AquaClear 20 vs. Betta

[Tostada]

The filter won.

So, now I've managed to kill two bettas in 4 days. The first one seemed constipated and died. I got a new one Friday evening, and he was fine Saturday afternoon. He swam all around and seemed perfectly happy, and didn't have a problem sitting comfortably at the bottom. There really wasn't much current in the tank. I just got home, though, and his entire tail was sucked into the filter. I can't imagine my snail managed to kill him, so I guess he just got sucked in and died. I didn't realize the holes in the filter were big enough for him to get sucked in almost up to the gills.

Now that I look at it, this AquaClear 20 is a pretty poor design. The size of tanks that people are going to put it on are going to be pretty small, but the holes are larger than any other HOB filter I've seen.

Maybe I should drill some little holes halfway up the intake tube to reduce the suction at the bottom.

 

[joannde]

You could tie a piece of new pantyhose over the intake

 

[IceH2O]

Or do like I do in my tank with fry and hollow out the middle of a AC sponge and stick it over the intake.

Still plenty of filtration, no way to get stuck and the bonus of extra space for bacteria.

 

[Guest]

in my hospital tank, i wrap filter floss around the intake and secure with a rubber band.

 

[verucaproduce]

Just a hunch here, but I wouldn't think that the reason the betta died is because he got sucked into the filter. Well, I guess what I mean is that he must have been pretty weak not to be able to swim away from it.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. I have come to the conclusion that the bettas that I can find around here (Petco etc.) aren't the best stock and come with all sorts of problems. If you love bettas that much maybe you should treat yourself and get one from a breeder.

It wouldn't hurt to modify your filter or to get one with a lower flow rate if you are going to have a betta. They seem much happier when they aren't getting thrown around by the filter.

 

[odessadude]

You mentioned the poor design of these filters. Watch out for the leaking seal where the pump motor goes through the housing. I still have one of these in operation, but would never buy another one.

 

[Tostada]

I guess it's a bit harsh to say it's a bad design ... I mean, it's the filter everybody recommends, and for a small tank what are the other options? Tetra Whisper?

I put some pantyhose around the intake so it shouldn't be a problem anymore.

verucaproduce:

That's true, I certainly wouldn't think a small betta would actually get stuck in the filter, but he didn't look sick. Not that it really means anything ... but if he'd survived that long in a little cube at petsmart, I don't see why he'd drop dead a day after I put him in a 5.5 gal.

I can imagine maybe he was swimming past the intake and managed to get his whole back half in the filter before he knew it and then was kinda wedged in there.

 

[JRagg]

The AC is good and bad IMO. The way the pump motor is attached stinks. It should be enclosed and not hanging off of the bottom. If you hit it too hard you can damage the seal and it will leak. The options for filter media are good (for a small tank) and you can adjust the flow.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I have a betta in a 10g with an AC20 and have never had problems with the intake. Maybe its because your tank is smaller, not sure though.

I've had the AC20 for over a year and have never had any problems with the filter itself.

For the intake, the pantyhose should work...or you can hollow out a filter sponge. I buy my sponges from Big Als and get their brand, which is alot cheaper than the AC media. If the output starts being a problem I cut the middle out of a 20oz soda/water bottle and wrapped it over the output, since the flow was bothering my betta.

I hope you have better luck with the bettas!

 

[Guest]

Just for the record, I had an extra small whisper HOB which I would not use on the big tanks, I just got a few for free.

I put it in my betta tank and every night he would rest against the filter intake. I thought he had died until I realized it did it every night! I put a sponge around the intake and set it on the lowest flow but he still rests on it every night. Wierd I know.

 

[mobiusnu]

You mentioned the poor design of these filters. Watch out for the leaking seal where the pump motor goes through the housing. I still have one of these in operation, but would never buy another one.

I've had many AquaClears over many years, and I've never had that problem. I'd suspect you pulled it off for some reason and didn't reattach it properly.

As for the original matter, I doubt the filter sucked in your fish. Your fish probably died and then got sucked in.