For most of us, we are restricted to keeping tropical fish in glass enclosures known as aquariums. These aquariums are admittently, not the ideal habitant for a fish in any respect. They are much smaller than what the fish would experience in their natural habitat (save several examples) and this can lead to unabridged problems. One of the major problems is filtering these bodies of water with proprietary filtration methods. Don't get me wrong, anyone can maintain an aquarium through the use of an over-sized filtration system and impartially compromise on other aspects (of course, not totally compromise on such amenities such as water changes, etc). In fact, the filter chosen for an aquarium is often the single most important factor affecting the success of aquarists.

How filters work and why they are so important:

I must admit, I am a firm believer that people should not attempt 'trial and error' fish keeping at the expense of fish. Fish are not merely expendable products which can be traded like material goods and must be treated properly. As I have advocated, an aquarium filter (s) is the MOST important aspect in maintaining a healthy aquarium. The filter's primary purpose is to remove sediment, detritus and other wastes before they have a chance to dissolve and form ammonia compounds. Such nitrogen compounds can prove harmful and even fatal to most fish, and indeed, aquatic creatures. The most toxic substances, an inadvertent killer in home aquariums is ammonia. Ammonium gas (NH4) dissolved in the water in the form of Ammonia (NH3) is broken down into Nitrite (NO2) and eventually nitrate (NO3). Small amounts of nitrate are essential for healthy plant growth and the balance of the eco-system. The filter's main job is to remove the toxic compounds such as ammonia, etc, effectively.

How a filter works depends on the design of a filtration system, although all filters have a basic similar mechanical property. Their basic requirement is to strain debris (as mentioned) from the water. This helps prevent dangerous build-ups of wastes. All filters can accomplish this. Another filtration requirement, which is absolutely essential, is biological filtration. This is the colonization of aerobic bacteria, which break down ammonia into nitrite etc., you probably already know about this so I won't describe it. Anyway, the third type of filtration is chemical filtration. This is often accomplished by the addition of some carbonic absorption material such as activated carbon or zeolite to remove very small particles and chemicals. This is not absolutely essential, but useful for removing unwanted contaminants and used medication.

OK, I will not go into the different types of filtration, but briefly list them. Filters can be broadly divided into two groups: internal and external filters. Internal filters are those, obviously, which are positioned inside the aquarium while external filters are those, which operate outside the aquarium. Internal filters include the power filters, box filters and under gravel filters. These are suitable for small aquariums, and have low to reasonable flow rates. External filters include external power filters, canister filters, and wet-dry filters and fluidized bed filters. These, in general, are costlier but much more substantial. They emphasize more biological filtration.

What will happen in an aquarium with no filtration?

A common question of fishkeeper is ‘if I do water changes, why do I need a filter?’ Well, this is easily answered. Unless the aquarium is extremely scarcely stocked and heavily planted (and coupled with very large, frequent water changes) a filter is ESSENTIAL. Trying to keep fish without filtration is like living in a house without subsidiary sanitation. The bio-load a typical community of fish might produce will build up to dangerous levels within 5-10 days. As already mentioned, I have mentioned how fish waste is converted into ammonia, which is often deadly to new fish. A filter also must have a suitable biological capacity of bacteria to break down waste before they are allowed to multiply.

What is new tank syndrome?

Finishing off, I will mention the common phenomenon known as 'New Tank Syndrome.' I cringe when I remember my first experience with this horrid affiliation. While I am more a conservationist than an animal-rights activist (indeed, both are extremely important but the latter being pre-dominant) I hate to see the even unassuming cruelty laid down upon the fish from this and must warn you all again (you will probably have heard this a million times, but anyway) of this. It is when a beginner adds too many fish too soon. In short, the bacteria which break down ammonia and nitrites etc., has not built up to sufficient populations to allow the satisfactory decomposition of toxic materials to less dangerous substances. The rest is self-explanatory. In a new tank, there are no bacteria in the filter to ensue such activity and the result is often death of fish over a period of a few days. To avoid this, you should add fish slowly or try to get mature media from another aquarists or your dealer - in such cases, an entire fish load may be added within 48 hours providing the previous fish load was comparable. The bacteria in a filter changes to suit the fish population. If you are running a new filter, about 2-3 small fish every 4-5 days will suffice for about a month.

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