Filtration

The basics of filtration
It is important when buying a fish tank or setting up a pond to make sure that you buy the correct filter for it. Three types of filtration happen in any fish tank or pond filter system; firstly Mechanical Filtration where particles of waste and dirt are strained from the water, Secondly Biological Filtration where bacteria that live in the filter break down the Ammonia (NH₃/NH₄) in the fishes waster into Nitrite(NO₂) and then into Nitrate (NO₃). Nitrate is not removed from the water except by fortnightly water changes. Lastly there is Chemical Filtration, most filters use carbon to improve water clarity, some also use chemicals like Zeolite to help remove Ammonia from the water.

Tropical Filtration
There are two options regarding filters when buying them for a tropical tank, this is whether you get an internal or an external filter, an internal filter takes up some of the tank space but is less expensive than an external filter. An external filter sits in the cabinet under the tank out of sight, it can be made slightly larger as it does not take up space within the tank, this means that it is more efficient and will give better water clarity. External filters can also incorporate other equipment such as heaters.

Pond Filtration
When filtering a pond it important to know the size of the pond and where the pond is situated with regards to sunlight. To work out what size filter you need print out our pond volume calculation sheet and fill it in.
Once you have filled this in you can easily pick the necessary filter and pump, the speed will be mesured in litres per hour and you should get one that will pump at least half the ponds volume in an hour. If you are looking at buying liner you can use our Pond Liner Size calculation sheet to work out the right size.

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