the filter. When the air flows through the chamber from bottom to top, it displaces the water above it and new water enters from the bottom due to the negative pressure created. The water passes through the filter medium before entering the air chamber where it gets pushed up by the rising air bubbles. The more the air pressure, more is the volume of water that gets through the filter and gets displaced. The passing of water through the filter medium cleans the water of the debris which get collected in the floss. This type of filter works well for a tank of up to 10G to 15G. For larger sizes you need two filters in two corners of the tank to do effective filtering. For larger tanks you can use higher capacity air pumps to increase the water lift. Use good filter media bought from the fish shop, or you can use any porous sponge as medium. The sponge can be cut to fit the chamber size. This filter is easy to clean and maintain and is very cheap.

• Under Gravel Filter(UGF) :

  UGF Filter -Top FIn

  UGF Filter-Perfecto

     This filter is the most commonly used type. This consists of a corrugated plate which is placed below the gravel and is connected to a vertical plastic chamber which is connected to the air pump at the bottom. The principle is same as box filter. Only difference is the water is sucked from the bottom through the corrugated plate below the gravel. The gravel acts as a filter medium in this case. Water passes through the gravel, gets below the corrugated plate which has slots all along the length, gets below the plate and gets sucked into the air chamber and is pushed up into the tank. This filter is very cheap but not so easy to maintain as debris tend to collect below the plate which has to be lifted up for cleaning. This will disturb the gravel and plants and other decorations. The UGF is meant for small tanks from 10G to 20G. For larger tanks this filter can also be powered by a power head which sucks water from the bottom by means of an electric motor. While using this filter the gravel has to be finer grade to get effective filtering. Some people also run it in the reverse by reversing the motor flow which sucks water from the tank passes it through the UGF and then through the gravel to the tank. It has advantages and disadvantages. Carbon cartridges are available for UGF filters which can help remove toxic gases and copper from the water. Carbon cartridges should be replaced every 2-3 weeks. But these are to be used only temporarily.

  Std Sizes

  20" x 10"

  24" x 12"

  30" x 12"

  36" x 12"

  36" x 18"

  48" x 13"

  48" x 18"

  72" x 18"

• Internal filter :

  Internal Filer- EHEIM 2010

  Internal Filter- Duetto DJ100

  Internal Filter- Fluval 4+

     These are internal filters similar to box filter but fitted with its own motor operated pump. These are powerful and can provide rapid cleaning of the tanks. These are more suitable for tanks from 15G to 40G. They can be installed vertically or horizontally. They provide output in the range of 40 to 130 GPH flow rates. Filter media is usually sponge or acrylic floss and is easy to maintain and clean. They make minimum noice and are good for tanks kept in bed rooms or living rooms. Internal filters can be used on larger aquariums if used as a supplemental filter.

  Comparison table for some of the commercially available internal filters:

  Brand	Filter Name	Flow rate GPH	Tank Size	Filter Height	Filter Dimensions	Watts
  Hagen	Fluval 1 Plus	50 GPH	to 12 G	5 1/2"	2 1/2" x 3 1/4"	27
  Hagen	Fluval 2 Plus	105 GPH	to 24 G	7 1/4"	2 3/4" x 3 1/2"	35
  Hagen	Fluval 3 Plus	185 GPH	to 34 G	10 1/2"	2 3/4" x 3 3/4"	11
  Hagen	Fluval 4 Plus	260 GPH	to 57 G	13"	3" x 3 3/4""	7
  Eheim	Eheim 2008	40-79 GPH	to 15 G	7"	3 3/4" x 3"	7
  Ehiem	Eheim 2010	58-132 GPH	to 40 G	8 3/4"	3 3/4" x 3"	12
  Aq. Systems	DJ-50 Duetto	12-65 GPH	to 15 G	5 1/2"	1 1/2" x 3"	25
  Aq. Systems	DJ-100 Duetto	25-90 GPH	to 25 G	7 1/2"	1 1/2"  x 3"	18

• External canister filter :

  Canister -EHEIM Plus 2215	Canister -EHEIM 2026 Professional	Canister -Filter media arrangement
  Canister -Hagen Fluval 204	Canister -Ocean clear 325	Canister -Marineland Magnum 350
  Canister -Rena Filstar xP3

     These are external filters fitted with its own motor operated pump. These are more powerful and can provide rapid cleaning of the tanks. These are more suitable for tanks from 60G to 400G. They provide output in the range of 180 to 500 GPH flow rates. Filter media is usually a series of layers of ceramic beads, sponge pads, highly porour sintered glass and another fine sponge pad. The ceramic beads are at the bottom most and provide the first level of filteration removing bigger particles and also providing more uniform water flow through the medium above. Then coarse sponge provides filteration for next size particles, after this the water flows throught sintered glass filter medium which houses enormous amounts of bacteria one they are formed. This provides the biological fileration. You can also add temporary filter media such as activated carbon and peat moss for specific needs. Peat moss helps in lowering the pH of your tank while activated carbon removes dissolved gases by chemical adsorption. The fine sponge above provides more mechanical filteration for remaining suspended matter. Filter servicing is easy and usually these do not need any servicing for at least 3 to 4 months. They make minimum noice and are good for tanks kept in bed rooms or living rooms. Some of these are fitted with visual flow meters, self priming pumps, sealing gaskets, flow adjustment levers and shut off valves. Servicing only needs you to open the filter remove the filter pads, rinse and replace. These are also quite expensive, but give trouble free service for many years.

  Comparision table for some commercially available external canister filters

  Brand	Filter Name	Flow Rate GPH	Tank size	Filter Height	Canister diameter	Media Capacity	Inlet Hose Size	Outlet Hose SIze	Watts
  Marineland	Magnum 220	220 GPH	to 70 G	13 1/4"	6 1/4"	15 oz.	1/2"	1/2"	27
  Marineland	Magnum 350	350 GPH	to 100 G	13 1/2"	6 1/2"	15 oz.	5/8"	5/8"	35
  Marineland	H.O.T. Magnum	250 GPH	to 75 G	13 1/2"	5 1/2"	8 oz.	rigid	rigid	11
  Hagen	Fluval 104	125 GPH	to 25 G	11"	7 1/2 x 6 1/2"	1.1 liters	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	7
  Hagen	Fluval 204	180 GPH	to 40 G	14"	7 1/2" x 6 1/2"	2.1 liters	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	7
  Hagen	Fluval 304	260 GPH	to 70 G	15"	9 1/2" x 6 1/2"	3.6 liters	14mm-5/8"	14mm-5/8"	12
  Hagen	Fluval 404	340 GPH	to 100 G	17 1/2"	9 1/2" x 6 1/2"	6.4 liters	14mm-5/8"	14mm-5/8"	25
  Rena	Filstar	250 GPH	to 45 G	11"	9 1/4" x 8"	4.4 liters	5/8"	5/8"	18
  Rena	Filstar	300 GPH	to 75 G	13"	9 1/4" x 8"	6.3 liters	5/8"	5/8"	23
  Rena	Filstar	350 GPH	to 175 G	16"	9 1.4" x 8"	9.1 liters	5/8"	5/8"	28
  Rainbow	Single Heater Module	300-700 GPH pump*	to 100 G	15"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	12" heater	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Double Heater Module	300-900 GPH pump*	to 200 G	25"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	22" heater	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Triple Heater Module	400-1000 GPH pump*	to 300 G	34.5"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	32" heater	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Single Mechanical Module	300-700 GPH pump*	to 100 G	18"	3.75"D/7.5"Base		3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Double Mechanical Module	300-900 GPH pump*	to 200 G	24"	3.75"D/7.5"Base		3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Triple Mechanical Module	400-1000 GPH pump*	to 300 G	33.5"	3.75"D/7.5"Base		3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Single Chemical Module	300-700 GPH pump*	to 100 G	15"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	7.3 oz.	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Double Chemical Module	300-900 GPH pump*	to 200 G	24"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	15.6 oz.	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Rainbow	Triple Chemical Module	400-1000 GPH pump*	to 300 G	33.5"	3.75"D/7.5"Base	24.2 oz.	3/4" FPT	3/4" FPT	N/A
  Eheim	Eheim 2213	116 GPH	to 55 G	13 1/4"	7"	3 liter	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	8
  Eheim	Eheim 2215	165 GPH	to 75 G	14"	7"	4 liter	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	15
  Eheim	Eheim 2217	265 GPH	to 135 G	15"	7"	6 liter	16mm-5/8"	12mm-1/2"	20
  Eheim	Eheim 2222	132 GPH	to 40 G	11 1/2"	7" x 7"	2 liter	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	8
  Eheim	Eheim 2224	185 GPH	to 65 G	13"	7" x 7"	2 liter	12mm-1/2"	12mm-1/2"	8
  Eheim	Eheim 2026	250 GPH	to 90 G	13 1/2"	8 1/2" x 8 1/2"	4 liter	16mm-5/8"	12mm-1/2"	25
  Eheim	Eheim 2028	280 GPH	to 160 G	16 1/2"	8 1/2" x 8 1/2"	6 liter	16mm-5/8"	12mm-1/2"	25
  Eheim	Eheim 2250	300 GPH	to 265 G	16"	12"	12 liter	25mm-1"	12mm-1/2"	28
  Eheim	Eheim 2260	500 GPH	to 400 G	23"	12"	18 liter	25mm-1"	16mm-5/8"	50
  Eheim	Eheim 2227	280 GPH	to 90 G	14"	8 /14" x 12"	4.8 liters	16mm-5/8"	16mm-5/8"	25
  Eheim	Eheim 2229	280 GPH	to 160 G		8 1/2" x 12 1/2"	6.5 liters	16mm-5/8"	16mm-5/8"	25
  Eheim	Eheim 2126	250 GPH	to 90 G	13 1/2"	8 1/2" x 8 1/2"	4 liter	16mm-5/8"	12mm-1/2"	25
  Eheim	Eheim 2128	280 GPH	to 160 G	16 1/2"	8 1/2" x 8 1/2"	6 liter	16mm-5/8"	12mm-1/2"	25

  All Rainbow modules require the addition of a water pump with a flow rate in the range noted.

