Contents
Saltwater Aquarium Basics
How to Plan Aquarium Inhabitants
How to Choose a Saltwater Tank
Saltwater Aquarium Filtration
Saltwater Aquarium Equipment
Saltwater Aquarium Decoration
How to Make Aquarium Seawater
How to Test Marine Aquarium Water
How to Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium
How to Feed Fish
How to Keep Fish Healthy and Happy
Saltwater Aquarium Maintenance
Saltwater Fish for Beginners
Saltwater Invertebrates for Beginners
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Saltwater Aquarium Filtration
Healthy fish require clean water that’s free of debris and toxins. To keep tank water clean, use a filtration system.
Types of Filtration
A saltwater aquarium requires three types of water filtration: mechanical, chemical, and biological.
- Mechanical filtration: This type of filtration removes small pieces of dirt and debris from the water by passing them through a filter medium made of floss, sponge, or paper that’s designed to trap waste.
- Chemical filtration: This type of filtration uses chemical filters such as activated charcoal to remove dissolved compounds and toxins chemically.
- Biological filtration: This type of filtration relies on the action of beneficial bacteria to remove ammonia produced by fish waste. Beneficial bacteria that exist in mature tanks convert the ammonia to less toxic nitrite and then to nitrate in a process known as the nitrogen cycle. A cycled tank has a fully established nitrogen cycle and biological filtration process.
Types of Filters
There are many different types of filters, each of which provides different degrees of mechanical, chemical, or biological filtration. The filters most commonly used in saltwater aquariums are canister filters, biowheel filters, wet/dry filters, and protein skimmers.
Canister Filters
A canister filter provides good mechanical filtration and contributes to biological filtration. Some types provide chemical filtration too. The canister in this type of filter sits outside the aquarium and has two tubes: one that pulls water from the aquarium and into the canister and another that returns filtered water to the tank. The canister contains filter medium and may have a chemical filter as well. Filter medium must be changed regularly. Because the canister is outside the tank, this type of filter maintenance is relatively easy.
Biowheel Filters
A biowheel filter hangs on the inner wall of the
aquarium. Its filter sucks water up through an intake valve. The water then passes through a filter medium that provides mechanical filtration and a specialized spinning filter wheel that provides biological filtration. The water is then returned to the tank.
Wet/Dry Filters
A wet/dry filter provides biological filtration and some mechanical filtration. A siphon pulls water from the tank and through a tube that ends at either a trickle tray (a plate with holes in it) or an electrical sprayer. The water trickles or sprays onto a series of filter media that contain colonies of beneficial bacteria.
After the water is filtered, it returns to the tank through a powered aquarium pump. The water may or may not go to a separate reservoir, called a sump, before being pumped back into the aquarium. A wet/dry filter that includes a sump has two major benefits: it increases the volume of your tank system, which in turn increases the tank’s chemical stability, and it can house some of the less attractive tank necessities, such as the heater or protein skimmer.
Protein Skimmers
A protein skimmer provides effective chemical
filtration. Many different protein skimmer designs exist, but all work in a similar way: they bring water from the tank into contact with bubbling water inside the skimmer. Organic compounds in the tank water then attach to the bubbles, which rise to the top of the skimmer where they’re collected in a foam collection cup. The clean water then falls to the bottom of the skimmer, where it’s returned to the tank. You can keep protein skimmers in a main tank or a sump.
Choosing a Filtration System
Every marine tank must have a protein skimmer. If your tank contains no live rock, use a wet/dry filter. If your tank does contain live rock, use a canister, biowheel, or wet/dry filter.
For aesthetic reasons, you may want to buy filters that don’t need to hang on your aquarium in order to function and can instead hide inside your stand.
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