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Aquarium filters categories can be roughly divided into ten categories, which are box filter, filter bag, activated carbon, aquarium reactor, filter pad, HOB, protein skimmer, sponge filter, trickling filter, filter tank. Box filter
The box filter is simple and efficient for small aquariums and fish bowls. One filter is perfect for your 10 gallon (or smaller) tank. They are plastic boxes fitted with a perforated lid and a lift tube. The lift tube connects to an air hose, and the bubbles rise up the tube from the bottom of the box. Filtration media are packed around the lift tube, filling the box. Water flows down through the media and up the tube, drawn by the rising stream of air bubbles. The bubbles help to aerate and oxygenate your tank. A simple design and efficient filtering. Easy to assemble and simple to use. filter bag  Many manufacturers offer modules in a gradation of weave or pore sizes so that you can stack them from large to small to trap increasingly finer particles. This also provides an efficient pre-filter to prevent the pores of a biomedium from becoming plugged. These bags also come in a variety of sizes to suit the fish tank filter made by all of the large filter manufacturers array of filters. aquarium reactor  ‘aquarium reactors’ are chambers in which aquarium water ‘reacts’ with some medium to alter the water chemistry, either adding substances to the water or removing them. As long as it is a chemical reaction, and the medium is freely mixing with the water, the device is called a reactor. These reactors are designed to optimize the contact time between the water and the surface area of the reactor media. They take full advantage of the entire capacity of the media. filter pad  Filter pads have bonded fibers that effectively trap uneaten foods, waste excreted by livestock, decaying plants, detritus, dust, and other floating particulates from aquarium water. The design allows maximum flow and keeps the pad from clogging too quickly while keeping your aquarium water crystal clear. They are great value and offer consistent and repeatable filtration performance in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Filter pads are typically used as a pre-filter for wet/dry filters, sumps, and canister filters to clean water in freshwater, saltwater and reef aquariums. HOB
Very common today is the hang-on-back (HOB) filter. These filters are made to hang on the back of your aquarium, and provide excellent mechanical and biological filtration. They are ideal for use in tanks where space is limited inside the tank, and remove the need for unsightly filters in the tank itself. They use a pump to suck water up a supply tube from the aquarium. The water then flows through a series of compartments with various media and back into the tank via an overflow. protein skimmer  Protein skimmers are used in saltwater setups to remove dissolved substances before they begin to break down. Some models stand alone (or hang on the tank) with their own water pumps, and others are designed to operate in a sump, utilizing the sump’s plumbing and pump. Water is pumped through a tall vertical column in which air bubbles are rising. The air can be supplied by an air pump or by a water pump with venturi, which is a valve that draws air into the water stream. The basic principle here is to get air bubbles into prolonged contact with the tank water. Polluting substances are attracted to the air-water interface of an air bubble. These concentrate in the bubble stream, rising with it and appearing at the top as foam. The foam continues to rise into a collection apparatus, while the water flows back into the tank. These are simple to set-up, easy to clean. Available for nano tanks upwards. Seen as having good energy efficiency, delivering very effective organic waste removal. sponge filter  A sponge filter is usually as simple as a sponge attached to a riser tube. Water is drawn through the sponge and out the other end of the tube, either by airlift or by powerhead. Simply connect the unit with an air pump thru airline tubing and provide both aeration and filtration for your fish. trickling filter  Trickle or wet-dry filters drip or spray aquarium water over a medium for marine and freshwater aquariums. This maximizes oxygen saturation and provides excellent biofiltration. The filter box is placed on top of the aquarium. Water is pumped over a number of perforated trays containing filter wool or some other filter material. The water trickles through the trays, keeping the filter wool wet but not completely submerged, allowing aerobic bacteria to grow and aiding biological filtration. The water returns to the aquarium like rain. filter tank  Canisters are external fish tank filters. The ideal solution for maintaining a large aquarium where a strong water current and high level of filtration is necessary. These include supplementary media such as carbon. External filters also contain a greater amount of sponge and biological media, enhancing the level of mechanical filtration and breakdown of ammonia. Canister filters have an integral water pump. Their main appeal is that all of the water is forced to flow through all of the media. |
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