Do Betta Fish Need A Filter

Introduction & Terminology

In this article we'll be taking an in-depth look at betta filters and answering some common questions nearly them.

Filtration is an important attribute of betta keeping so it'southward useful to have a bones understanding of how it works, and how you tin craft a comfortable setup for your fish.

We've also written an article on the best filters for betta fish and some other virtually creating a baffle for y'all filter. If you are choosing a new filter for your betta, we recommend reading both of those alongside this article.

Nosotros'll get started by defining the terminology used throughout the article, and so nosotros'll go along to answer some common questions about betta filtration.

Filter – the filtration unit of measurement as a whole.

‍Insert – one medium that is 'slotted' into' the filter on its own.

‍Cartridge – an insert that is made up of more than one type of media.

‍Media – the material used to make up an insert or a cartridge, such as carbon being used to create chemical media.

Do Bettas Demand A Filter?

In the majority of cases, yes. Aslope monthly h2o changes and cartridge changes, a proficient filter will provide the stable and clean environment your fish needs to thrive. Information technology tin can besides help to oxygenate the water.

Harmful chemicals can exist found in aquarium h2o — they occur for various reasons. A filter will help to break downwardly these harmful chemicals, maintaining a water quality that'due south suitable for your betta.

A adept filter, if properly maintained, will efficiently remove ammonia and other unwanted chemicals from the aquarium.

The filter will besides mechanically remove any droppings from the water, such as excrement, via a pump organization and a straining medium (too known as mechanical media).

Tin can I Avoid Using a Filter?

We sympathize that some people are resolute when it comes to not using a filter. However, we don't recommend this and we urge y'all to utilise ane, especially if yous are an inexperienced betta keeper.

Sometimes people don't want to employ a filter considering they can be beefy and sometimes don't accommodate the look of a betta bowl. Withal, a basin isn't ideal for a betta, and we would recommend using a rectangular tank with a filter.

If yous are reluctant to keeping a betta without a filter, consider the points below.

What yous should consider about filtration:

The smaller the torso of water, the more susceptible the h2o and fish are to changes in h2o weather and quality.
Volition you be keeping or practice y'all plan to proceed other fish/inhabitants with your betta? It's a given fact that bettas are hardy and can survive without filtration but most other fish can't.
Volition yous exist willing to practice weekly, if not daily, water changes? For an aquarium, without a filter you're looking at least a 60% water modify every 3 days. Even and so, weekly h2o changes tin be less effective than filters.

Can I do weekly water changes instead of using a filter?

Some people feel it's more than practical to do weekly water changes rather than use a filter. Not but does this accept more time, but information technology tin can exist less effective. It tin can stress the fish, and water changes volition need to exist carried out very often (more than once a calendar month, anyhow). A skillful filtration set up up volition leave your fish less susceptible to disease and disease. A quality filter plus regular water changes is the optimum setup in the vast majority of cases.

Is waste material cleaved down naturally without a filter?

Biological breakdown of waste does occur in a freshwater aquarium. Fish food, fish waste matter and other organic matter will break down into a highly toxic compound: ammonia. If untreated, ammonia is lethal to fish, fifty-fifty in very small concentrations. Fortunately, in that location is naturally-occurring leaner in the aquarium that volition break down ammonia into less harmful compounds. These are called 'nitrifying' or 'beneficial' bacteria.

The bacteria (Nitrosomonas) breaks ammonia down into nitrite. A different type of bacteria (Nitrobacter) breaks the nitrite down into a compound called nitrate, which is far less harmful to fish. Nitrate content can be kept at safe levels by performing partial water changes (20% every 1-iii weeks). The bacteria mentioned higher up volition thrive on the biological media included within a filter. Without a filter with biological media it will hard if not impossible to sustain a colony of said beneficial bacteria.

This is why water changes tin be less constructive than filters. You may not be removing enough compounds similar nitrate, which could build upwards over time and crusade harm to your betta via disease and stress.

Is a Filter Bad For a Betta?

No. If yous use the right filter in the right environment it'due south the complete reverse — information technology'south healthy for your betta. It's true that bettas don't like h2o motion and yep, a filter does produce a current with its pump system, but there are filters on the marketplace with weak / adjustable outputs. In fact, there are aquariums available especially fabricated for bettas that come with a compact maintenance system, including a filter. You tin can see some of these aquariums in our 'best betta tanks' commodity.

How Does a Freshwater Filter Work?

And so you lot have a filter fastened to the side of the aquarium, or y'all're thinking of buying one for your betta, and you're probably wondering, "How does this little automobile keep things make clean?" Information technology may seem complicated at first, simply it's fairly simple one time you know what's taking place.

