There Are Many Different Fish Tank Filters

A fish tank filter is one of the pieces of equipment that you will need to get your fish aquarium set up properly. A freshwater fish filter will help to circulate the air in the water for your fish. This really helps to maintain a healthy environment. These filters help to run all the water in the aquariums through the fish tank filter at least four times an hour. It is recommended for small to medium fish aquariums to have a power filter or an under-gravel filter but a canister filter is recommended for the larger aquariums.

One of the first filters was the corner filter which set in one of the back corners of the aquariums and is one of the cheaper fish tank filters sold today. They have a less powerful flow intake which is good for those that have breeding tanks.

The canister freshwater fish tank filter is more powerful and fits best on medium to larger tanks. The canister can be hidden in the back of the aquarium and it forces water through the filter media instead of flowing past the filters. If you wish to increase the biological filtration capacity of the canister filter then you will want to add a bio-wheel. The only disadvantage of the canister filter is that it is very difficult to take apart for maintenance and cleaning and is just as difficult to get it primed and restarted.

The next fish tank filter is the diatomic filter which removes the very small particles in the water. This kind of tank filter is used most often when diatomic algae is a problem. These diatomic freshwater fish tank filters are only used for specific situations so most often standard filters are used with a diatomic insert to be used when needed.

Then there is the fluidized bed fish tank filters which use sand as the filer medium and it is a very efficient biological filter. Even though it takes a while longer for these particulate substances to mature they make excellent filters and they can be used in any size fish tank.

The most commonly used fish tank filter is the power filter. It hangs off the back and is so simple to install and maintain. It provides mechanical and chemical filtration and can be combined with a bio-wheel to help biological filtration increase.

The under gravel filter has been around a long time and is placed on the aquarium floor and then the air pump pulls the water down through the rocks along with the unwanted matter. The UGF is inexpensive and is very easy to set up. It is also maintenance free but if you use live plants in your aquariums then this can cause the UGF to clog.