Aquarium Co-Op sponge filters for shrimp tanks

[andygold]

It seems all of their filters are coarse sponges.  Wouldn't this allow shrimp fry to get stuck in the filter sponge?  Or would they make it through and get blown out the top?  Do they sell sponges with a higher PPI?  What would be the suggestion then for a filter for a shrimp breeding tank?

Edited January 24, 2021 by andygold

[Streetwise]

I have never worried about it, but some folks have. I turn down the flow on the Ziss air-stone, and I let the sponge collect debris. The sponge filter then becomes a favorite grazing spot for the shrimp.

[CT_]

I think another thing to consider is how the entire flow is distributed over the surface of the sponge.  If you get a bigger one than you need the flow at the surface of the sponge should be pretty mild.

 

Also I believe corey said in a video that they don't sell fine sponges because their preference is coarser.

[Aubrey]

I can't prove that it kills them, but I definitely know that they can and do enter the coarse sponge. I would liken it to keeping smaller fish with shrimp. Do the fish eat the baby shrimp? Sometimes. Does it heavily impact the colonies population? No. The intended purpose of the coarse sponge filter is for easier and less maintenance, not that it is perfect for every tank setup and situation.  I also think that if they crawl in that they can crawl out. I've also found dead shrimp inside of the small pored sponge filters. The kind that have a media compartment. They crawled down the uplift tube and got trapped in the media compartment. I have used matten filters and shrimp even find out how to stuck behind them. Ultimately there is a drawback to just about every filtration method. I don't think the Co-Op sells any other sponge.