Fish Down Prefilter Box

["Roger Gordon" <rgordon at tns_net>]

Gamera wrote:

>I just thought I'd offer my two cents since I have tried both filters.  My
old aquarium was a SeaClear System II tank which had the entire filtration
system built into the back of the tank.  It used an overflow >in the back
left corner and returned the water in the back right corner.  With the old
tank, I was fishing one or two smaller fish out of the overflow in the back
of the tank at least once a week, sometimes >two or three times.  Smaller
fish can easily get sucked through the grate or are too weak to swim away
from the current and get pulled over the top.

Ottos and shrimp are also good at getting through the grates on built-in
prefilter boxes.  I solved the problem by taking a 2" x 10" x 4" block of
filter sponge and cutting into two pieces that I could wedge into the top of
the filter behind the grates.  The sponge prevented solid matter such as
fish from getting into the pre filter.  The water just flowed through the
sponge.  It did make more noise that way as the water dripping off the
sponge made more noise than the water flowing down the inside sides of the
prefilter box..  The sponge did not deter the ghost shrimp, however.  I
still had to occassionally rescue shrimp from the wet/dry filter.  But it
was not an emergency situation.. They could live there for days without
harm.

Since I converted the tank to a Lake Malawi mbuna tank, I have been able to
remove the sponge blocks.  The mbuna and the fry stay real close to the
bottom and never approach the surface so it is no longer needed.  Since
solid matter such as leaves, etc. can now go down the prefilter, it is much
easier to keep the tank clean.

My two cents worth.

Roger Gordon

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