Powerhead Deaths

[c0mf0rt]

Ok within the last month or so I've lost a small perc clown and this morning a cleaner shrimp.... they're getting sucked into my powerhead input.... any ideas on stopping this ????

 

[Fluff]

Try sponges on your intakes.

 

[fishfreek]

Most poweheads will have strainers that fit on the PH intake. These strainers help significantly in keeping fish from getting stuck on the PH intake. You can also make your own strainer with some plastic mesh and some small plastic zip ties.

 

[stevelikesfish]

are they ACTUALLY being killed by the PH ? Maybe they are dying from other reasons, and the PH is sucking up their already dead bodies ?

 

[RocketSeason]

are they ACTUALLY being killed by the PH ? Maybe they are dying from other reasons, and the PH is sucking up their already dead bodies ?

That seems like the most likely scenario to me.

 

[MattP725]

It's not... they are very powerful at a short distance and fish don't know any better... I had a perfectly healthy puffer that got sucked into my PH within 30 min of me adding it. Get a prefilter or strainer type device unless you like replacing fish.

 

[RocketSeason]

what type/size of Powerhead do you have? and do you have the grill on it? that grill works wonders in keeping the intake pressure low enough that a healthy fish can easily escape the flow.

 

[MattP725]

That is what we are suggesting. Most powerheads don't come with any kind of strainer or filter... the suction is only bad right at the intake.

 

[RocketSeason]

the Maxi-Jet "strainer" is designed to prevent a large intake pressure from occouring. if a fish were to be swept into the grill, the surface area of the body would only cover a small part of the grill. the water would be allowed to easily flow around the body and enter from a different angle. If you place your finger on the grill you can feel for yourself. A healthy fish would have no problem dis-loging themselves from the powerhead.

 

[MattP725]

I am not familiar with the part you are talking about but I do know that if you have a straight open intake with no attachments and the powerhead is pretty strong the thing is gonna get stuck. They make plastic tubes that kind of look like UGF tubes that usually are perferated as well as prefilters which will keep these fish from getting stuck.

 

[Mrbill]

Funny this should come up...we just had our first death in the tank, a yellow tang. The flow from a maxi-jet 1200 kept it slammed against some live rock and it couldn't get away. I turned off all pumps, peeled the tang off the rocks, and it swam away. It was a bit deformed, and had a few nicks and tears in it's fins, but I thought it was going to make it.

A couple days later it was gone. Completely, gone. I guess it died and was eaten...

 

[boardsurfer]

the Maxi-Jet "strainer" is designed to prevent a large intake pressure from occouring. if a fish were to be swept into the grill, the surface area of the body would only cover a small part of the grill. the water would be allowed to easily flow around the body and enter from a different angle. If you place your finger on the grill you can feel for yourself. A healthy fish would have no problem dis-loging themselves from the powerhead.

This picture shows what RocketSeason means:

 

[RocketSeason]

I have a pic in my gallery that shows it too. (slightly different strainer)

 

[foob]

Wow they sell powerheads with no plastic piece covering the intake? I use maxijets and a penguin ph and they all have a plastic piece covering it. And to be even safer I got sponges to cover the plastic pieces.

 

[klam]

I remember once that I over fed my ocellaris so much it had trouble swimming. She floated by my aquaclear 150 HOB intake and she got stuck. It was kind of humorous because she didn't seem to even put up a struggle to get free, kind of like she was so lazy from eating so much to care or to move, just wanted to relax. After a few seconds of me laughing I unplugged my HOB and she floated away like a blimp.

 

[XXFirefighter]

I have never seen a powerhead without some sort of strainer of some sort...

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

I haven't seen one without a strainer either, but since you don't have one, I assume either someone stole the part out of the box because theirs broke, you bought it incomplete from a garage sale or friend, or you accidentally broke it. