Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Freshwater Tank Filter Advice for Beginners

Aquarium Filter Information for Beginners
If you are deciding on having a freshwater aquarium, something that you will need to give thought to, is what kind of filter you should use? The reason why is because a filter for your tank is very necessary. There are a number of kinds of filter categories that you will need to consider. This brings us to a discussion of mechanical, chemical and biological filtration.

Mechanical, Chemical, and Biological Filtration Advice for Freshwater Tanks
The mechanical filter removes the visible solids from your aquarium water, whereas a chemical filter gets rid of any chemical buildup. A third type of filter is biological. This filter removes all kinds of organic compounds from your tank water. Biological filtration occurs when micro creatures convert various compounds into nitrate and nitrite which are then broken down by other micro-organism.s If these types of compounds are not eliminated from your tank you can easily get an algae outbreak. Not good! Waste from your fish and other creatures in your aquarium will cause a rise in ammonia levels, and this in time will kill your fish. Biological filtration is very effective in removing those high levels.

So before you actually add fish to your tank, you will want to allow your tank to cycle, which gives micro-organisms to develop and to multiply.

A very common filter that many use is a filter that simply hangs of the back of your aquarium. Oftentimes these types of filters utilize all three of the filtration systems we already mentioned and their simplicity makes it easy for beginners. But you are not limited to just a HOB filter. But rather you could also consider a gravel filter or a canister filter.

When it comes to filtration for your freshwater aquarium, bigger is always better. You can't go wrong with having a filter that is too big, but you will have problems if you have one that is too small. Even though a filter is a single piece for your aquarium, having one is of utmost importance and to be honest with you it is probably the most important item that you can have for your tank. I hope this advice helps you to be able to setup and enjoy your aquarium for years to come.

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