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Filtration has
the single goal of maintaining adequate water quality in your
aquarium. You cannot over filter the
water, and the turnover of an aquarium's water for minimal
filtration should be at least 5 times per hour. Basic
texts teach that there are three types of filtration, and
many filters available for sale make a point of providing
mechanical and biological filtration, with the use of
chemical filtration coming from the choice of filter
medium. (The use of ammonia absorbing zeolite, or activated
charcoal are considered chemical filtration.)
Some filters can be very interesting, as well as amazing to
watch, such as the fluid bed and wet/dry filters.
Filtration can be as complex as you prefer, with the added
expense you would expect. What is not expected
is that when a tank is set up with cleanliness and simplicity
in mind, an appropriately sized filter of most any
type will keep the water just as clean as the expensive
filters also available. Expensive filtration hardware
gives you a tank that is filtered many times per hour with
little disruption to the look of the tank, or provides
high quality biological filtration from a medium that rarely,
if ever needs to be changed. But the water won't
necessarily be any cleaner than it is with an $8 box filter.
No properly maintained, adequately sized filter
works to maintain long term exposure of the fish to unhealthy
water.
These fish prefer water movement and moderate to heavy
aeration, so an expensive filter, great for a show
tank of angelfish or discus, isn't required for any of these
fish. In fact, cheaper aeration-driven filters would
be preferred by these fish evolved to live in streams with
some water movement. Your choices range from a
$20 air pump and box filter combination that need to have the
floss changed every 4-6 weeks, to a nearly
silent $50+ canister filter (Which still needs to be cleaned
with about the same frequency). Keep in mind that
any type of wet/dry or canister-type filters that siphons
water out of the tank can leak or break, with the
potential to spill, and because that has happened more than
once over a number of years I no longer use
those type of filters. They are generally very dependable,
but just once can be an experience that is not
easily forgotten.
The type of filtration used in our120 tank
fishroom
takes the overall set-up into consideration as well as
stocking levels, with a need for low cost, simplicity, and
operation of the automatic water changing system
that provides regular water changes. Filtration needs to be
of high quality to reach maximum growth in high
stocking levels, heavy, multiple feedings and an expectation
that the fish will breed as soon as they are capable.
With most types of technology this would suggest a costly
solution, but effective aquarium filtration is actually
fairly simple. Mechanical filtration is accomplished by
running the water through some type of medium
that catches particles, but won't easily clog. Biological
filtration is provided where the mechanically filtered
water can pass through material of colonized bacteria. These
will digest excess organic material (In wet/dry
filters, for example, bio-balls serve this function). Chemical filtration
comes from the option of using
ammonia absorbtion or activated charcoal filter with the
filter floss.
The simplest, most inexpensive, durable and effective air
driven filters are the 4" box
filters
based on a filter that used to be far more common in
the hobby. Costlier filters are generally easier to
service (you may not need to put your hand into the
aquarium), and they provide little disturbance or disruption
to the tank. Most involve a motor and an impeller that must
be cleaned, with some type of large box that holds the
filter medium outside of the aquarium. These
box filters costs $9, whereas small, motorized filter will start at
about $25. I prefer box filters that do not require an
airstone that can clog, while requiring more air pressure from
the air pump. The box filters here provide excellent
mechanical filtration (especially when 2-4 inch 1/4" rigid
tubing
extensions are added), with a medium of marbles to weight
them down and provide some biological filtration,
covered with polyester floss, available at any hobby store.
(Often sold as as aquarium filter floss in the pet stores.)
The floss should be replaced monthly. The
box
filters have no parts to wear out, and there are some in use
that
are over 30 years old, working as well as the day they were
bought.
The tanks are bare bottom,
keeping down the need for the cleaning and filtration required to counter a gravel bed
harbors deteriorating organics. The result are relatively
easy to maintain, heavily planted bare bottom tanks that
operate simply, with consistent, predictable maintenance.
When there are problems, the water becomes cloudy
and can be spotted easily to be addressed with a 30-40% water
change. With the tanks maintained this way,
every tank can be easily monitored.
