Unboxing & setting up powerhead filter in fish bowl aquarium:
A powerhead is fully submerged in
water. It sucks water from the bottom & a nozzle releases water with high
pressure.
Powerhead filters are
inexpensive. It needs a simple setup & it is one of the top filters for
fish bowls. Using a little 8-Watt filter with a flow rate of 600 L/H is able to
turn around water at 7.5 times the capacity of the fish bowl aquarium.
A foam is available inside the
Powerhead filter that acts as mechanical & bio filtration media.
Aquarium inhabitants including
fish & invertebrates like moving water. If you copy their wild habitat
inside your aquarium then they will be healthier.
Unboxing powerhead (with an internal filter):
Gently open the powerhead filter
box, & take out the filter & its components. Remove the filter cover
& wash the mechanical filtration media before adding it to the fish bowl.
Make sure you dip the mechanical media in dechlorinated water before adding it
to the fish bowl. Tap water contains chlorine so dechlorinated water will wipe
out the toxic chemical.
Connecting powerhead (with an internal filter) components:
Connect an elbow joiner to the
powerhead. Connect a spray bar to the elbow connector & close the other end of
the spray bar. Use suction cups on the back of the powerhead for attaching it
to the bowl glass.
Testing powerhead filter in the fish bowl:
Connect the powerhead filter to
the bowl glass & power on the filter. It will start sprinkling water in the
fish bowl. A spray bar is used for lowering the water pressure & keeps flow
smoother. I am no longer using a spray bar after testing it in the video, &
I have angled the outflow so water currents can sweep around the whole bowl in
one direction.
Maintenance of powerhead filter:
Turn off the powerhead filter.
Take it out of the fish bowl. Gently remove the filter cover & take out the
media. Squeeze the media in a container filled with bowl water. Do not wash
media in tap water because chlorinated water will kill all beneficial bacteria.
Put media back in the powerhead filter & install it again in the fish bowl.
Turn on the powerhead filter.
Comparison: Powerhead vs Sponge filters:
Powerheads also come with an internal filters. Usually, it contains a mechanical filter media. It offers
mechanical & biological filtration much like sponge filters. Unlike sponge
filters that are connected to the air pump, powerhead has its own submersible
pump. They are more efficient than sponge filters because powerheads work with
large volumes of water. Powerheads do not create bubble sound that sponge
filters produce without an air stone. Powerheads add more oxygen to the water
than an air pump. You can position the powerhead in any direction. Connect your
powerhead filter to the bowl wall & angle the outflow for water
circulation.
Benefits of powerhead filters:
Powerheads add atmospheric oxygen
into the water via an air tube. You need to connect one end of the air tube to
the powerhead & keep the other end outside water. It does not suck any
small fish because a strainer is connected to the inlet.
It will allow beneficial bacteria
to grow & water circulation will help filter in collecting fish waste &
other debris. Water circulation will even trap solid waste particles, leftover
food, & other debris stuck in the substrate that will otherwise release ammonia
which is highly toxic to fish.
Other advantages of powerhead
include driving an overhead SUMP filter. It sucks water from the bottom &
sends it to the SUMP using a hose connected to the head of the filter. Also, it
can run an undergravel filter. Powerheads are available for low price &
create a waterfall in your aquarium. Just connect the outflow of the powerhead
to a spray bar for a waterfall effect.
Water circulation is a good exercise for the fish & they like swimming against the water currents.
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