The filtration of water in the aquarium is an important process, because from the contamination of its fish can die. In a natural environment, faeces and other waste products of the life of aquatic inhabitants are carried away with the flow or dissolved in a huge volume of the reservoir. In conditions of limited space with standing water, it either needs to be changed frequently, which has a bad effect on the microflora of the aquarium and the health of the fish, or install a filter.
What is a biofilter for an aquarium?
There are 3 types of filter devices for aquaria, depending on the filter material:
- mechanical - with sponges as a garbage trap, their disadvantage is that they need to be washed regularly, otherwise the filtration becomes ineffective;
- chemical - using activated carbon and other filtering substances that absorb all unnecessary impurities;
- biological - they do not purify themselves with their filler, but with those microorganisms that live in it.
Let us dwell in more detail on the last kind of filters. The bio-filler serves as the home for nitrosating bacteria, which process and neutralize feces and other organic particles in the aquarium. Without this, fish can die from intoxication with ammonia.
The larger the volume of the aquarium, the larger the porous filler surface should be. Note that the microorganisms living on it absorb a lot of oxygen, so the system for pumping and supplying oxygen should not be switched off for more than an hour.
In addition, the dead bacteria secrete poison, so after disconnecting the sponge must necessarily be rinsed without using running water, as chlorine kills all useful microorganisms. For this, water from the aquarium is used, followed by its utilization. In order for the filter to work, it takes time to activate the beneficial bacteria.
Types of biological filters
Filters are external and internal , electric and air. The internal biofilter for the aquarium is located inside the aquarium, while the outer (remote) - under it in the stand, on the back of the aquarium or in the lid above the water level (built in the biofilter's aquarium lid).
A dry biofilter for an aquarium is located outside it, that is, not in water, but in the air and only watered by water. Oxygen is supplied to it from the environment and from the water, that is, it is always rich in oxygen inside the environment, which is important for bacteria. At the same time, their accumulation does not take place.