Aquarium Filters Range

Why do I need an aquarium filter?

The key to successful fish keeping is maintaining good water quality. Aquarium Filters play an important part in providing healthy living conditions for your aquarium inhabitants, like fish, plants, corals and invertebrates.

Types of aquarium filters

Different types of filters are available for different applications. At www.theaquariumshop.com.au we stock:

Canister Filters

Canister filters are an external filter that provide the largest filtering capacity and work under pressure.

These filters are placed outside the aquarium, normally in the aquarium cabinet. Water is siphoned from the aquarium down into the canister through the filter media (can be foam, ceramic noodles, charcoal, filter wool and other products) and then pumped back up into the aquarium.

Internal Filters

Internal filters sit inside your fish tank. Water is normally sucked into the bottom part of the filter, through the filter media (can be foam and/or charcoal depending on the brand) and then back into the aquarium.

Hang on Filters

These filters hang on the rim of your aquarium. Water is normally drawn up through a length of pipe submersed in the aquarium, pumped through the filter media (which will depend on the brand) and then back into the aquarium overflowing from the top of the filter.

Air driven filters

As the name suggests they are driven by air. The air is normally supplied by an air pump and creates a vacuum, drawing the water through the filter media (usually filter wool & charcoal).

We stock a great range of of air driven filters to suit your aquarium.

Undergravel Filters

Undergravel filters are normally a plastic grid that sits under the aquarium gravel. They are operated by either an air pump or a powerhead in a similiar way to an air driven filter. The air pump or powerhead creates a vacuum under the plastic grid, drawing the water and debris through the gravel and up through the updraft pipes and back into the aquarium.

Note that the aquarium gravel is an important part of the filtration process.

These filters come in a range of standard sizes:

• 25x50cm (10x20inch)
• 30x60cm (12x24inch)
• 30x76cm (12x30inch)
• 30x91cm (12x36inch)
• 30x121cm (12x48inch)

How do I pick the right sized filter for my fish tank?

Work out the capacity of my fish tank

Multiply the length x width x height measuring in centimetres and divide by 1000 to get the capacity in litres:

• example: 60cm x 40cm x 40cm = 96000. 96000 / 1000 = 96 litres

Now multiply this by 3 and 4 to get an approximate flow rate range for your filter.

• example: 96 x 3 = 288, 96 x 4 = 384

In this example a suitable filter would have a flow rate of 300-400 litres per hour.

Fish tank capacities and corresponding flow rates

If you are not sure what sized fish tank filter would be suitable then please contact us.