| If you wish to become a successful aquarium | | | | chemical media. It will be important for you to |
| hobbyist and to keep your fish alive and healthy, | | | | follow the manufacturer's recommendations as to |
| it will be important that you understand the basics | | | | how often to replace the chemical media. While |
| of aquarium filtration. The home aquarium is a | | | | chemical media plays an important role in |
| "closed system". This means that any wastes | | | | removing waste material in the aquarium that is |
| produced will remain in the same body of water | | | | not even visible to the human eye, it is also |
| until some type of filtration removes or | | | | excellent at removing discoloring agents like dyes |
| neutralizes the wastes. Fortunately for you, the | | | | from foods or medications. In fact, many |
| aquarium hobbyist, there are three basic | | | | medications will require that you temporarily |
| categories of filtration that will enable success with | | | | remove the chemical media while treating the |
| your aquarium. | | | | aquarium. Chemical media can also help protect |
| Mechanical filtration is perhaps the easiest to | | | | your fish from harmful household products used |
| understand. This is the process of physically | | | | near your aquarium. |
| removing larger waste particles from the water | | | | While these first two forms of filtration can result |
| by trapping them is some type of mechanical | | | | in crystal clear water in the aquarium, without the |
| device. These devices make use of a filter pad | | | | third, biological filtration, your fish will have little |
| made of floss material or maybe sponge material. | | | | chance of success. Biological filtration is responsible |
| While the water flows through these materials, | | | | for converting the very toxic ammonia released |
| particles are trapped in the matrix of the | | | | from the metabolic process of respiration. This |
| mechanical media. This will usually result in crystal | | | | ammonia is secreted through the gill membranes |
| clear aquarium water with no floating particles. | | | | and in the fish's urine. The process of biological |
| The mechanical filter media will require cleaning or | | | | filtration involves large populations of beneficial |
| replacement as it becomes clogged with waste | | | | nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria will use the |
| particles. This clogging can substantially slow down | | | | ammonia as a food source and convert it to |
| the flow rate of certain types of filters, so you | | | | nitrite, a slightly less toxic compound. If it stopped |
| will need to daily observe the flow rate as a good | | | | here, your fish would still be in trouble. Fortunately, |
| indicator of when the mechanical media will need | | | | Nature provides a second class of nitrifying |
| to be replaced. You should be aware that the | | | | bacteria that will use the nitrite and convert it into |
| waste material trapped in the mechanical media is | | | | fairly non-toxic nitrate. It is up to you, the |
| not really removed from the aquarium | | | | hobbyist, to remove nitrates from the aquarium |
| environment, it is just all trapped in a convenient | | | | with regular partial water changes. Biological |
| place for you to remove it. For this reason, the | | | | filtration requires three parameters to thrive: a |
| more frequently you clean the mechanical media, | | | | food source (fish's wastes), oxygen/oxygenated |
| the better the water quality should be in your | | | | water, and surface area for the bacteria to |
| aquarium. | | | | colonize. The nitrifying bacteria will colonize any |
| A second type of filtration for the aquarium is | | | | type of surface area, but some surfaces are |
| called chemical filtration. This involves using some | | | | better than others. Recent developments have |
| type of chemical media to physically remove or | | | | provided you with many, many choices of |
| neutralize the waste products in your aquarium. | | | | biological media to be added to the filter system |
| Common chemical media include activated carbon, | | | | or placed in the aquarium to provide more than |
| resins or filter pads impregnated with chemical | | | | adequate surface area for the nitrifying bacteria |
| compounds. As the aquarium water passes | | | | to colonize. Once again, it is best to first direct the |
| through these materials, the specific chemical | | | | water flow through a mechanical media before it |
| media will attract/bind/remove specific types of | | | | passes through/over the biological media. |
| chemical wastes. Among chemical media, | | | | While biological filtration is essential to the health of |
| activated carbon has the broadest range of types | | | | the fish, also using mechanical filtration and |
| of chemical wastes it removes. That, along with | | | | chemical filtration can make your aquarium |
| its reasonable cost, makes it by far the most | | | | experience much more rewarding. You can select |
| popular type of chemical filtration for the | | | | from a vast selection of filter types to fit any |
| aquarium. Resins are man-made and designed to | | | | size aquarium and budget. It is difficult to get too |
| remove specific types of chemical wastes. One | | | | large of a filtration system, but it is extremely |
| advantage to resins is the ability to design some | | | | important to get one that you will maintain |
| to physically change color when they become | | | | properly. If the filter is not properly maintained, it |
| exhausted, which means they are totally clogged | | | | will provide little if any benefit to your aquarium |
| with chemical wastes and need to be changed | | | | and will be a constant source of irritation. With a |
| recharged. Rechargeable resins can save you | | | | little bit of knowledge and planning, you should find |
| significant amounts of money over their useful life | | | | it easy to provide all three stages of aquarium |
| span. With any type of chemical media it is | | | | filtration and provide a healthy environment for its |
| important to have the water flow through a | | | | aquatic inhabitants. Remember that your fish |
| mechanical media first so that larger physical | | | | depend on you to maintain the proper |
| wastes do not clog the surface area of the | | | | environment for their health. |