Do aquarium co op sponge filters suck fry?

[Adrian Rodriguez]

 

I had a pair of rams with fry in a 10 gallon tank with an aquarium co op sponge filter. I went for a day and the wigglers that should be free swimming when I got back weren’t  there could they have swam through the coarse sponges and got stuck?

[Tihshho]

Unless you're using a giant, and I mean GIANT, powerhead on the sponge filter, the fry shouldn't have gotten sucked up there. Especially so if you were using them with an air pump. 

The parents could have eaten the fry. 

[Guppysnail]

I have never had it happen with even with tiny celestial pearl danio fry. I looked it up though and new ram first time parents occasionally do eat the fry.  I have never kept rams this is just what I read on the internet.  

[FrozenFins]

I dont suspect the filter to have been the cause. I'm agreeing with @Tihshho that it was most likely the parents that ate the fry.

Some breeders like seperating the aduldts and fry so that this doesn't happened. Usually however with experiance the parents will learn not to eat their fry.

Edited September 7, 2021 by James Black

[Odd Duck]

On 9/6/2021 at 8:52 PM, Adrian Rodriguez said:

 

 

I had a pair of rams with fry in a 10 gallon tank with an aquarium co op sponge filter. I went for a day and the wigglers that should be free swimming when I got back weren’t  there could they have swam through the coarse sponges and got stuck?

Theoretically, they could work their way through the sponge.  But they should have been propelled out by the air current if air operated.  If on a powerhead, maybe not.  Reality is that it’s pretty unlikely for them to get sucked in.  I have ACO sponges and prefilters on HOB’s in most of my tanks and I have new pea puffer babies and puffers aren’t exactly known for their swimming abilities.  I also have the same thing on shrimp tanks which are breeding and have new babies regularly.

This makes the parents the most likely culprits, unfortunately.

[lefty o]

anything is possible, but much more likely they are either hiding, or were lunch yesterday.

[Marc]

I'm sure anything with suction can suck in small fry.

[quikv6]

I have lost quite a few fry in the ACO sponge filter. It isn't common, but has happened. In a few cases, I was lucky enough to notice it time, and carefully cut around the coarse sponge to free the fry.

[Flytrap]

I have 3 medium ACO sponge filters in my approximately 45 gallon tank powered by the usb nano pumps.  I definitely notice baby cherry shrimp exploring in the filters and haven't been overpowered by the pumps.  My concern now though is how to clean the filters using the method by @Cory   .   Sounds like your system works well for you @Odd Duck.   How do you clean the filters without losing the little ones?  Thanks all for your thoughts.

[ARMYVET]

Well I can say I have 20 tanks.  All 20 gallon high with the large ACOOP sponge filters and with tons of guppy fry and swordtail fry and I haven't seen any fry being caught up in the filters.

I also have one in my shrimp tank and the shrimp are always climbing all over it.  and also have not noticed a problem although now I will definitely look closer just to be sure.

They are all run on air from a linear air pump and I run them to max air capacity for flow.  I know @Cory had to have tested these to no end.  Maybe he will weigh in with his observations from his testing,

  

Edited September 7, 2021 by ARMYVET

[Guppysnail]

I was thinking of this some more. I know the coop prefilters eat my shrimp and bladder snails like m&m’s in both hobs and canisters so I guess it is possible for the sponge filters to do so with strong enough flow or a powerhead. 

[gardenman]

I use the fine sponge filters (the really cheap ones on Amazon) and they have so much surface area and so little suction (using air pumps and not powerheads) that even flake food drifting by doesn't get stuck to the filters. They do an excellent job of providing surface area for bacteria to inhabit, but the flow rate of the fine ones anyway, is so minimal that nothing should get sucked into them. They're pretty bad as mechanical filters but great as biofilters. If you're in doubt, buy as big a sponge filter as you can fit in your tank and use that. A larger surface area would reduce the suction ability as long as the waterflow/airflow stayed the same. 

[quikv6]

I think that the fry I have lost in ACO sponge filters didn't get sucked-in, per se, but either wandered in the coarse sponge while looking for grub, or were chased in there by an adult, and went to hide in the sponge. Once they were embedded a few pores deep, they just couldn't get through the maze to get out, unfortunately.

Edited September 7, 2021 by quikv6

[Tihshho]

This is why I always raise wigglers without places to get stuck and then move them into sponge filtered tanks once they are a few days into being free swimming and eating from the water column. I do this mainly to prevent them from working into sponges, wood or other places where they could get stuck.

[B1gJ4k3]

Regardless of whether or not they actually get "sucked in", fry can definitely get into the filters, especially if they're small enough. I recently had a platy fry get its head stuck in one of my AC sponge filters. I assumed it was dead, went to pull it out and found that was, in fact, alive. However, it didn't last long and soon died. I think it probably stuck its head in there after some food or something, but the coarseness of the sponge definitely contributed to it getting stuck. It's not enough to stop me from using them, but having a fry stuck in a sponge filter is definitely something I've experienced before.

[MJV Aquatics]

With excessive air flow or darting to avoid parents, fry could be drawn into a coarse sponge filter. Then again they could be hiding under it or, as mentioned, been a tasty snack for a hungry parent. After all, little fish are just food for bigger fish. Always a good idea to rescue fry and grow out until too large to be food.

[Odd Duck]

On 9/7/2021 at 7:39 AM, Flytrap said:

I have 3 medium ACO sponge filters in my approximately 45 gallon tank powered by the usb nano pumps.  I definitely notice baby cherry shrimp exploring in the filters and haven't been overpowered by the pumps.  My concern now though is how to clean the filters using the method by @Cory   .   Sounds like your system works well for you @Odd Duck.   How do you clean the filters without losing the little ones?  Thanks all for your thoughts.

What?  I’m supposed to clean the sponge filters?

I really haven’t had nearly enough bioload for anything remotely clogging in the shrimp tanks and the shrimp themselves help keep those clean.  In bigger tanks with fish, I just clean them as usual since anything little has loads of hiding places.  I jiggle them around enough getting them out so they have plenty of warning to vacate.  I get them near the surface, them scoop a “disposable”, super cheap, plastic container under it then scoop out.

I don’t mind if I dislodge some gunk into the tank.  I figure it will get sucked back up and repopulate the cleaned filter.  I make no attempt to use tank water for cleaning unless I decide to use a plastic fish bag like @Corydoes.  I just rinse them under the tap unless it reeks of bleach like when the city water “shocks” the system.

I NEVER clean all the sponge filters in the tank at the same time unless I’m doing a full reset and won’t have fish in again for weeks.  Even then, if fish are going right back in soon, this is when I use tank water in a bag vs just rinsing the things in the sink.  I’ve also been known to leave them a little dirty or clean them just enough so they flow water again.

[Flytrap]

Thanks this is great new info for me.   I had planned on only cleaning one sponge filter at a time so that remains the same.  I also have well water and the water parameters work well for my inhabitants.  As I wrote before I have been trying to clean the filters as @Cory does but I think this time I'll try it your way and see how it works.  Probably a good swishing in the small white pail or clear container first.    I also had a wonderful surprise last night before going to sleep:   Seeing a baby glow light tetra swimming in the Java Moss.😃 I had no idea they were spawning.

Thanks again for your thoughts.