What is a biological filter?
A biological filter is a filter or a living environment where beneficial bacteria live. This can be a filter, lava rocks or other fish safe media. The purpose for a biological filter is to provide an oxygenated environment where beneficial bacteria can live and thrive. These bacteria are responsible for breaking down and converting toxic ammonia from fish wastes into nitrites and then into harmless nitrates. The beneficial bacteria are essential to any pond. You can add live beneficial bacteria (Microbe Lift) in a liquid form to your pond to “jump start” the biological filtration system so your pond is equipped to handle fish. An important note to consider regarding biological filters is that chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria living there. So, if you have to add tap water to your pond, it is best to de-chlorinate the water first before adding it to the pond. You do this by simply letting the water sit for about 3 days. (Other ideas are to spray the water up in the air from the gar
A biological filter is a filter or a living environment where beneficial bacteria live. This can be a filter, lava rocks or other fish safe media. The purpose for a biological filter is to provide an oxygenated environment where beneficial bacteria can live and thrive. These bacteria are responsible for breaking down and converting toxic ammonia from fish wastes into nitrites and then into harmless nitrates. The beneficial bacteria are essential to any pond. You can add live beneficial bacteria (Microbe Lift) in a liquid form to your pond to “jump start” the biological filtration system so your pond is equipped to handle fish. An important note to consider regarding biological filters is that chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria living there. So, if you have to add tap water to your pond, it is best to de-chlorinate the water first before adding it to the pond. You do this by simply letting the water sit for about 3 days.
The first step in setting up a healthy aquarium is to establish a biological filter. A biological filter is a natural filtering system consisting of helpful bacterial colonies that, through a cycling process, convert pollutants in water to harmless nitrate. Nitrate is nitrogen, therefore this cycling process is also referred to as the nitrogen cycle, or cycling a tank. A basic understanding of a biological filter is necessary for any successful aquarist. When an aquarium is initially set up there is no biological filter present in the water because the colonies of bacteria responsible for it have yet to be established. When fish are added to the new tank they immediately begin to pollute the water with highly toxic ammonia exuded from breathing and waste. The water will look clean, but it is quickly becoming poisonous to the fish. During the first 7-14 days ammonia will soar to deadly levels in a new tank, causing some fish to succumb and others to be weakened and take ill. Finally thi
A biological filter or “bio filter” is simply a home for the beneficial bacteria that perform the nitrogen cycle. The filter provides surface area that the bacteria can live on and a recalculating water pump ensures that water is constantly flushing over the bacteria so they can obtain their necessary nutriment and oxygen.
