Tropical Aquarium Filters

This post is a follow up from a previous article entitled “Electric Blue Cichlid – Proper Care and Feeding“.

One of the most important pieces of equipment in any tropical fish tank are tropical aquarium filters. There are many varieties of fish tank filters sold in pet shops today that do a great job at maintaining the quality of the tank water by removing debris and waste such as fish dung, excess food and dying vegetation. The types of filters can basically be broken down into internal and external types, judging by wether the filter media is located inside or outside the tank water. Here are some of the most common fish tank filters sold today for tropical aquariums:
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Tropical Aquarium Filters: Power Filters

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This is one of the most common tropical aquarium filters used by fish hobbyists. In fact, when most people think about aquarium filters, the first image that comes to their minds are Power Fish Tank Filters. The main reason why they are famous is because not only are they relatively inexpensive, they are also ideal for beginners being easy to set up as well as maintained. Power filters are also known as Hang On Back (HOB) filters because their are hung on the outside of the aquarium, usually on the back or side. A lot of hobbyists use Power Filters along with other filters too such as attaching a Sponge filter to the inlet or attaching it to an Undergravel filter. This gives it an extra filtration function which purifies the water even more.

Tropical Aquarium Filters: Sponge Filters

Sponge filters are best used in aquariums used for breeding because it is able to prevent small fish from being trapped in the filter. This also makes them great for small fish tanks. Sponge filters not only provide mechanical filtration, but the sponge itself is capable of growing colonies of beneficial bacteria that provide biological filtratn as well. The aerobic bacteria that grows inside the sponge will facilitate the aquarium’s nitrogen cycle. When cleaning the sponge, always be careful not to destroy these colonies of bacteria.

Tropical Aquarium Filters: Under Gravel Filters

Undergravel filters are commonly used in beginner aquariums because they are easy to setup, easy to maintain and provide sufficient filtration for small to medium aquariums. An Undergravel filter is made up of a plate that is placed about an inch off the base of the fish tank with a layer of gravel on top of it. One or more uplift tubes is connected to the plate with the inlet located beneath it. The filter draws in water from under the plate, forcing water through the gravel layers which act as its filter media. The downside of using this filter is that the waste and debris is trapped by the gravel and needs regular vacuuming and also plants do not grows well in this type of tank. For larger tanks, hobbyists tend to also use a power filter for extra filtration.

Tropical Aquarium Filters: Canister Filters

Canister filters are one of the best filters available today. A canister filter is made up of a pump that is connected to a sealed canister inside which waste is trapped to be removed. Canister filters are very efficient and is great for larger aquariums or fish tanks that have a lot of fish. Large tropical fish and goldfish tend to produce a lot of waste so a canister filter makes an ideal filter. When using a canister filter, you would also need to provide separate aeration so that there is sufficient oxygen in the water. The downside of canister filters are that they tend to be a little expensive.

Tropical Aquarium Filters: Diatom Filters

Diatom filters are not run constantly like other filters are are usually turned on only when cleaning it. Diatom filters are very efficient and are made to filter out extremely small, microscopic particles. They are great for quarantine tanks because they are able to remove parasites and help speed up the healing process. They are also wonderful in tackling algae blooms and are able to filter the water into extremely pristine conditions.

These are the various tropical aquarium filters that you could choose for your tropical fish tank.