All You Need To Know About Mechanical Filtration

Matthew Baxter

Owner and Manager of Tank Tech with over 24 years of experience as an Aquarium Specialist.

Hi Aquarists,

I hope that in some way the information I provide you here helps you in our shared hobby.

So, for today, I am going to start off with the basics of filtration that would apply to both fresh and saltwater aquariums. There are 3 types of filtration:

  1. Mechanical
  2. Biological
  3. Chemical


Today I am going to dive into mechanical filtration. Mechanical filtration for the most part is responsible for the collection of larger waste particles floating around inside your tank. This work will be done by your filter sponges or filter mat, or in more advanced cases, an automatic roller filter as well as a protein skimmer. The key to getting the most out of your mechanical filter is having a reasonable amount of circulation throughout your aquarium.

Now, it won’t always be possible but the removal of physical waste out of the water gives you the best footing in maintaining good water quality. Reducing the biological waste load in your aquarium is a good idea as the waste is no longer left in the water to decay. For most other cases, its also very important to keep rinsing or replacing filter mats, sponges ,floss etc in your filter as they can block your filter or slow down your filters flow rate creating even more issues for your aquarium. This waste spending long periods in the water will have an adverse effect on your water chemistry.

FRESHWATER AQUARIUMS

So for freshwater aquariums with a canister filter, it would be a good idea to rinse and or definitely replace such sponges periodically based on their condition. It’s definitely a good idea to rinse them at least every 2 weeks or once a week depending on your aquarium’s stocking levels or food regiment.

AUTO ROLLER SKIMMER

As for an ARF (auto roller filter), this is essentially a mat that changes itself with the main difference that the actual waste caught in the mat is taken out of the water within a couple of hours, not left for days to decay. A new roll should be replaced roughly once a month. With the waste not sitting in the water for a week or 2 allowing it to ferment you are sure to have a healthier environment for your wet ones.

PROTEIN SKIMMER

For a protein skimmer (this, honestly, deserves its own article) the basics behind it are that air and water are first mixed together in a chamber. Then, clean water is allowed to leave close to the bottom of the unit, and waste is collected in the cup at the top. The science behind it is that organic waste (protein) sticks to the bubbles being created and rises to the top of the collection cup. This does not work too well for large debris but great on that which you don’t really see. In most cases, these units are adjustable and can remove a lot from the tank from a yellow or green fluid to a dark brown slug depending on your maintenance regime and its settings

So keep those mechanical filters clean and you keep your aquarium cleaner.

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