How to Cycle a New Filter Without Killing Fish
Fishless cycling needs a $4 bottle of ammonia, a liquid test kit and the patience to leave a nitrite plateau completely alone.
Filters and Filtration
The filter is the one piece of gear that never gets a night off, and most tank problems trace back to how it was sized, set up, or maintained. This section covers the whole filtration picture: matching a hang-on-back, canister, or sponge filter to your tank volume and stock level, reading flow rates honestly instead of trusting the box, and building a media stack that actually holds a bacterial colony. You will find rinse schedules that protect your cycle rather than crashing it, guidance on when a cartridge is a waste of money, and fixes for the slow decline in flow that creeps up over months. Each guide gives real numbers: turnover targets, media volumes, replacement intervals, and the specific symptoms that tell you the filter is undersized rather than dirty. Start here if your water is cloudy, your nitrates climb, or your filter sounds different than it used to.
6 guides
Are Filter Cartridges a Waste of Money
The replacement interval printed on the carton is a sales schedule, and following it costs you money every month and bacteria every...
Why Your Filter Flow Dropped and How to Fix It
Run the checks in cost order and most flow problems resolve for nothing, long before you reach the part that needs buying.
How Often to Clean Aquarium Filter Media
Mechanical media needs attention every few weeks, biological media every few months, and neither should ever meet a running tap.
Sponge Filters: When They Beat Everything Else
For fry, shrimp, hospital and quarantine tanks a $10 sponge outperforms filters costing twenty times more, and the reason is flow velocity.
Canister vs HOB Filter: Which Fits Your Tank
The price gap between these two buys media volume and control, not raw flow, and below 120 litres you will never use...