ninoid12 Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Anyone got ideas how to soften the flow of my inbuilt filter of my Aqua One tank? Its the one that flows the water down from an overhanging filter. I have tried putting more filter material in it but it only makes the whole compartment overflow and even pour out the side of the tank if i put too much. I have tried putting plastic in it too, same thing. have put gladwrap thru the plastic tube which has the holes thats inside the filter compartment. It clogs up and either too much so doesnt work, or overflows it. I think my brain is dead, do you understand my explanation at all???!!! lol Can you buy another power head thingy for the aqua one tanks? or put anything in the upward filter bit that is in the water that sucks up? My poor girls dont particularly like the hard current. Poor chicky babes. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter16 Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) have you tried putting something over the intake? I use a car sponge for my shrimp tank so the babies are safe and have noticed the flow is alot less, you could try some other cover like filter wool, stockings, old filter sponges etc. you can attatch them with fishing line or the filters suction might hold them in place. Edited April 21, 2009 by Peter16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Baffles in the tank would be your best bet. You need some way to reduce the current so that the girls aren't swimming against it. Tall rocks, broad-leafed plants and stuff like that should do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghengis Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) Get hold of a 600ml Coke-type plastic bottle, cut the bottom and the neck off it, then cut in half length-wise. What you should end up with are two "troughs". Take one of the "troughs" and attach it, horizontally, below the outlet (I am assuming your filter outlet is above the water and not a submersed poerhead??). How you attach this will be for you to puzzle out, but essentially what will happen is that the trough will catch the water flow and allow it to run out of the open ends, thus diffusing the overall flow... Hope that wasn't too hard to follow... EDIT: You could even use a length-wise halved piece of PVC, but the "coke" bottle will be easier to deal with, I reckon... Edited April 21, 2009 by Ghengis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 (edited) I have just been trying to work this out for a friends tank. The best I could do was to cut a filter sponge that had a hole right through down one side and slip it in over the overflow. I put one of the filter thingys back in, the one without the fibre and charcoal. It didn't need it to hold it in or anything, but I also put filter media in the back section just to increase the efficiency. This has had the added bonus of reducing the echoey noise these filters seem to generate when you put the cover back on. The other thing I did try, someone else suggested somewhere else, and I can't for the life of me remember where! A section of soft drink bottle can be clipped on over the overflow outlet. This re-directs most of the flow against the back wall and disperses it a little more gently. I'd remove the pins of the clip if I used this one Edit: I forgot, I also added a sponge filter to the intake tube, as the previous tenants in the tank, some little goldfish, were killed by being sucked in! Edited April 21, 2009 by Bender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghengis Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Bender, that second technique you described...I think I know where you might have seen it. Scroll up, mate lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marianne Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 I have atank with the same system (AR-126), and tried more filter media, which then just made the filter flood and sent water into the overflow which stupidly leaks... I was wondering why water was suddenly evaporated so fast until I realised it's the overflow... So what we did was to remove the whole filter compartment, clean it and dry it, put silicone over all the holes at the front, then drill new, bigger holes at the back. So the filter now empties at the back of the tank instead of the front. My betta is much happier in there now, whereas before he spent his whole time hiding in the corner.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 Thanks Ghengis I must have been taking the pics in when you were adding your reply! I read it somewhere else previously though, did you suggest it before? I had a feeling it was Callatya, but could have been on another site all together. I've added fish to this tank this morning, and they are doing well. With the water at the right level the bottom of the sponge sits in the water so the flow is very gentle, the winlov it is comming out over is only swaying gently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 Floating plants like water sprite or plants that will grow tall and trail the surface like mayaca would also slow things down and look pretty as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninoid12 Posted April 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 marianne, excellent idea, thats the tank i have AR126. callatya- i have lots of plants in the tank, anubias and big driftwoods making crevices. and a bridge. It helps them for now, but need something better. The pressure is too hard for floating plants to do much. I will be trying a cover over the intake definitely, thanks so much everyone for the ideas. and if that isnt enough, will drill more holes along the back of it. Well, will con a gf's boy to do it lol. Thanks, im sure my girls will appreciate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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