• External Power filter :

  Power Filter -Aquaclear 200	Power Filter -Aquamaster 600	Power Filter -330 Penguin Bio-wheel
  Power Filter -Trtra Tec PF500	Power Filter -Whisper 2	Power Filter -Millenium 3000

     In principle this is more or less same as the box filter, but the driver is an electric motor, which sucks out water from the tank which passes via the floss or sponge and goes out. Additional filter media such as activated carbon or peat moss can be added as required. The rotor is driven my magnetic induction. These are powerful and good for medium to large tanks. Very easy to clean and maintain but is a bit expensive. These are usually hung on the outside of the aquarium or placed on the cover. These are suitable for tanks from 15G to 150G. They can deliver flow rates from 100GPH to 600GPH.

  Comparison table for some commercially available power filters:

  Manufacturer	Filter Name	Flow Rate GPH	Tank size	Tank width	Clearance behind Tank	Tube length into Tank
  Aq. Systems	Millenium 1000	90 GPH	to 15 G	6"	3 1/4"	6" - 9" adjust.
  Aq. Systems	Millenium 2000	160 GPH	10-60 G	8"	3 1/4"	6" - 9" adjust.
  Aq. Systems	Millenium 3000	295 GPH	20-100 G	14 3/4"	3 1/2"	7" - 17" adjust.
  Danner	Aquamaster 350	350 GPH	20-70 G	9"	4 1/4"	7" / 15"
  Danner	Aquamaster 600	600 GPH	30-150 G	15"	4 1/2"	8" / 18"
  Danner	Skilter 250	250 GPH	10-55 G	8 3/4"	4 1/2"	6" / 9"
  Danner	Skilter 400	400 GPH	to 100 G	14 3/4"	4 1/2" <	6" / 10"
  Danner	Super King	600 GPH	over 50 G	13"	5"	10 1/2"
  Hagen	AquaClear 150	150 GPH	to 30 G	6"	2 3/4"	6"
  Hagen	AquaClear 200	200 GPH	to 50 G	7"	2 3/4"	7" / 10"
  Hagen	AquaClear 300	300 GPH	to 100 G	8 1/2"	3 7/8"	6" / 10 1/2"
  Hagen	AquaClear 500	500 GPH	to 150 G	13 1/2"	4"	6" / 10 1/2"
  Hagen	AquaClear Mini	100 GPH	to 20 G	5"	2 3/4"	6"
  Marineland	Emperor 280	280 GPH	to 55 G	9 1/2"	4 1/4"	7" / 16 3/4"
  Marineland	Emperor 400	400 gph	to 70 gal	16"	4 1/4"	7" / 19 1/2"
  Marineland	Mini Penguin	100 GPH	to 10 G	5"	3"	4 1/2" / 8 1/2"
  Marineland	Mini Penguin bio-wheel	100 GPH	to 10 G	5"	3"	4 1/2" / 8 1/2"
  Marineland	Penguin 125 bio-wheel	125 GPH	to 20 G	7 3/4"	2 1/2"	7"
  Marineland	Penguin 170 bio-wheel	170 GPH	to 30 G	9 1/4"	3"	9"
  Marineland	Penguin 330 bio-wheel	330 GPH	to 55 G	14 1/4"	3 1/2"	7 1/2" / 19"
  Tetra	Whisper 1	150 GPH	to 30 G	8"	3"	11"
  Tetra	Whisper 2	200 GPH	to 40 G	8"	3 1/4"	11"
  Tetra	Whisper	300 GPH	to 60 G	13 1/2"	3 1/4"	7 3/4" / 13"
  Tetra	Whisper C	125 GPH	to 20 G	7 1/4"	2 3/4"	6 3/4"
  Tetra	Whisper JR	100 GPH	to 15 G	5 3/4"	2 1/2"	6 3/4"
  Tetra	TetraTec PF150	150 GPH	to 30 G	9"	4 1/4"	7" - 11" adjust.
  Tetra	TetraTec PF300	300 GPH	to 60 G	13 3/4"	4 1/4"	7" - 11" adjust.
  Tetra	TetraTec PF500	500 GPH	to 100 G	17 3/4"	4 1/4"	7 1/2"