Practices that contribute toward high water quality
- Feed to get the maximum amount of
food into the
fish. Pellets are better than flake, all will deteriorate,
mold up and add ammonia to the water if not eaten. Frequent
small feedings, rather than one big feeding,
ensure the fish eat the food put into the tank, with minimal
excess.
- Keep stocking levels low. For fish under 3 inches,
"an inch of fish per gallon" works out pretty well. Some fish
handle density better than others, based on the efficiency of
their digestion. The least efficient are the Goldfish
and larger predators that produce the greatest amounts of
waste. They are least efficient at digesting what they
eat, requiring more space per fish. Active fish that require
higher oxygen levels and prefer to eat smaller
amounts of food more frequently, such as the
barbs, rasboras
and danios are the most efficient, and can
be kept in larger numbers when provided adequate aeration.
Some fish, such as the anabantids (Gouramis
and bettas), possess the ability to breathe air directly, and
can tolerate poorer water quality. The livebearers
offered here are best fed smaller amounts more frequently,
but do well being fed once per day. Not particularly
inefficient eaters, mulm will still collect if not kept at
bay, and higher oxygenation with some water movement is
preferred.
- Keep tanks bare bottom, using floating plants or
plants in easy to remove and clean around pots. The
standard 1' of gravel works well when it is kept reasonably
clean and looks natural, but all gravel will collect
organic waste that isn't seen that will quickly contribute to
an unhealthy water quality. The bacterial foundation
provided by a layer
of gravel is beneficial, but most aquariums with the maximum
number of fish generally
generally produces more waste than bacteria alone can
assimilate. The solution is to use a very
thin layer of
gravel (1-2 stones deep) can be used to provide colonized
nitrifying bacteria, especially when a tank is prone
to become cloudy, without the depth that will collect deteriorating organic waste.
Some fish must have a healthy
presence of nitrifying bacteria to do well. They literally
will not thrive when the water is "too clean". One species
this has been the case with has been the
Limia nigrofasciata.
- Use Live plants.
Live plants contribute to clean water by breaking down
organic waste, and some aquarists
keep tanks using live plants as the only form of filtration
(combined with siphoning waste off the bottom,
keeping low stocking levels and
water changes). The fish
also do better in tanks with live plants for a number
of other reasons, keeping the water oxygenated and providing
shelter for both adults and new
fry. The water
here is fairly soft, and plants grow well, and the
Rapid Grow Fertilizer is
used to ensure that the plants are
growing at their best.
- Keep a bright enough light over the tank 10-14 hrs.
per day. Not only will the
light enable plant growth, but
light also helps to ensure consistent, healthy bacterial growth.
- Siphon up mulm that collects. This can't be
overstated, a lump or collection of accumulated uneaten food
behind an ornament or rock in a tank can be quickly and
simply siphoned up to remove a source for ammonia
that by itself affects the overall water quality of the tank.
Mulm is not inert, nor is it harmless, and its benefit
by providing a source of food for
infusoria that
fry feed on is, in my
opinion, negligible.
- Do water changes. One way or another, the fish and
all of the waste produced stay confined together in
a closed system. These fish have evolved from environments of
moving, constantly replenishing streams and
open bodies of water. Water
changes are today understood to be absolutely essential for
normal growth and
breeding. Water changes of
at least 20-30% per month (and weekly is better), is simply a
must for an
adequately maintained aquarium.
- Temperature/Water Quality- This is tricky as most
species do best within a specific
temperature range,
so fish requiring a similar temperature range should be
considered when choosing tank mates. Cichlids,
for example, must be kept in a warmer tank than fish that
prefer cooler water, such as some loaches, minnows,
barbs and rasboras. Cooler water holds more oxygen, and
cooler tanks possess a lower rate of bacterial activity.
