What does aquarium filter do

Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful? Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? Say more Sign me up for the PetMD Newsletter. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. How aquarium filters work for beginners. Biological media is fundamental to keeping your fish alive Biological Filtration The next stage of aquarium filtration is a little more advanced. This is where the filtration process really comes in: Your fish create waste in the form of ammonia, the ammonia filled water goes into the biological filter and comes into contact with the nitrifying bacteria, which turns it from ammonia a dangerous chemical into nitrite still dangerous and then into Nitrates pretty harmless.

Filtration An optional extra on smaller tanks, and considered essential by professional keepers of larger tanks, UV clarifiers are a fantastic extra augmentation for your aquarium filter system. Comments Click here to cancel reply. Thanks Shirley. Also be sure to test the water and check that ammonia and nitrate levels are not too high. I hope this helps. Thanks in advance for your support! A filter is simply a tool that helps you provide a place to allow the biological filtration to take place.

That said, in most cases, you will need to use a filter in your fish tank to provide enough biological filtration. But what you do need, is enough biological filtration. Biological filtration helps with cycling the tank, which basically means making the water safe for your fish. It does this by, breaking down waste ammonia and converting it into nitrites then further converting it down to nitrates. At Tetra, we offer fish owners a wide selection of filtration systems to help them maintain cleaner water and healthier fish.

If you have any questions or need help troubleshooting a filtration issue, please feel free to contact one of our friendly TetraCare experts. We're happy to help. Learning Center Aquarium Filtration: The total picture. Power filters typically use disposable cartridges and hang on the back edge of your aquarium.

Internal filters are primarily made for smaller aquariums under 20 gallons and are placed inside the aquarium to provide water movement.