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Types of Filters

Canister filter

Its also gives you flexibility. You can adapt your filter to your mechanical, biological and chemical filtration needs. These filters are designed to let you determine how much (and what type) of filtration media you want to use.

The only disadvantages are that it requires more hoses and connections than any other filter type and thus is more complicated to set up. Also this type of filter must be disassembled for maintaining and changing of filter media. This makes it more difficult to maintain and also a reason why many people are lazy to clean up their choked canisters.

I have one of this type of filter, an Eheim 2226 Professional Series (above left). it serves me well as a biological as well as a mechanical filter. You place all your filter media in trays stack on top of each other inside. But being compact has a bad side to it . It lacks the space for me to place more filter media inside. That's a limiting factor for a canister filter.

How it works?

An impeller spins and draws water from your aquarium through the water inlet into the canister. Inside the canister, the pressure is really great. The water goes down and is forced upwards through all the filter media and out through the water outlet.

I recently bought a trickle filter and I find it very good. The trickling of water in the filter gives the aquarium more O2, thus it can achieve a more rapid nitrification compared to all other kinds of filters described so far. It is an efficient and very reliable biological filter. Aerobic bacteria are provided with very good opportunities for settling as well as a good living environment.

The trickle filter comes in two variations: the internal trickle filter and the trickle filter housed out of the tank. The one I bought was the external type and I placed the filter media in boxes that stack up on top of one another. Sponge, synthetic wool, broken shell, 'O' rings and the very common bioballs are used.

The cascading water volume should measure about 3-5% of the total volume of the aquarium. In order to achieve a trickling effect to the distribution water. The water should be fed through a distribution sieve. It has lots of holes in it for the water to trickle through. The pump that supply the water has to be sufficiently powerful to provide a steady and sufficient trickle effect for the filter material. Make sure the water does not just gush through the filter or let the filter media dry out.

How it works?

Water is brought in by a power-head and it goes onto distribution sieve which has lots of holes. The water then trickles down like rain drops from a roof. The water drips all over the different media, thus traveling through several boxes until it reaches the bottom. At the bottom, the water would collect and flow out of the filter.