The habitats and healthy life of organisms in the aquatic environment of the aquarium are possible only if it is clean and balanced, therefore it is necessary to make a constant purification of water using a filter . Filtering devices for aquariums can be of various types, but in all of them a fibrous-porous material is used. Some types of filters, smaller volumes, are located inside the aquarium, others, somewhat voluminous, are attached outside.
Purification of water can be done in a mechanical or complex way, including chemical cleaning, biological and mechanical. In a small, up to 100 liters, aquarium, you can only carry out mechanical cleaning using an internal filter; in an aquarium larger in volume, complex water purification is required, for which an external aquarium filter is needed.
External mounted aquarium filters
The volumes of such filters allow them to have filter materials at different levels, which allows to detain large particles of dirt and simultaneously produce biofiltration, splitting harmful substances. External aquarium filters have a number of advantages, compared with the internal ones. They require rarer maintenance, while they can have several elements for water filtration, which contributes to a better quality of its cleaning.
Located on the outside of the filter, disguised, for example, under a house or a large shell, will not break the aesthetics, and also free space inside the aquarium. Also hinged aquarium filters have no restrictions related to the size of the aquarium, their filter elements are much more convenient to clean and change.
Choose the best filter
Choosing the best aquarium filter, you should pay attention to the number of internal baskets, located vertically, containing various filter materials. Filters having three or more baskets, in comparison with other types of filters, have somewhat greater functionality.
The best for using makes these filters and their low noise level, this is achieved due to the fact that high-quality ceramics are used to produce the rotor shaft, this factor also contributes to high wear resistance and durability. Some of the best modifications of external filters have a built-in heating system and electronic temperature sensors, and they are well thought out in terms of design. When equipping an aquarium with a filter, not only the size of the tank matters, but also the power of the motor.
Application of a phytofilter
Among aquarists, recently, phytofilters have become popular for domestic aquariums, where the main role in the filtration belongs to plants. If such a filter is properly designed, then the cleaning efficiency with it is much better than the biofilter.
The aquatic phytofilter is a kind of container with the indoor plants located in it, most often, placed outside the aquarium perimeter. The roots of plants, while remaining in the aquarium water. This phytofilter is able to purify water from nitrates, nitrites, phosphates and other harmful impurities that can cause diseases that are dangerous for aquarium fish.
Plants that can dispose of all these harmful substances can be: creeping ficus, spathiphyllum, crested chlorophytum, and also one of the most famous and common plants is Tradescantia.
A canister filter can be overloaded with waste accumulated from the vital activity of living aquarium organisms, the phytofilter does not suffer from such a drawback.
