The larger your tank, the higher the flow rate needs to be to keep the water filtered properly. This is measured in gallons per hour (GPH). One of the most important considerations when choosing your filter is the flow rate or how much water can flow through the filter per hour. Getting rid of these things will help your tank cycle properly so the biological filter gets up and running. A sponge, a carbon filter, or some other physical filtering system will do this.Ĭhemicals in the water will also get cleaned up as the water runs through the filter. The filter will “strain” debris from the water as it passes through. Your fish tank filter, one of the essentials of aquarium maintenance, does play a part from both the mechanical and chemical perspectives. If you don’t, you’ll likely face “new tank syndrome” where more of your fish will die within a couple of days of getting placed in the tank. If you’re setting up a new tank, it’s important to get this process started before adding a lot of fish to the tank. Choosing the Right Filterīiological filtering (cycling) is mostly handled by the ecosystem of your fish tank. They can also be harmful to your fish if the levels get too high. Once your tank is cycling well, regular water changes will help to keep the nitrates at a reasonable level. Nitrites, which are also harmful if too high, are then converted to relatively safe nitrates. Because most tanks don’t flush the water in the tank on an ongoing basis, fish waste and excess food will decay and increase the ammonia levels in the tank.īiological filtering will convert this excess ammonia, which is harmful to fish, into nitrites. Cycling Your Fish Tankīiological filtering is one of the most important parts of the process. For example, if you use tap water in your tank it quite likely contains fluoride and other chemicals that can be harmful to your fish. If these get out of balance, your fish can become sick or even die.Ĭhemical filtering will help get rid of unwanted chemicals in the water itself. This includes excess food, fish waste, and pieces of plants or other decorations that have broken away.īiological filtering helps to maintain the proper levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in your tank. Mechanical filtering gets rid of debris in the water. There are three steps to filtering your fish tank: Prime Buy On Amazon Top AquaClear 50 Powerhead, 270 Gallons per Hour rated for tank 20 Gallons and Up Prime Eligible Buy On Amazon What Does a Fish Tank Filter Do? Image Title Prime Buy Top Hydor Pico Evo-Mag 180 Circulation Pump with Magnet Mount, 180 GPH Prime Eligible Buy On Amazon Top Top Fluval Sea CP1 Circulation Pump for Aquarium.
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