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Aeration and Filtration
This month's topic
"aeration and filtration" is a vital part to any successful tropical fish
aquarium. Even if you only have Bettas to care for, you can keep
from having to do a lot of messy water changes if they are kept in a large
aquarium and it is filtered and aerated properly.
Aeration
Aeration
in an aquarium refers to the oxygenation of the water inside the tank.
For regular tropical fish that don't have a labyrinth this is a must since
they obtain their oxygen from the water that flows over their gills.
However, even with nothing but labyrinth fish oxygenation can help in the
maintainence of a natural fish environment. Water should always be
oxygenated unless the fish have labyrinths, and are in small containers
such as bowls or other small aquariums such as Betta Splendens in Betta
Hexes, for example. The reason for not oxygenating this small containers
with labyrinth fish is that, one they don't breath from the water and two
these containers are small enough to do complete water changes once every
one or two weeks. If they are in larger tanks like 5 gallons or more
it makes sense to make a natural environment so that you don't have to
do complete water changes and cleanings of the tank. Another benefit
to abundant oxygenation is that it keeps most harmful bacteria at a standstill
or a very slow growth rate. There are several methods of aeration
for an aquarium. You can directly diffuse oxygen into the water by
streams of bubbles flowing through the aquarium. Another method is
water only circulation, this process circulates the water at the bottom
of the tank with the water at the top, and oxygen is then diffused naturally
at the surface into the water from the air above. The bubble flow
method is done using an airstone or bubblewand. The water circulation
method is done using a power head for an undergravel filter or an external
power filter that uses suction (to collect water out of your tank and filter
it) and a waterfall (to return the water to the tank thus oxygenating it).
A final method is plant aeration. Now this should only be done by
the advanced aquarium expert. This involves the balanced planting
of the aquarium with live plants. It is important to balance the
amount of space and light needed by the plants and to maintain a healthy
environment, with the amount of fish in the tank. Plants under light
release oxygen from the water and absorb carbon dioxide that is excreted
by fish and decaying matter. However they only do this when there
is light .. they actually absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide when
it is dark. So for this method it is necessary to ensure that there
is plenty of light. Whichever method you choose be sure it
is adequate for the fish you have otherwise it can result in some fish
deaths, due to suffocation.
Filtration
Filtration is
the method in which particles are trapped and not allowed to float through
the aquarium. Certain filtration methods help the natural bacteria
that forms with the aquarium to break down these particles. The bacteria
congregates around the filter media and helps to break down waste products,
this includes fish wastes as well as leftover food. This keeps the
rest of the tank free from floating particles as well as keeping the bacteria
in a centralized location so it doesn't get out of hand. Even good
bacteria in excess can cause problems. There are three main methods
of filtration which are mechanical, biological, and chemical. Mechanical
refers to the actual physical removal of particles from your aquarium by
trapping them in a substrate. Biological refers to the promotion
of bacteria which convert particles into other compounds which are inert
and not harmful for your fish. Chemical refers to the direct conversion
of particles into inert compounds using over the counter store bought chemical
additives for your aquarium. The following is a list of items and
their description, used for each filtration method.
Mechanical Filtration
-External Power Filter or Canister
Filter
These
filters suck water out of your aquarium with a tube, through the use of
an electric pump. The water then passes through a substrate of filter
floss and carbon to collect large particles and remove dissolved gases.
The water is then returned to the tank usually by a waterfall method if
it is hanging on the back of your tank or by another tube if it's a canister
filter. As the filtering medium gets dirty it is either replaced
with new medium or just cleaned under running water and then returned.
The advantage to this filter is that you don't have to disturb the inside
of your tank to remove it. The cartridges are easily replaced or
cleaned.
-Sponge Filter
These
filters are internal filters that consist of a riser tube assembly within
the heart of a huge sponge type substance. As air from an airpump
flows through the riser tube assembly it sucks water into the sponge and
is drawn out through the top of the assembly due to the rapid succession
of bubbles. As the water is drawn in particles get trapped within
the sponge and on the outside of the sponge. The filter must be removed
from the tank by pulling it up using the air tubing and then cleaned under
running water. The advantage of this filter is that it doesn't have
any medium to be cleaned or replaced, the sponge takes a lot of reusing
and rinsing before it needs to be replaced and most stores carry the sponge
replacements.
-Internal Box Filter
This assembly
is a cross between the sponge and external power/canister filters.
This filter is inside your aquarium like the sponge filter and traps the
particles using the same riser tube assembly. However, the medium
of filter floss and charcoal inside the box filter is the same as the external
power/canister filters. In order to clean this filter is must be
pulled out of the tank by the air tubing the same as for the sponge filter.
It must then be taken apart and have it's medium cleaned and returned or
replaced with new medium.
The advantage to this filter over
the sponge is that it does have charcoal and can therefore chemically remove
diffused gases as well as particles.
Biological Filtration
-Plants
Plants
offer a great biological filtration system. As matter decays, natural
forming bacteria appear and convert this matter and other particles into
compounds that plants can use. Plants then aerate the aquarium and
continue to absorb harmful compounds from the water which they in turn
use to grow and stay healthy. This method works best when coupled
with an under gravel filter.
-Undergravel Filter
Undergravel
Filters are similar to spong and internal box filters as they have a riser
tube assembly. The riser tube assembly is on the edge of huge plates
with slits. The gravel covering the top of these plates acts as the
filtering medium. The riser tube causes water to get sucked down
through the gravel and under the plates then back up through the riser
tube and out the top. The gravel collects particles of decaying matter,
both food and waste products. This matter is then broken down by
naturally forming bacteria into mostly inert compounds and sinks further
down into the gravel. Coupled with plants this method is made even
better along with the addition of filter cartridges that fit on the top
of the riser tubes to remove dissolved gases.
Chemical (Store bought)
-Ammonia removers
This is
a chemical added to the aquarium water that removes ammonia from the water
by converting it into a compound that is inert or one that evaporates into
the air at the surface of the tank.
-Charcoal Cartridges-For removing
foul smelling gases
Charcoal
cartridges chemically bind dissolved gases to the charcoal granules and
clear up foul smelling water.
-Nitrite and Nitrate removers
This is
a chemical added to the aquarium water that removes nitrites and nitrates
from the water by converting it into a compound that is inert or one that
evaporates into the air at the surface of the tank. This is the same
as for ammonia removers except the chemicals used are different obviously.
Aeration and Filtration together
Though
these two aspects of aquarium health can be seperated in some instances,
most of the time they are not. This is mainly because in concert
together they incourage the water in your aquarium to be healthy and environmentally
stable. Both are very necessary if you wish to maintain healthy fish
and prevent illness. Hopefully this months topic has been informative
and helpful. Feel free to e-mail any questions or information that
might have been left out of this months topic to BettasInc@yahoo.com.
December's Topic - Aquascaping and
Decorations
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