This page explains the three stages of aquarium filtration with an emphasis on the third stage, bio-logical filtration, which is the most important
type of aquarium filtration.
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1. The Three Types of Water Filtration
(1) Mechanical filtration of water is done by passing the water through a screen, or a thin piece of sponge, or through a floss material, all
of which remove pieces of debris from the water.
(2) Chemical filtration of water is done by passing the water through small pieces of carbon or zeolite, which is a natural mineral. The
carbon or zeolite remove molecules such as ammonia from the water.
(3) Biological filtration of water is done by certain types of bacteria that live on gravel, on the surface of glass, on ceramic ornaments,
on plastic plants, on bio-balls, on floss, or best of all on BIO-Wheels.
These bacteria are often called beneficial bacteria in contrast to the pathogenic or harmful bacteria that cause diseases. The
beneficial bacteria in biological filters digest waste that is dissolved in the water by combining the waste with oxygen that is also dissolved in the water.
For example, certain kinds of beneficial bacteria combine ammonia and oxygen, that are both dissolved in the
aquarium water, to produce nitrite, water, and some energy. Using the usual symbols for Ammonia NH3, Oxygen O2,
Nitrite NO2¯, and Water H2O, the chemical reaction is written as
NH3 + O2
a
NO2¯ + H2O + energy
Or as a chemical equation like this
4 NH3 +
7 O2 = 4 NO2¯ + 6 H2O + energy
where the numbers 4, 7, 4,
and 6 have been inserted
into this equation so the
atoms on both sides of the equation
balance.
Other kinds of beneficial bacteria combine the nitrite and oxygen, that are both dissolved in the water, to
produce nitrate and more energy. Using the usual symbol for nitrate NO3¯, the chemical reaction is written as
NO2¯ + O2
a
NO3¯ + energy
Or as an equation like this
2 NO2¯ + O2 = 2 NO3¯
+ energy
The
combined result of these two chemical reactions is to combine ammonia and oxygen from the water and to
produce nitrate and energy.
So we see that to remove ammonia and nitrite from aquarium water in this way, the bacteria need plenty of oxygen in the water.
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- Nitrifying Bacteria, which can help keep aquarium water clear
and odor free.
Ammonia is very toxic to fish, nitrite is also toxic but less toxic than ammonia, and nitrate is much
less toxic. So the beneficial bacteria take oxygen and toxic ammonia from the water and produce rather harmless nitrate and more water.
Still other kinds of bacteria oxidize other kinds of fish waste to make those kinds of fish waste less toxic to fish.
These kinds of beneficial bacteria and lots of oxygen are the crucial factors in eliminating toxic waste and maintaining excellent
quality water in an aquarium.
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2. Biological Filters are generally devices that provide living space for the beneficial
bacteria, that were discussed in the paragraphs above.
Most biological filters are limited by the amount of oxygen available in the water, and oxygen is not very soluble in water. In fact,
aquarium water rarely has more than 7 ppm (parts per million) of oxygen.
So biological filters, that rely completely on the water flowing through them to provide oxygen for their bacteria, are limited by the
small amount of oxygen that is in the water.
Undergravel filters, canister filters, sponge filters, and especially fluidized bed filters are almost always
starved for oxygen. They have lots of fish waste and lots of surface area with lots of bacteria, but the water in these filters lacks an abundant supply of oxygen for the bacteria.
All of these types of filters are greatly limited by the small
amount of oxygen in the water that flows through them.
3. BIO-Wheels spinning in the air and water, are not limited by the amount of oxygen in the
water. Air is 20% oxygen, i.e. 200,000 ppm compared with the 7 ppm in water, and the abundant oxygen in the air rapidly replenishes the oxygen on the surface of the water, such as on the
surfaces of a BIO-Wheel. So the water on the surfaces of the BIO-Wheel is always very rich in oxygen.
The beneficial bacteria living on the BIO-Wheel are able to use
the abundant oxygen in the water on the BIO-Wheels to rapidly oxidize the fish waste that is dissolved in the water on the BIO-Wheels.
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Books about
Aquarium Filters and Filtration
The books shown below are listed on Amazon.com. You can click on the title or on the image of a book to go to the page at Amazon.com, where that book
is listed and discussed. In some cases you can preview several of the pages in that book.
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We buy the highest quality fish, produced by the best fish
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