Not sure if baffle is inhibiting oxygenation (29 gal)

[Thundercracker]

I have a baffle on the Aqueon QuietFlow 20 filter and I don't know if it's inhibiting the oxygenation. I think it might be fine because the box says that the step that adds oxygen is before the water exits the filter/enters the baffle, but I have been having a lot of unexplained snail deaths and just wanted to make sure that wasn't one of the reasons why they were dying.

(I just fed my 5 guppy fry so they are eating at the top of the tank in the video)

https://imgur.com/a/y1yotug.                             

Baffle: https://www.etsy.com/listing/769221604/the-original-aquarium-filter-baffles-3d

 

 

 

 

[Guppysnail]

I’m sorry your snails are having issues. Your filter is fine with the baffle. I had one of those on a tank someone gave me a few years back. 
I would look to other issues for snail problems. What type is snails?
Water parameters ph kh gh. 
Have you ever used medication in the tank. 

What are you feeding them. Etc. 

 

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Thundercracker There are dissolved oxygen testing kits out there, although I would agree with @Guppysnail that its highly unlikely that the baffle would cause oxygen deficiency, as it is the flow action of the filter and agitation of the water's surface that makes for adequate air in the water for fish/inverts to thrive. The medication issue is a possibility as certain medications lower the oxygen content of the water. If that were the case, then doing some water changes to dilute the residual meds should address that.

Snails can die off for a lot of different reasons... water parameter fluctuation, or unsuitable parameters where they snails may appear okay until they become weak enough and then the deaths start becoming noticeable (depends on the type of snail in some cases). Could also be they aren't getting enough to eat. Just as you can get rid of pest snails by reducing their food, the snails you like can run into the same problem. Is there a lot of algae eating competition in the aquarium? What kind of fish and how many are in the tank?

The mineral content of the water can also be a factor, as snails need adequate calcium and trace minerals to function properly. If your water is hard out of the tap, then you may have started with more minerals, however a tank moves in the acidic direction over time as the natural minerals are used up (and for other reasons). If this is the case, then water changes would also help this issue (or you might want to add Equilibrium or another similar product to restore the mineral levels as necessary) keeping in mind that guppies and other live-bearers also prefer harder water.

Testing and knowing your water parameters should reveal which way you need to go. Hope that helps.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/19/2023 at 8:52 PM, Thundercracker said:

I think it might be fine because the box says that the step that adds oxygen is before the water exits the filter/enters the baffle, but I have been having a lot of unexplained snail deaths and just wanted to make sure that wasn't one of the reasons why they were dying.

Oxygenating the water comes in a few methods, one of them is similar to what you see in waterfalls where you have the white bubbles in the water that dissolve and churn. The other (main) method is going to be surface movement. If you're not seeing ripples or waves on the surface of the water then I would recommend adding an air stone or consider removing the baffle.

There are a few different designs available too, so maybe there is a different style baffle that works well for the tank.

If you have an undersized filter, I can see the baffle cut back some much needed oxygenation. (20g rated hob on a 20g tank for instance often isn't high enough flow)

Edited August 20, 2023 by nabokovfan87
grammar

[nabokovfan87]

Same company, different styles. Option 2 has much lower oxygenation.