Unboxing & setting up Sobo Internal power filter in the aquarium:

Internal power filter draws water from the filter intake connected to the bottom & pressurized water flow from the outlet. It can be used for 3 important functions such as water filtration, circulation & oxygenation.

Internal power filter should be operated when it is fully submerged in water. It can be used for driving filters & it is a very low-cost unit.

Watch below video which shows how to setup Sobo Internal filter FE-1504 in the aquarium:

How to install Sobo FE-1504 internal power filter in the aquarium


Installing Sobo internal aquarium filter:

I have tested the Sobo aquarium internal filter in my aquarium, & the results are satisfactory. I am keeping it in my aquarium. I have made a video of unboxing & testing this filter in my Goldfish aquarium. It comes with 4 compartments for storing filter media. Sobo aquarium internal filter is able to drive 1200 Liter of water per hour. Internal filters have lots of media for filling every compartment. They have quality sponges, but bio media can be replaced with cycled media that already holds lots of beneficial bacteria.

Have a look at unboxing Sobo FE-1504 internal power filter in the picture below:


Unboxing Sobo FE-1504 power filter
Unboxing Sobo FE-1504 power filter & connecting an air tube

An air tube is connected to the internal power filter for oxygenating water. There is enough flow rate & surface agitation & it is fine for my large aquarium.

 

Mechanical filter media:

Filter foam is of high quality. Filter foam offers mechanical filtration that traps solid waste particles, leftover food & other debris when it passes through the filter. Only water free of solid particles is allowed to enter biological media. However, toxic chemicals released from fish waste can pass through the foam.

Coarse foam traps big solid particles while fine foam traps tiny particles that flow through the coarse foam.

Question: If fine foam can trap all solid particles, then why are we using coarse foam?

Answer: Fine foam gets clogged very quickly if large particles are stuck in it as compared to coarse foam. So coarse foam will trap all the big particles & fine foam will trap the small. Hence fine foam will not clog easily.

 

Biological Media:

Filter comes with ceramic rings & bio balls:

  • Ceramic rings hold denitrifying bacteria.
  • Bio balls hold nitrifying bacteria.

 

Bio Balls:

Beneficial bacteria clean aquarium water by breaking down ammonia into nitrites, & nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are less toxic than nitrites, & nitrites are less toxic than ammonia. This process is called nitrogen cycle. Bio balls hold nitrifying bacteria.

Bio ball has lots of surface area for holding beneficial bacteria. Good bacteria grow on the surface. There is enough surface area available on bio balls for holding beneficial bacteria.

When you open bio balls, you will either find tiny pieces of ceramic or foam that allows more surface for beneficial bacteria to grow.

Black plastic bio balls contain a sponge. On this foam large amounts of good bacteria grows. Sponge filters can do biological filtration well because huge colonies of good bacteria grow on the sponges.

Bio balls are filled inside the filter compartment that allow water to flow through them & nitrifying bacteria cleans your water by removing pollutants & finally we are left with less toxic nitrates.

Bio balls & ceramic rings play a different role in cleaning aquarium water.

 

Nitrifying Bacteria:

Nitrifying bacteria survive in places where oxygen is present. They break down ammonia into nitrites, & nitrites into nitrates. They are available on the surface of items in your aquarium.

Bio balls just have nitrifying bacteria.

 

Denitrifying Bacteria:

Denitrifying bacteria removes nitrates from water. They live in places where oxygen is not available such as very porous objects where air is not available.

Ceramic rings contain both nitrifying bacteria on the surface & denitrifying bacteria inside the pores.

 

Ceramic Rings:

Ceramic rings offer lots of surface for good bacteria to build up. They have an outer surface with abundance of pores, & a hole in the center that goes through the complete ring. Water passes through the outer surface of ceramic rings & also flows through the center.

Porous biological media like ceramic rings overtime need replacement because the tiny pores fill & clog.

Ceramic rings provide large surface area using micro holes.

Ceramic rings can’t clean aquarium water. Good bacteria that live inside the ceramic rings are responsible for cleaning the water. New ceramic rings don’t have good bacteria. If you cycle your aquarium then it will help good bacteria to grow on the rings.

 

Sobo internal power filter installation:


Sobo internal power filter installation
Sobo internal power filter installation

First & second compartments (from the bottom) hold coarse foams. Third compartment contains fine foam followed by ceramic rings. Bio balls are added to the fourth compartment. Install the powerhead on top of the filter. Powerhead can be rotated horizontally. Water must flow through the foam first before it can flow through the biological media so it won’t clog the bio media.

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