With most modern, run-of-the-mill aquarium filters, water is sucked into the filter via a pump. The input pump is usually located at the pinnacle or lesser of the filter or with some filters the water enters at the surface of the water via an overflow. The h2o in is then pumped up, downwards or sideways through the filter's filtration media, which tin take the form of either separate inserts, or a cartridge (see our definition above for more info).

A filter cartridge can be comprised of 2 or 3 different mediums. The three different types of media are biological, chemical and mechanical. Allow's take a await at the job each one does.

Functions of Mechanical, Biological and Chemical Mediums

Mechanical – mechanical components, such as a uncomplicated sponge, physically strain waste solids (fish waste or leftover food) from the h2o. They substantially 'catch' the waste material products as they pass through, which means that the other filter mediums tin can work more than effectively. The mechanical component of a filter does not change the chemistry of the aquarium water, although it does provide a home for beneficial bacteria in the filter likewise.
Biological – biological media is a substrate with a large surface expanse (unremarkably ceramic) that'south inserted into a filter in lodge to create the perfect domicile for beneficial leaner. This bacteria breaks downwards solids and wastes to create a less toxic product. Bio-media doesn't need to be replaced equally often as chemic media.
Chemic – specific chemical inserts tin be used for a range of filtering purposes. They remove different impurities from the water. Sometimes it is preferable to have a chemical medium in a filter for a betta, other times it isn't (such as when you lot desire to promote encourage plant growth). We cover this in more detail later in the article. Typically, standard fresh water filter systems come with carbon media.

How the h2o passes through the filter

Now that we've covered what each filtration medium does, let's take a wait at how the water really passes through the filter and the different mediums.

Water usually enters a filter through a pump or overflow. The water then passes through the diverse filtration mediums. The water may be pumped up, down or sometimes sideways through the mediums, as long as it passes through all of them.

Water is commonly drawn from the principal body of water through the bottom of the filter, just can sometimes enter from the surface of the h2o via an overflow. The water ordinarily exits the filter at the surface of the water — this is to help with water oxygenation.

In terms of passing through the filtration media:

First, the water will be passed through the mechanical layer. This is a sponge-like foam that will simply catch any solid matter (similar fish waste, uneaten nutrient) and prevent information technology from re-entering the the aquarium h2o.

‍The next layer is normally the biological layer. Biological media is a substrate with a big surface area on which beneficial bacteria (which helps to break downwards waste matter products in the aquarium) can be cultivated. The water passes through the media and somewhat 'force feeds' the bacteria the waste matter products from the water. The beneficial bacteria that grows on media is of import, it tin can sometimes take a year or more to cultivate an efficient batch of bacteria. Of grade, information technology'southward not Simply the biological media that the bacteria grows on in the aquarium, it grows on all surfaces good and bad, but the media in the filter has a concentrated, efficient batch.

‍The third layer is the chemical layer. This is usually a sponge impregnated with a removal substrate (carbon being a common i with freshwater filters), or it can be a sack containing charcoal. The carbon helps to remove unwanted or harmful chemical from the h2o.

‍To annotation: these mediums can be layered in different orders, or sometimes there will be two of the aforementioned media at different stages of the filtration. For instance, sometimes mechanical media can exist a placed at the beginning and the terminate of the filtration process.Once the h2o has passed through all the layers of the filter, it is and so pumped back into the aquarium.

‍To note: the removal substrate from any chemical layers needs to be replaced every iii to six weeks as the waste matter within the filter volition build upwardly. Many articles will make filter matter easy to supplant. This is sometimes done via a removable cartridge so it'southward as simple as old cartridge goes out, new cartridge goes in. We cover this in more detail in our best filter for a betta article.

Diagrams of the different types of filter

To assist you empathize how filtration works, we take created the diagrams below that explain each step of the procedure.The beginning diagram shows an 'addition' filter, the Tetra Whisper 10i, that contains a cartridge. This is a filter that would be purchased separately to the aquarium.The 2nd diagram shows a congenital-in aquarium filter (which in this case is part of the the Fluval Spec 19L), which has separate filter mediums, not a cartridge.

Filtration with a divide filter (Tetra Whisper 10i) that contains a cartridge:

one. Water enters the Tetra filter through the lower intake – this sits inside the aquarium, submerged. The h2o is pumped up and into the filtration compartment, which is exterior of the water.

two. Within the filtration compartment, the water enters the 1st chamber. The water is pushed down through the cartridge, which is made upward of mechanical and chemical media – in this example floss and carbon. The mechanical medium holds solids (waste and debris) and the chemical medium removes carbon dioxide and unwanted chemicals from the water.

