‘
—
_
’
.
“
:
‘
.
‘-=
79
'
_
to hold the filter material and may be fitted inside or outside the
aquarium. Most mechanical filters
operated by an air—lift but
some large ones, commonly called power filters, are operated by
’—
rotating water pumps. The most important characteristics “of any
' _
mechanical filter are its capacity for holding cleaning materials and
its circulation rate. A common fault among -aquarists is to buy only
the cheapest small air pump and then to find that the filter
apparently useless, because there is not enough air available to make
it operate properly. As can be seen from the earlier description of
air—lift principles, good water circulation requires a good air supply
'
and wide bore pipes.
-
_
.
\.
All but the smallest mechanical filters are- fitted outside the aquarium, either suspended from it or mounted close by, and these must
ideally be arranged so that the water level in the filter,
…
filtering medium is submerged is level with the water surface inthe
aquarium, A siphon is then fitted to maintain this condition auto—
matically. Water can thus either be pumped from the
the filter, of vice versa, by the air—lift, and the automatic siphon ‘
completes the circuit by continuously levelling the two surfaces. All
that remains then is to arrange that the water passes through the
;
filtering medium ”during its passage through the filter. The air—lift
should preferably operate so that water is moved from the filter
-
to“ the aquarium rather than the other way around, in case
'
siphon should stop, .in which event the filter box will flood, Ï
emptying the aquarium. If the water moves_ from the filter tothe “_
aquarium, only the filter will empty and its contents will runharm—
lessly into the aquarium.
_
_
.
,
.
The filtering materials
usedfor straining 1ncludegravel,
wools of Various kinds
material;Gravel is agoodcoarse
filter but will not remove the smallest particles unless used 1ndeep
,
It ‘
is_ heavy
difficult to rem0ve for cleaningwithoujt—
dism&ritling the “filter.
wool is a very useful
into the” filter correctly‘: It should fil—l all spaces andcorncrssothat_
Ü
it is not îbypassed by the water
but
,,
: ï in
that the Circulation ratefÿi5 impeded. Glassf1b_remater1alsî
be "used ini-filters as they produce
,
which enter the fishes’ gil—is and cause serious problemsSpünge
"î "_'materialf(poly-fô‘am etc.)” is useful becat—uSeutCanbecuttofltthe__
f11terboxe—xacr
be
washedandreusedmanr
—
_
’
.
“
:
‘
.
‘-=
79
'
_
to hold the filter material and may be fitted inside or outside the
aquarium. Most mechanical filters
operated by an air—lift but
some large ones, commonly called power filters, are operated by
’—
rotating water pumps. The most important characteristics “of any
' _
mechanical filter are its capacity for holding cleaning materials and
its circulation rate. A common fault among -aquarists is to buy only
the cheapest small air pump and then to find that the filter
apparently useless, because there is not enough air available to make
it operate properly. As can be seen from the earlier description of
air—lift principles, good water circulation requires a good air supply
'
and wide bore pipes.
-
_
.
\.
All but the smallest mechanical filters are- fitted outside the aquarium, either suspended from it or mounted close by, and these must
ideally be arranged so that the water level in the filter,
…
filtering medium is submerged is level with the water surface inthe
aquarium, A siphon is then fitted to maintain this condition auto—
matically. Water can thus either be pumped from the
the filter, of vice versa, by the air—lift, and the automatic siphon ‘
completes the circuit by continuously levelling the two surfaces. All
that remains then is to arrange that the water passes through the
;
filtering medium ”during its passage through the filter. The air—lift
should preferably operate so that water is moved from the filter
-
to“ the aquarium rather than the other way around, in case
'
siphon should stop, .in which event the filter box will flood, Ï
emptying the aquarium. If the water moves_ from the filter tothe “_
aquarium, only the filter will empty and its contents will runharm—
lessly into the aquarium.
_
_
.
,
.
The filtering materials
usedfor straining 1ncludegravel,
wools of Various kinds
material;Gravel is agoodcoarse
filter but will not remove the smallest particles unless used 1ndeep
,
It ‘
is_ heavy
difficult to rem0ve for cleaningwithoujt—
dism&ritling the “filter.
wool is a very useful
into the” filter correctly‘: It should fil—l all spaces andcorncrssothat_
Ü
it is not îbypassed by the water
but
,,
: ï in
that the Circulation ratefÿi5 impeded. Glassf1b_remater1alsî
be "used ini-filters as they produce
,
which enter the fishes’ gil—is and cause serious problemsSpünge
"î "_'materialf(poly-fô‘am etc.)” is useful becat—uSeutCanbecuttofltthe__
f11terboxe—xacr
be
washedandreusedmanr