filtrationdepends on the water type (e.g., marine, freshwater or brackish)
marine fish are more sensitive
salt erodes tank equipment
most aquariums use a mix of filters
internal or external filters?
maintenance needs to be planned
don't rinse filters in tap water! Clean in tank water!
rinsing in tap water (chlorinated) or at the wrong temperature can kill the beneficial bacteria
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Tank Location
need to consider
lighting, water access, electricity access, waste disposal, stress to fish, access for aquarist, space, potential toxins, heat, tank weight (1 litre of water = 1 kilogram), drain access, sound
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Purpose of Filtration
some filters do one purpose, some do multiple
home for beneficial bacteria
remove toxins from the water
clean water
reduce risk of disease
aerate the water
water movement on the surface adds oxygenand removes carbondioxide
supersaturation can cause fish to die in 15 minutes
turn off filtration
put in air stones until the problem is fixed
happens when pump pulls in water and air
due to a water level drop
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Three Basic Types: Biological
areas for bacteria to grow
nitrobacter and nitrosomonas
use different medias (e.g., floss, bioballs, liverock)
liverock houses anaerobic bacteria for the nitrogen cycle
needs a large surface area
need a good water flow to feed and give oxygen to the bacteria, and remove waste
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Three Basic Types: Chemical
e.g., activated carbon
remove organic chemicals that contain carbon
use chemicals to remove certain substances from the water
generally, only used during a high ammonia spike
chemical filters need regular changing
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Three Basic Types: Mechanical
physically removes solid particles
often used to 'polish' the water
different media will have different sized pores
ordered with the largest pore size first
sand filter
mechanical and biological filtration
can have channels created through the sand so water isn't filtered
backwash
water goes through filter the wrong way in order to clean it
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