Phyto filters for an aquarium: purpose and varieties, do it yourself

When organizing an aquarium at home, you will soon think about the care and filtration of the water in it. Indeed, for a beautiful home reservoir, it is not enough to have decorations and plants - you need crystal clear water. There are many different methods of filtration, one of them - phyto filter - we will talk about in this article.

A phyto filter is a structure where certain types of plants are planted, flowing through the roots of which water is filtered from harmful substances.

In this case, all nitrates and phosphates released from food residues, rotting plants and fish faeces are absorbed by the plant roots.

A conventional biofilter has the ability to accumulate harmful substances that harm fish. Such a filter needs regular cleaning, and the aquarium needs a weekly water change with fresh water in order to avoid fish poisoning. But some species do not tolerate this procedure well. In this regard, a phyto filter is an excellent way out of this situation.

Sometimes it is not possible to plant plants in the aquarium itself due to the incompatibility of some fish with living plants and their desire to bury themselves in the ground. Cichlids are a prime example of this.

The described devices may differ in the materials from which they are made, the number of compartments and the plants with which the filter is filled.

Different models of phyto filters can be made from:

• plastic containers (the most popular material);
• glass;
• plexiglass;
• PET bottles.

The number of compartments depends on the wishes of the aquarist and the volume of the aquarium.

The phyto filter cannot be planted with any plants you like, since certain requirements are imposed on them, namely: fast growth, high resistance to root decay, the ability to absorb toxic substances. Such plants will be:

• fittonia - this plant needs high air humidity and a temperature not lower than + 22 ° С;

• tradescantia - grows well in partial shade and shade at high humidity and temperatures not lower than + 23 ° C;

• spathiphyllum - refers to fast-growing plants that require high air humidity and lighting, temperature + 17 ° С;

• creeping ficus - it is rather an ornamental plant that requires high air humidity and a temperature of + 18 ° C;

• chlorophytum crested - this unpretentious plant does not require separate lighting and can grow at temperatures from + 12 ° С to + 25 ° С.

The main advantages are:

• water changes can be made much less often;
• not a very complex design that you can do yourself with little knowledge and understanding of the work process;
• convenient plant care without disturbing the aquarium inhabitants, which can be very important if a shy fish lives in the tank, breaking against glass walls (for example, shark pangasius, shark balu);
• saturating the water with oxygen and maintaining the necessary balance in the aquarium;
• the appearance of the structure is also important and can act as an interior detail.

Despite all the positive qualities of a phyto filter for an aquarium, it has its drawbacks, namely:

• bulky design that needs high-quality fasteners in order to avoid sad consequences;
• the device itself needs additional equipment for plant lighting;
• the presence of such a filter accelerates the evaporation of water from the aquarium;
• improper production or selection of plants can have negative consequences for the entire aquarium.

This is undoubtedly an important element in the composition of the phyto filter, although it does not carry a large load. Basically, it serves to keep plants in place, allowing them to spread their roots over a large area. The best choice would be light substrates, which include:

• expanded clay;
• gravel;
• filter ceramics.

The soil layer should be from 10 to 20 cm. It is advisable to adhere to a higher value, but not overdo it. If the soil layer is too large, then enough oxygen will not flow to the roots, and they will begin to rot, which, in turn, will adversely affect all aquarium inhabitants.

Before assembling the phyto filter, it is advisable to draw detailed drawings of the device - this will help to avoid errors in work. After preparing all the necessary materials and tools, you can start making a phyto filter with your own hands.

Let's consider the simplest one.

• On the prepared plastic box or tray, you must mark the holes for the drain. They must be equal to the size of the siphon.
• Next, you need to make holes in any available way, but without damaging the case itself. For reliability, you can glue the joints with hot glue or sealant in order to avoid leaks.
• It's time to make the water supply. To do this, you can drill a hole or securely fasten the tube inside the container.
• Now you need to secure the filter pump. It should correspond to the volume of a particular aquarium and provide water supply to the filter.

• We cut out partitions from sheet plastic with a thickness of at least 3 mm, which is slightly lower than the box itself.
• At the first partition, which will stand in front of the water supply from below, you will need to cut off 2-3 cm for the water to pass into another compartment. To trap large debris, foam rubber can be placed in this space.
• For the next compartment, you will also need to cut off 2-3 cm, but already from above - this will make it possible for water to flow over the top of another compartment and get into the third compartment.
• At the bottom of the entire structure, you need to cover the ceramics with a layer of no more than 10 cm.

• Expanded clay is well suited for the top layer, since it absorbs water well and retains it for a long time.
• It's time to plant the selected plants.
• It is necessary to install a phyto filter above the aquarium to ensure the gravity drainage of the filtered water. For its placement, you can choose a slightly distant place. Important conditions will be location above the level of the tank and sufficient pump power to raise water to the box.
• Now you can connect the aquarium filter and make sure there are no leaks.

Due to the principle of its operation, such a filter does not require significant maintenance, because all processes take place in a natural, self-regulating mode, with the exception of water supply.

Thus, plant maintenance is minimal and much easier than underwater vegetation.

But with all this, a little maintenance is still needed:

• flushing the siphon - this procedure will have to be performed approximately once every 6-7 months;
• washing and cleaning the substrate itself from siltation - once every several months (if necessary);
• cleaning the sponges (if any are installed in the filter) - once every 1-2 months;
• replacing dying or wilted plants with new ones.

Do I need additional filter elements? There is no definite answer to this question, since every aquarist chooses the quantity and quality of his filter elements himself. It may also depend on the size of the filter itself - it can perform a main role or an auxiliary one. The presence of a small internal filter with a medium porosity of the sponge will not do any harm, but will only save your phyto filter from premature silting, and will increase the time between cleanings.

How the phyto filter for an aquarium works can be found in the video below.