Filtration (in CC amphib glossary)

Filtration - cleaning water to remove unwanted elements

3 sub-types

1. Mechanical Filtration - Removing large particles by passing water over or through a physical barrier

2. Chemical Filtration - Removing unwanted chemicals by adsorption usually by carbon or charcoal based materials.

3. Biological Filtration - Removing Ammonia waste and its breakdown products through the action of bacteria or plants

I think this is done. Very short, concise, and to the point. Someone with more chem knowledge may want to check it over. You may want to extend biological filtration to more than just nitrogenous waste as plants can absorb certain toxins as well.

Biological filtration: An extension on filtration in which biological orgasims such as plants, algae and the mixed bacterial community breakdown dissovled organic matter.

For chemical filtration, I would mention activated carbon or zeolite instead of standard carbon/charcoal because they aren't as effective.

Hope this helps.

Jay.

Jay, you're basically just repeating what was already said. Bacteria and plants (algae is a plant) break down ammonia. Activated carbon is a form of... carbon. Zeolite removes ammonia, but it isn't recommended if you have a good biological filter.

I think one thing worth mentioning is that you can (and should) achieve all of these within a good filter unit, in addition to biological filtration within the tank.

Hello Kaysie,

Jay, you're basically just repeating what was already said.

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Yeah, probably but it sure seemed different in my head. Joseph mentioned that the biological filtration should extend beyond nitrogenous waste, so I mentioned dissolved organic matter. At first, I thought I would include phosphates, sulphate/sulphite, iron and blah blah blah but then I remembered that the glossary needs to be as concise as possible.

algae is a plant

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Algae is not a plant. It is a photosynthetic, plant-like protist.

I think one thing worth mentioning is that you can (and should) achieve all of these within a good filter unit...

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I agree with you on this. Mechanical filtration and biological filtration should work together effectively because if the mechanical part gets blocked (i.e. by large particulates) this will deprive the aerobic bacteria of oxygen; rendering biological filtration useless.

Jay.

Kal El said:

Algae is not a plant. It is a photosynthetic, plant-like protist.

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Let's not do this argument. The taxonomy of algae is a bit complex and disputed. They have been grouped with the protists, the plants and now it is proposed that they form their own kingdoms. Let's leave it at the fact that they are eukaryotic organisms that use photosynthesis with membrane bound chloroplasts.

I agree that we should add something about filters usually being more than one type, something like:

Filtration - Cleaning the water to remove unwanted elements. There are three subtypes of filtration, mechanical, biological and chemical, and any combination of these can occur in a single filter.

Mechanical Filtration - Removes large particles by passing water over or through a physical barrier such as floss and sponges.

Chemical Filtration - Removes unwanted chemicals by adsorption usually by carbon or charcoal based material.

Biological Filtration - Removes Ammonia waste, its breakdown products and other organics through the action of bacteria or plants. Surfaces in the tank including gravel, sand and ornaments along with chemical, mechanical and specially made biological filter media can all act as biological filters.

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moved to completed section using Abrahm's definitions:

Filtration: Cleaning the water to remove unwanted elements. There are three subtypes of filtration: mechanical, biological and chemical, and any combination of these can occur in a single filter.

1. Mechanical Filtration - Removes large particles by passing water over or through a physical barrier such as floss and sponges.
2. Chemical Filtration - Removes unwanted chemicals by adsorption usually by carbon or charcoal based material.
3. Biological Filtration - Removes [ammonia] waste, its breakdown products and other organics through the action of bacteria or plants. Surfaces in the tank including gravel, sand and ornaments along with chemical, mechanical and specially made biological filter media can all act as biological filters.