MaxM Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I have a breeder tank which I have in it both fry danios and fry corydoras. The danios are a couple of months old and are about half an inch ( 1.5 cm). The corys are only a couple of weeks old and are a little smaller; probably a little bigger than 1/4 in (5mm). Right now I have a sponge filter that is of low quality in my opinion and getting a good quality one where I live is like finding gold in California. I have an internal filter that I used when I was using that tank as my main tank. My question is does anyone know how big my fry need to be in order not to worry about them getting sucked into the internal filter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 What do you think is wrong with your sponge filter? As long as its working I wouldn't change anything up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxM Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 1 hour ago, MickS77 said: What do you think is wrong with your sponge filter? As long as its working I wouldn't change anything up. It's a very old model and I don't feel that it filters very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph’s Fish and Plants Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I would think the sponge filter is fine, but if you’re set on using the internal, it might be a good idea to send some pictures of its intake. Also, how strong the output is. If the output is wicked strong even if the fry don’t get sucked up they could potentially get blown around. You could also go the diy route and make one of those internal ones with the swirling media that the ziss bubble bio is based off of, that way you can ensure the fry can’t get sucked up. I would think using some sort of mesh or something over the intake like pantyhose could do the trick, that’s a common one that’s used on siphons. I’d be sure to not use anything with any crazy dyes or anything so it doesn’t leech anything into the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxM Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 5 minutes ago, Steph’s Fish and Plants said: I would think the sponge filter is fine, but if you’re set on using the internal, it might be a good idea to send some pictures of its intake. Also, how strong the output is. If the output is wicked strong even if the fry don’t get sucked up they could potentially get blown around. You could also go the diy route and make one of those internal ones with the swirling media that the ziss bubble bio is based off of, that way you can ensure the fry can’t get sucked up. I would think using some sort of mesh or something over the intake like pantyhose could do the trick, that’s a common one that’s used on siphons. I’d be sure to not use anything with any crazy dyes or anything so it doesn’t leech anything into the tank. Actually, I was thinking of putting pantyhose over the intake, but was worried that the fine knit of it might hamper the intake flow and cause it to malfunction. The output flow possibly being too strong is a good point. I will need to check into that. I know if was fine when I had fish in there, but these are fry. It might be to overwhelming a flow for them. Thank you for your input. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph’s Fish and Plants Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Absolutely. And it’s always something you can play around with too. The cool thing about this hobby is there’s nothing set in stone, there’s so much customization and tinkering that one can do to make it work for them. And what does work won’t always work for everyone else. Good luck, and definitely update with how it goes no matter what route you go 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Ellacott Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 I've used internal filters with fry, here are three ways of covering the inlets. A spray bar aimed at the surface gets rid of too much turbulance. One is the bottom of a milk bottle cut and fitted with coarse foam, one is foam sown together with fishing line, both these are slow to clog. The third one is filter floss held in place with an elastic band, this can clog quite quickly but the fry will feed off it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxM Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 @Terry Ellacott - WOW! Thanks for taking the time to share your pics with me! I have two questions for you. 1) What are you referring to when you say "Spray Bar"? 2) I see you've tried several methods. Have you tried using a stocking? Also, which method works best for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Ellacott Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 A spray bar is a tube that fits on the filter outlet, it has small holes along its lenght and a stop end. It breaks up the current coming out of the filter and by directing the holes towards the surface there is very little turbulence in the tank. When the fry are bigger just alter the angle of the flow and change the water movement in the tank. Most of the internal filters I have bought have come with a spray bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Ellacott Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 The two methods with the filter foam take a bit of setting up but once they are made they require very little maintenance and will last longer than your filters will. Those in my photos are probably 15 years old. The filter floss is the easiest as long as you have the floss. It needs watching because it will become clogged and need rinsing. The floss has a bit of thickness to it which probably reduces the suction on the fry when they are at its surface. I think the stocking would not reduce the suction and although the fry would not be sucked into the filter they might be trapped against the stocking and damaged. You might be better off with a thick woolly sock instead of the stocking. When I clean my filters I usually tip the water from the filter into a white container and swill the sponge in it. When fry are small they can be sucked into the filter without being damaged and the sponge in the filter means they don't get to the impeller and get mashed. I've collected a lot of different fry this way. The biggest danger to the fry is when they are bigger and are damaged being sucked through the filter grill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxM Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 @Terry Ellacott Got it. Thanks for all the advice. I'll have to put everybody's input to thought and figure out what my best option is. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxM Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 @Terry Ellacott Side issue - I've gone through two internal filters now and have the same problem with both. The suctions tend to break loose often and I find myself constantly having to reposition them. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Ellacott Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 1 hour ago, MaxM said: @Terry Ellacott Side issue - I've gone through two internal filters now and have the same problem with both. The suctions tend to break loose often and I find myself constantly having to reposition them. Any advice? Not really but I have found that the suction cups on most aquarium products seem to have got much better in the last few years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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