Warmer water encourages bacterial growth, which can encourage
deterioration of organic waste. Unfortunately,
oxygen levels in a warmer tank are already lower, so a dirty
tank (or the introduction of a dead fish, for
example) may overwhelm a warmer tank, harming the healthy
residents (triggering fungal infections, skin,
respiratory and digestive diseases, etc.) more quickly than
in a cooler aquarium. Fish will grow more slowly
in cooler water (and generally become larger), and will
generally have longer lifespans. Fish in warmer water
will grow more quickly, reach sexual maturity sooner, but may
live overall shorter lives. Some species, however,
especially highly developed domestic fish such as delta
tailed guppies, do best in warmer water to maintain
their immune systems to support their exaggerated finnage,
when their wildforms do well in cooler water, but those
exceptions are few. The livebearers sold here, with the
exception of the Goodeids, do best at 72-76 degrees.
Goodeids prefer cooler water, doing best at 68-75 degrees.
the Odessa barbs, though considered a cooler water
fish, do best in slightly warmer water, showing best color
and willingness to breed at 76-80 degrees.
The result is that keeping your
water temperatures in the
lower range of the fish's tolerances will lead to
better overall water quality, and be possibly better for the
fish that will live longer and ultimately grow larger.
For those keeping a standard tank of fish commonly kept in
the hobby, this would mean keeping a tank at around
72-76 degrees (non-cichlids), rather than 76-80 degrees often
recommended by beginning aquarist literature. For
fish accustomed to warmer temps, slowly bring the temperature
down over a week or two, for a sudden drop of
temperature could trigger a bout of
ich or other malady that
can occur when fish become chilled. The goal is a
tank that stays at a clean, consistent operation less prone
to bacterial swings that can cause die offs and
occasional disasters, such as when they are accidentally
overfed, or when a fish dies.
With water changes being done on a regular basis of at
least 20% per week, filtration comes down to
the amount of water movement and aeration the fish prefer,
the right size filter for your tank and the amount
of money you want to spend. For the fish offered here that are
generally under 5 inches, the box filters do an
excellent job inexpensively. With other commonly available
filtration options, other aspects of the filtration
operation may need to be considered. You will not want a
powerful hang-on- the-back filter if there are going
to be fry present that could be sucked up, or a sponge filter
for a tank of large cichlids, as it won't keep up
with the waste they produce.)
Inexpensive, durable, and simple make for consistent,
reliable fishkeeping. Provided the water movement
within the tank stays reasonable you cannot over- filter an
aquarium. Use filters that cycle through all of the
water in a tank at least 5-15 times per hour. Pay close attention to maintaining
consistent, effective filtration
in every tank. As to
durability, the box filters mentioned above, because of
their simplicity, work as well
now as they did when new, 30
years ago.
If you have a number of tanks, consider a blower or a
linear piston pump to produce larger quantities of air.
A single unit is cheaper and more reliable than a large
number of smaller air pumps. With any filter, always
inspect for "blow by" where water flows past or over the
filtration material as it becomes clogged or may
have been installed or settled incorrectly. This type of
compromise is common on most filters and can
entirely undo the unit's filtering capability.
Avoid undergravel filters because they specifically
pull and store the waste within the gravel. They
revolutionized the hobby when invented in the 1950's, but
there are better alternatives today that do
not keep the dirt in the tank, or require a regular
disruption of the fish on the scale that an undergravel
filter system does. The large amount of gravel required for
an undergravel filter to work well (3/4 to1 inch)
collects, in my opinion, too much organic waste, and
plant
roots also do not do well growing over an
undergravel plate. Then, if a spot is cleared by a fish or an
object is moved, an opening in the gravel
quickly compromises or ends the entire plate's filtering
capability. Lastly, fish can and do get trapped
under the plate, and there is little you can do short of
tearing the entire tank apart to get to it. Sponge
filters are good for tanks with fish that do not
produce a lot of waste, or tanks with small
fry. Keep in
mind that sponge filters do need to be cleaned occasionally
by rinsing thoroughly in clean, established
aquarium water (so as not to kill off the colonized
bacteria). Keep an eye on sponge filters so that they
do not become compromised as the sponge material
deteriorates, and remember to siphon out detritus
from the tank that the sponge filter cannot collect. For
these maintenance and cleanliness issues, sponge
filters are not used here.
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