Filter Types

[beez]

hi all- i know the difference in the big 3- those being undergravel, canister and hob filters. but can someone please explain to me where powerheads, sumps and wet/dry fits into the whole mix. i wanna get a new filter for my 55g tank, but i wanna make sure i understand all my options

thanks,
beez

 

[SamUK]

a powerhead is ajus a pump really.


people use them to run UGF and DIY filters that they make.


i personally use one at the opposite end to my filter in my 6ft tank to keep the water moving around.


a sump is a tank thats divided up and filled with filter media and then water is passed over it and pumped back up to the main tank.


not sure about wet/dry.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Wet/dry refers to a filter that exposes the bio media to both air and water. A sump is basically a form of wet dry as are bio-wheels.

Powerheads can have sponged intakes and act both for current and filtration as well as being used to power RUGF or larger sponge filters.

Internal filters are basically fully submerged intank filters.

Sump filters are most commonly, but not exclusively used with sw tanks. There are two main benefits to them. They increase the gallonage of the system and they allow you to hide heaters etc in them. they also allow you to medicate, do water changes dose ferts etc without opening the tank. They also allow for larger media volumes.

 

[raptorrex]

a powerhead is ajus a pump really.


people use them to run UGF and DIY filters that they make.


i personally use one at the opposite end to my filter in my 6ft tank to keep the water moving around.


a sump is a tank thats divided up and filled with filter media and then water is passed over it and pumped back up to the main tank.


not sure about wet/dry.

Wet/dry refers to a filter that exposes the bio media to both air and water. A sump is basically a form of wet dry as are bio-wheels.

Powerheads can have sponged intakes and act both for current and filtration as well as being used to power RUGF or larger sponge filters.

Internal filters are basically fully submerged intank filters.

Sump filters are most commonly, but not exclusively used with sw tanks. There are two main benefits to them. They increase the gallonage of the system and they allow you to hide heaters etc in them. they also allow you to medicate, do water changes dose ferts etc without opening the tank. They also allow for larger media volumes.

having said that an internal or canister filter seem most common at first. with a canister you get to hide the filter, and it has a large bio surface, compared with the internal. and are a bit less messy to clean and maintain. not sure about under gravel though, would at first look seem the best, but it aint that way in life. though i beleave it works like an internal, except it draws the water through, using plastic trays set under the gravel. the three filters i have mentioned all consist of a pump/impeller, a cartridge containing filter media. and a system to intake and expel the water, a simple grill and spout in the case of the internal, plastic tray and spout for the undergravel and a system of pipes for the canister.

 

[voo]

This is taken from a store advertising the Eheim wet/dry filters:

The Eheim Wet & Dry Filter range is one of the most innovative and efficient biological filters available on the market today. Utilising Eheim Ehfisubstrat Pro Filter Media, the Eheim Wet & Dry filter lowers and increases the water level within the canister, exposing the media temporarily to atmospheric oxygen, before submerging it again in aquarium water. As air contains significantly higher levels of oxygen than water, a significantly increased biological colony can be created and maintained upon the Ehfisubstrat Pro; breaking down biological wastes and ensuring that the nitrification process is undertaken swiftly.

The output flow from the canister filter varies dependent upon whether the filter is filling with air or water, creating a unique pulsing motion to the water flow (there constantly a small water flow from the filter to ensure that the impellor does not run dry). This pulsed flow can be extremely beneficial, particularly with reef aquaria.

The Eheim Wet & Dry Breathing filter range is suitable for aquaria up to 600lts, and includes all hosing and filter media required. Also available are thermofilters which can be used in either freshwater or saltwater.

 

[andywg]

Eheim Wet/Dry filters (2227 and 2229) are awful and not really fit to carry the name Wet/Dry (or Eheim to be honest) which is the most effective form of filtration there is. Why Eheim made a filter so hard to set up that the South of England Rep can't even do it I don't know...

Wet/Dry, as alluded to earlier, has the media placed above water (not submerged) and has the water running over it. This gives the filter colony of bacteria access to as much oxygen as necessary, though all the oxygen makes them pretty poor with planted tanks. This is most commonly accomplished by having the tank water drain through a tower of bioballs. Good mechanical filtration (a drip plate covered with filter floss for example) is a must to prevent the bio balls from clogging up.

A sump is just a tank that sits underneath (or occasionally above) the display tank. What you do with it is up to you. It is often used as a reservoir for the water of a wet/dry system to trickle into (hence the names trickle towers). You can hide heaters in there and keep spare filter media for when you need to set up a tank.