3. The water now enters the 2nd sleeping room. The water is pushed upward through the bio media. The bio media houses beneficial bacteria, which helps to break down waste material chemicals. In this case the bio media is non ceramic, it is one piece of material with a big surface for bacteria to grow on.

four. The h2o exits from in a higher place through the overflow, which sits in the aquarium simply above the surface. The water trickles back into the aquarium. When the water runs back into the aquarium and hits the surface of the h2o, this causes air to mix with water. Oxygen from the air diffuses into the water, which helps to oxygenate the aquarium.

Born Filtration: (Fluval 19L)

one. H2o is pulled into the filter through the overflow grid towards a pump located at the lesser of the filter.

ii. The h2o passes through an initial sponge/mechanical layer. The whole of the filtration section is structured inside a sponge insert, which y'all can see in the image in a higher place. This insert counts as the mechanical media.

3. Next the h2o gets pulled through a chemical media insert, which can easily be replaced and removed.

4. Then through another layer of sponge.

5. Then through a bio media insert.

6. Then through a final sponge/mechanical media layer earlier it's pulled into the pump where it is pumped up and out. The filtration pump tin can be adjusted to requite a strong or weak output. Nosotros recommend turning the h2o output to the everyman setting considering bettas don't similar a strong current. Information technology also means the water won't suspension, which tends to make bettas uncomfortable as well. If you are using a Fluval Spec for your betta, set up the output to it's everyman flow setting by pushing the switch all the mode over to the right.

vii. The water exits on the right at the surface through a return nozzle. The nozzle output direction can be adjusted, enabling you lot to control where the current is focused.

Filter Cartridges and Maintenance

Maintenance is an important aspect of filtration. How hands you can clean and maintain your filter and its media will be a consideration when you are choosing i to buy. In our best filter for a betta commodity, we accept this into consideration with the filters that we recommend.

‍When it comes to looking afterwards your filter, here are the factors you need to exist enlightened of:

‍

All filters contain sponge media. This doesn't need to be replaced equally such but rinsed and cleaned thoroughly with fresh h2o, maybe every 4 — vi weeks. Typically information technology's a good idea to rinse it every fourth dimension you lot practice an aquarium clean. It doesn't degrade — usually standard filter sponges won't — only it volition build upwards with waste and may become dilapidated after 3 – four years. If the waste is never cleaned from the sponge, it volition crusade your filter to clog and could hateful solids volition backwash into the aquarium.

The biological medium plays an important role and shouldn't be changed or replaced likewise often, if at all. Sure bio medias volition disintegrate over fourth dimension –similar ceramic media — so you will need to somewhen replace it, but non for a while after fitting (a expert 3 to 4 years). Nosotros actually have 2 slots for biomedia in our filtration on the Fluval 19L. One of the slots was originally for chemical media – a carbon sack, just seeing as our aquarium is heavily planted, nosotros removed the carbon and added in more biomedia. We added the second slot of biomedia 6 months after the first, which means that nosotros tin can replace the two biomedia inserts at dissimilar intervals, adding a new insert every year or and then . Nosotros like to use ceramic media, which does tend to disintegrate but proves to exercise a expert chore for our aquarium.

How ofttimes you demand to change the media in your filter will depend on several factors. Typically the mechanical layer will demand to be rinsed monthly, the chemical medium will need to be replaced monthly, and the biological layer will need to exist replaced much less oft. The power to remove and alter filter cartridges and inserts is an important consideration when buying a tank or a filter for your betta. We talk over information technology in more particular in our 'Best Filter for a betta' article.

Chemical Media for non-planted aquariums

'Organic compounds' can also make their way into your aquarium water due to waste product equally well. These aren't equally strong as Ammonia, in fact, they can sometimes be beneficial to live aquarium plants - absorbed past the plants as a somewhat fertiliser. Merely if allowed to build up over time, with no aquarium plants present, they can be problematic.We highly recommend y'all keep aquarium plants but if you determine not to yous'll need to add activated charcoal (chemical media) to your filter. This charcoal in the filter bonds with organic compounds removing them from the water - the organic compounds will build up within the activated carbon though and should exist replaced every month or two.

Examples of Aquarium Filters:

Cascade 300 Submersible Aquarium Filter by Penn-Plax

We find this filter or fifty-fifty models similar and then to exist a expert pick as your not restricted by cartridges or inputs specific to the brand or filter. It allows yous to add together different mediums to the filter which tin can exist purchased individually. The nozzle is as well adjustable and can be hands baffled which you may wan't to practise depending on the size of your betta aquarium.