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TANKS & FILTRATION

Tanks & Filtration

Everything downstream depends on these choices. Water volume buffers chemistry; turnover determines how fast waste is processed; overflow and sump design decide whether the cabinet stays dry. Read this category first, because a filter bought for the wrong tank is the most expensive mistake in the hobby.

Unplug before servicingHands out of the water firstDrip loop on every cableTest before you dose30 ppm CO₂ ceilingCycle before stocking

TanksSetup

Rimless Aquarium

Low-iron glass tank with no plastic trim, mitered corners and a clean open top.

Setup stage
TanksSetup

Canister Filter

Pressurised external filter with stacked media trays, sized by turnover rate.

Setup stage
TanksCycling

Sponge Filter

Air-driven foam block that is the safest biological filter for fry and shrimp.

Cycling stage
TanksMaintaining

Protein Skimmer

Foam fractionation unit that strips dissolved organics — a marine tool, not a freshwater one.

Maintaining stage
TanksSetup

Overflow Box

Gets water from an undrilled tank down to a sump without losing siphon on a power cut.

Setup stage
TanksSetup

Sump System

A second tank below the display that adds volume, hides equipment and stages filtration.

Setup stage
Also in the catalogue

Other categories

Lighting & CO₂

Light is the accelerator pedal and CO₂ is the fuel. Get them out of balance and you grow algae instead of plants — the single most common failure in a planted tank.

6 tools

Substrate & Hardscape

The base layer and the rocks and wood above it. Substrate decides what roots can do and what the water chemistry does in the first six months.

5 tools

Aquatic Plants & Livestock

The organisms themselves — their light and CO₂ demand, growth rate, adult size and temperament, and who can live with whom.

6 tools

Water Testing & Maintenance

The instruments that tell you what the water is doing, and the routine that keeps it that way. Most aquarium disasters are invisible until something is measured.

5 tools