Filter suggestion?

[P.Knight]

I have a 55 gal tank and the sand in my tank keeps breaking all the propellers, I was thinking of getting a canister but don't know much about them? Any advice would help thanks

 

[ddavila06]

have u tried cutting the intake tube some (so is not so long) and maybe adding a piece of sponge to it?.... i would assume the same would happen to a canister's intake

 

[Avatar]

That should do it

Yep, as indicated, not putting sand in the "impellers" is a good start. Both ideas offered were good, especially the sponge. My pre-filter sponge/tube assemblies regularly slip down the glass and end of resting in the sand and have never yet had a problem - pretty sure that wouldn't be the case absent those sponges on the intakes. They're also really good at keeping crud out of your filters and contributing to biological filtration once the bacteria colonize them. Luck, though you shouldn't need it.

 

[Andrewtfw]

You could always go with sponge filters and not spend the extra money on canisters.

 

[Hawkman2000]

Get a piece of foam for an AC, cut a hole in it, then jam it on the intake. Problem solved.

 

[P.Knight]

Thanks for the input everyone, I wish I joined this site a long time ago

 

[P.Knight]

What kind of sponge do you guys suggest I want to try this when I get home, and we're at in the intake tube should I put it

 

[mchambers]

It should be relatively coarse foam. The Aquaclear sponge is a good suggestion, but other similar coarse sponges should work. You want to cover all the holes in the intake.

 

[jonclark96]

It should be relatively coarse foam. The Aquaclear sponge is a good suggestion, but other similar coarse sponges should work. You want to cover all the holes in the intake.

+1. I get the foam inserts for AC70's and cut them in half. Use a knife to cut a hole in the middle for the intake tube. Make sure that you clean the prefilter regularly, as it will cut down the flow on the filter when it gets clogged.

 

[TOMMYN3D]

Get a piece of foam for an AC, cut a hole in it, then jam it on the intake. Problem solved.

Yup,
I make my own using the Aqua Clear 20/mini foam. It cost about 3 dollars for a 3-pack replacement foam. I cut out the center of the foam just enough that it fits snug around the intake tube.Here is a picture of it.

 

[Avatar]

Have a seat

Rule of thumb might be to use foam that is not so dense it appreciably cuts down on the flow through the filter unit. The bigger the piece you use the longer it takes to clog-up as well as providing more space for bacteria. If you use really open/coarse foam it may never clog up but that sort of limits the biological functionality.

Best foam I've ever found/used came from an old sofa cushion - it's ten+ years and still going strong hooked to a powerhead.

 

[P.Knight]

I bought a aqua clear 110 foam block sponge, I figured I cut it to make it smaller but is this good?

 

[mchambers]

Yes, that is good.

 

[TOMMYN3D]

I bought a aqua clear 110 foam block sponge, I figured I cut it to make it smaller but is this good?

Yes

 

[fishman13]

I have a 55 gal tank and the sand in my tank keeps breaking all the propellers, I was thinking of getting a canister but don't know much about them? Any advice would help thanks

Ehiem is the best filter out there.

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

ALSO YOU COULD RAISE YOUR INTAKE TO 3-5 INCHES ABOVE THE SAND.

 

[P.Knight]

Yeah I'm just hopeing my filter didnt go up bc I just cleaned everything and it's really loud but still works

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

PULL THE IMPELLER OUT AND GIVE IT AND THE HOUSING AREA A THOUROUGH CLEANINING. ALSO MAKE SURE THE IMPELLER IS OK AND IT ISNT TOUCHING ANY SIDES AFTER ITS CLEANED.

 

[TanganyikanDave]

Hi peeps , I'm Dave I'm new hear.
You could raise your intake, athough if your filter still runs during cleaning it can still pick up sand, I use a piece of coarse filter media


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app