Fluidized Moving Bed Filters VS Internal Filters Comparison

Comparison: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters VS Internal Filters:

Many different types of aquarium filters are available & it seems hard to choose the one that is cheap, effective, & best for your fish tank size. Other things that need to be considered include the number of fish, & if you are keeping live plants in the fish tank. The perfect filter does not exist so choose the one based on your requirement. Every filter comes with its own advantages & disadvantages. Compare different filters to find the one that gives you more benefit. In this article, I have compared two top filters: fluidized moving bed filter vs internal filter.

Fluidized Moving Bed Filter VS Internal Filter

Location: Internal Filters vs Fluidized Moving Bed Filters:

Both fluidized & internal filters need to be installed inside the aquarium in the corner & their outflows are just under the water surface. Both of them suck water from the bottom & water flows through mechanical filtration media first that traps solid particles, & water only containing chemicals flows through bio media. Clean water outflows from the filter top.

 

Cleaning: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters vs Internal Filters:

Fluidized moving bed filters are known for quick & efficient cleaning of aquarium water. They allow you to aerate water with the help of an air stone. Water bubbles will move the filter media in the filter which will increase the growth of good bacteria that can be used for purification of water. Air stone helps in lowering the noise of air bubbles & it increases the no. of bubbles produced by the filter. Bio media removes dangerous chemicals released from fish poop & other detritus such as ammonia & nitrites. However, they can’t remove nitrates from the water.

Internal filters are not as fast & efficient in cleaning as compared to fluidized moving bed filters. Internal filters are operated by an air pump or powerhead. Internal filters are usually considered efficient for physical filtration but not very efficient for biological filtration.

 

Number of Fish in Aquarium: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters vs Internal Filters:

Fluidized moving bed filters are usually used as secondary filters in large aquariums or tanks containing many fish. They have lots of filter media that quickly cleans water.

Internal filters are normally used as primary or secondary filters. They are designed for aquariums containing less than 180 gallons. They are not very efficient in fish tanks containing lots of fish. In heavily stocked aquariums, internal filters need lots of maintenance. Bio media in internal filters are usually less.

 

Maintenance: Internal Filters vs Fluidized Moving Bed Filters:

Internal filters need frequent maintenance such as cleaning & replacing the media. Lots of good bacteria is lost during this process.

Fluidized moving bed filters self-clean its bio media by constantly moving the media around & rubbing each other which produces very efficient bacteria & knocks off the old bacteria. There is no need to replace media in fluidized moving bed filters.

 

Appearance: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters vs Internal Filters:

Fluidized moving bed filters seem beautiful because you can see the media banging with each other constantly.

Internal filters do not look good, because people don't like the appearance of sponge filters, & hide them behind structure or using plants.

 

Cost: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters vs Internal Filters:

Fluidized moving bed filters have a simple design & they are cheap.

Internal filters are available in many designs & varieties. They are relatively cheaper than other filters.

 

Running Cost: Fluidized Moving Bed Filters vs Internal Filters:

Running cost of fluidized moving bed filters is low because only sponge overtime needs replacement.

Running cost of internal filters is low because overtime only mechanical filter media needs replacement. Also, if you use some bio media that gets clogged up overtime then it needs replacement too.