AQUARIUM CARE
Filteration (I)
Most aquarists are
aware of the fact that their aquarium water gradually accumulates potentially
harmful substances which eventually poison their fishes. In order to prevent
this from happening there is the need for filtration therefore, for our purpose
I would define filtration as the removal of unwanted substances from water.
Most aquarists use
three types: Biological, Mechanical and Chemical amongst which the biological
is the most important. Biological filtration is also referred to as under
gravel filtration, because the major equipment used (a flat plate of perforated
plastic) is placed under the gravel bed hence it is invisible. Unless you are
properly equipped, you can’t see the process happening and cannot measure its
effect. Yet, this process is the major difference between success and failure,
and the aquarist who does not take the time to understand its workings is
doomed to watch an endless procession of dying fishes passing through his tank.
Biological filtration
is solely the work of bacteria attached to the surfaces of the gravel, the
gravel and the under gravel filter together constitute the filter-bed. Bacteria
normally reach the filter bed through: the food you give the fishes, the waste
product of the fishes the air, and even through your hands as you work in the
tank.
As the water ages,
their numbers increase until the gravel is loaded with millions of them. It is
only then that the aquarium can function very well, because the wastes of the
fishes and unwanted substances mainly ammonia are immediately broken down by
those bacteria into harmless substances while at the same time, the filtration
action drags organic matter downwards into the spaces between the gravels where
the roots of plants can then extract essential growth substances hence the
under-gravel filter promotes healthy plant growth.
