You will need a filter to keep the aquarium water clean. Aside from mechanical filtration, your aquarium may depend on other filtration methods keep your water crystal clear. These methods can all be incorporated in most mechanical filters today.
- Mechanical media: Filter pads are used to trap excessive waste in the aquarium.
- Chemical media: Activated carbon and resin allows for removal of various pollutants and may also help adjust water parameters to suit the fish’s needs.
- Biological media: For very heavily stocked aquariums, I suggest using this method as your main filter. Ceramic rings, sponges, and other sorts of filter media allow for efficiently processing ammonia into the safer form for your fish.
While each filtration method has its benefits, and drawbacks, you can make the decision as to what works best for you. Let’s review some of the most common mechanical filters today:
Under-gravel Filters: The infamous under-gravel filter has been around for many years. As the name suggests, the under-gravel filter are placed beneath the gravel and move water through the gravel creating environments suitable for hosting biological filtration. This may not be the most popular choice in the hobby, as it’s not as powerful and can be a hassle to clean. However, some may still be drawn to it as it’s relatively cheap. I would suggest using the underground filter for very light bio-load.
Canisters: Canisters are one of the more popular and expensive options for aquarist today. They are quiet and can be easily stowed away under your aquarium. Canisters are great for larger and heavily stocked aquariums and are capable of storing multiple filter media options. For this reason, canisters provide superior mechanical, chemical and biological filtration for very large or overstocked aquariums. The canister is larger than the typical power filter and can house multiple layers of filter media, depending on the model. Setting up can be a bit tricky, but once it’s up and running, it’s all worth it.
Power filter (Hang on Back, aka HOB): If your tank permits space for a hanging filter, I would highly recommend it for beginners. These are usually box-like and allow for mechanical, chemical and biological filtration. It’s really easy to use and easy to clean. You simply hang it on the back of your aquarium, fill up the chamber with water and plug it in! Replaceable filter cartridges make maintenance very simple and convenient. However, the only drawback that I can think of is that requires consistent cleaning as the filter chambers are usually smaller than other filters.
Under-gravel Filters: The infamous under-gravel filter has been around for many years. As the name suggests, the under-gravel filter are placed beneath the gravel and move water through the gravel creating environments suitable for hosting biological filtration. This may not be the most popular choice in the hobby, as it’s not as powerful and can be a hassle to clean. However, some may still be drawn to it as it’s relatively cheap. I would suggest using the underground filter for very light bio-load.
