Unsure About Your Salt Water Aquarium Filter Setup - Examining Salt Water Aquarium Filter Systems
Salt water aquarium filter systems can seem a bit overwhelming at first.
There are so many choices and some of the equipment looks like it might go on the space shuttle instead of a marine aquarium.
Choosing Your Salt Water Aquarium Filter Setup The first part of choosing your saltwater aquarium filter is to determine the fish you are going to keep and the size of the aquarium you are going to keep them in.
This is extremely important because some fish like larger predators produce much more waste then smaller fish like clown fins.
A larger tank also needs larger filtration because of the extra water volume.
Types Of Salt Water Aquarium Filter Systems Canister-This filter is a pressurized canister that takes in water, scrubs it of dirt and debris and returns it to the aquarium.
Many canister filters also allow you to use some sort of biological filter media and other medias like activated carbon to keep your tank in great shape.
There are now canister filters that can support tanks over 200 gallons and have a high gallons per hour ratting (GPH).
Many filters can go about a month between cleanings and still flow well.
However their intakes and outlets of this salt water aquarium filter setup will protrude into your tank and not look natural.
Plus if they ever develop a leak the potential is there for a large flood.
Hang On Tank Filters- These are very basic filters and the function like miniature canister filters.
They use much smaller pumps and have less filtration area.
You should limit these to tanks no more then 40 gallons.
However you can go slightly bigger if you use multiple units.
There main drawback is the filter pads get clogged fast reducing their water flow.
They also are easy to see because they hang on the tank and can detract from the look of your system Sump Filter- The most popular salt water aquarium filter setup with advanced hobbyists is the sump system.
These are often referred to as wet dry filters.
Although they can be set up a variety of ways.
These filters use an overflow box to take water from the aquarium and take it to the filter below.
The water is then returned by a pump.
These filters almost resemble another small aquarium.
They can be filled with anything from bio balls, live rock or various filter pads.
They are nice because they give you extra water capacity and give you a place to put all your other equipment like heaters and other equipment that can take away from the appearance of a tank.
There are so many choices and some of the equipment looks like it might go on the space shuttle instead of a marine aquarium.
Choosing Your Salt Water Aquarium Filter Setup The first part of choosing your saltwater aquarium filter is to determine the fish you are going to keep and the size of the aquarium you are going to keep them in.
This is extremely important because some fish like larger predators produce much more waste then smaller fish like clown fins.
A larger tank also needs larger filtration because of the extra water volume.
Types Of Salt Water Aquarium Filter Systems Canister-This filter is a pressurized canister that takes in water, scrubs it of dirt and debris and returns it to the aquarium.
Many canister filters also allow you to use some sort of biological filter media and other medias like activated carbon to keep your tank in great shape.
There are now canister filters that can support tanks over 200 gallons and have a high gallons per hour ratting (GPH).
Many filters can go about a month between cleanings and still flow well.
However their intakes and outlets of this salt water aquarium filter setup will protrude into your tank and not look natural.
Plus if they ever develop a leak the potential is there for a large flood.
Hang On Tank Filters- These are very basic filters and the function like miniature canister filters.
They use much smaller pumps and have less filtration area.
You should limit these to tanks no more then 40 gallons.
However you can go slightly bigger if you use multiple units.
There main drawback is the filter pads get clogged fast reducing their water flow.
They also are easy to see because they hang on the tank and can detract from the look of your system Sump Filter- The most popular salt water aquarium filter setup with advanced hobbyists is the sump system.
These are often referred to as wet dry filters.
Although they can be set up a variety of ways.
These filters use an overflow box to take water from the aquarium and take it to the filter below.
The water is then returned by a pump.
These filters almost resemble another small aquarium.
They can be filled with anything from bio balls, live rock or various filter pads.
They are nice because they give you extra water capacity and give you a place to put all your other equipment like heaters and other equipment that can take away from the appearance of a tank.
