AQUARIUM

Which Aquarium Filter Is Best For You?

Having a good aquarium filter is vital for the health of your tropical fish and to have a crystal-clear tank that you enjoy looking at. Without filtration, your fish would quickly die as the water would build up with ammonia from their waste and uneaten food. This ammonia becomes toxic to your fish so you need to provide them with a healthy clean environment and ammonia free water which has been filtered properly.

There are basically three types of filters that one uses in a home aquarium, power filters, under gravel filters and canister filters. Some people even use more than one kind in a single aquarium. the type of filter that is best for you depends on the size of aquarium you have and whether it is saltwater or freshwater.

Under gravel aquarium filters are a great choice for tanks that are 40 gallons and under. These filters are nothing more than a plastic slotted piece that goes in the very bottom of your tank underneath the gravel or substrate and tubes that run up the side. The under gravel filter is a biological filter that pulls the water through the gravel and then returns it at the top of the tank. the problem with these is that the fish waste also tends to get sucked down into the gravel and you really need to vacuum it pretty frequently. They also can get clogged (although I had one for many years and it never did) and they are not recommended If you want to have aquarium plants. On the other hand, they are quite low-maintenance as they do not have any filters or cartridges to change and unless you have a problem they pretty much run unattended.

Power filters are the most common home aquarium filters and most people will recognize these as the ones that hang off the back of the tank. They are a great choice for mechanical filtration and tanks that are under 55 gallons. these filters usually hang on outside of the tank and have it to him that runs down into the water and a pump that sucks the water up into the unit filtering it through some kind of a cartridge. Most of them also have either a carbon cartridge to provide chemical filtration, or some kind of a by a wheel or sponge that provides biological filtration. Many aquarists combine the power filter with the under gravel filter to get the best of both worlds and crystal-clear aquarium water.

Canister filters are recommended for tanks over 55 gallons and tanks that are going to be saltwater or marine aquariums. These types of filters will provide you with both mechanical, biological and chemical filtration and will also allow you to adjust how much of each you get. These units can be hidden underneath in the aquarium stand so are a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the power filters. They have tubes that run into them and the water is pushed from the tank through the tubes into the filtering material and then back into the tank once it is filtered.

It’s important to get aquarium filter that works right for your size and type of tank otherwise you’ll just be unsuccessful in your fish keeping efforts. Having the proper filtration will make sure that your water quality is near-perfect in your fish are happy and healthy in you’re aquarium crystal clear.

About the Author

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.fish-tank-guide.com we you can learn more about choosing, setting up, and maintaining your aquarium as well as find out about certain accessories like the
aquarium filter
.

Aquarium Canister Filter

GAIN TROPICAL AQUARIUMS FISH TANKS CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV HW-403B $89.99

FINE 75 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER EXTERNAL PUMP FILTRATION $54.00

Penn-Plax Cascade 1500 Canister Filter $61.00

GAIN AQUARIUM EXTERNAL CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV LIGHT NEW MODEL HW-403B $89.99

GAIN AQUARIUM FISH TANK CANISTER POWER FILTER + 9W UV 100 GALLON $77.00

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER BUILT-IN 9W UV STERILIZER 200 GALLON $96.99

GAIN PERFECT AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA 265 GPH $54.00

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA W/ 9W UV LAMP HW-403B $89.99

GAIN 375 GPH AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER W UV STERILIZER 100 GALLON $76.90

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA W/ 9W UV LAMP HW-303B $77.00

FINE 530 GPH AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER W UV STERILIZER 200 GALLON $96.99

GAIN TROPICAL AQUARIUMS FISH TANKS CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV HW-402B $81.99

GAIN AQUARIUM FISH TANK EXTERNAL CANISTER POWER FILTER 75 GALLON $54.00

GAIN 200 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER EXTERNAL & 9W UV HW-404B $106.99

GAIN AQUARIUM EXTERNAL CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV LIGHT NEW MODEL HW-404B $106.99

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA W/ 9W UV LAMP HW-404B $106.99

GAIN TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISH TANK CANISTER FILTER 9W UV LIGHT HW-303B $77.00

FINE 200 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER EXTERNAL PUMP 9W UV LAMP $96.99

FINE TROPICAL AQUARIUMS FISH TANKS CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV HW-403B $89.99

FINE 75 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER EXTERNAL PUMP + 9W UV LAMP HW-402B $81.99

GAIN AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER BUILT-IN 9W UV STERILIZER 75 GALLON HW-402B $81.99

GAIN AQUARIUMS FISH TANK EXTERNAL CANISTER FILTER 375GPH 100G HW-303A W. MEDIA $68.99

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER 9W UV STERILIZER 200G NEW MODEL HW-404B $106.99

FINE 200 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER EXTERNAL & 9W UV HW-404B $106.99

GAIN AQUARIUM FISH TANK EXTERNAL CANISTER POWER FILTER 100 GAL 375 GPH HW-303A $68.99

FINE AQUARIUM EXTERNAL CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV LIGHT NEW MODEL HW-403B $89.99

GAIN AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA W/ 9W UV LAMP HW-402B $81.99

FINE SUNSUN/PERFECT 375GPH AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER W UV STERILIZER HW-403B $89.99

FINE 265 GPH AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER W/ 9W UV LIGHT & MEDIA HW-402B $81.99

FINE AQUARIUM FISH TANK CANISTER POWER FILTER W/ 9W UV 75G NEW MODEL $81.99

FINE EXTERNAL 3-STAGES AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER 265 GPH 75 GALLON $54.00

GAIN AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER 9W UV STERILIZER 200G NEW MODEL HW-404B $106.99

FINE AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER BUILT-IN 9W UV CLEARIFIER 100 GALLON $77.00

FINE 100 GALLON AQUARIUM CANISTER POWER FILTER EXTERNAL & 9W UV HW-403B $89.99

GET!! 530GPH AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER W UV STERILIZER HW-404B $106.99

GET!! TROPICAL AQUARIUM FISH TANK CANISTER FILTER 9W UV LIGHT HW-303B $77.00

GET!! AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER SYSTEM & MEDIA W/ 9W UV LAMP HW-404B $106.99

GET!! AQUARIUM CANISTER FILTER 9W UV STERILIZER 100G NEW MODEL HW-403B $89.99

GET!! TROPICAL AQUARIUMS FISH TANKS CANISTER FILTER + 9W UV HW-304B $96.99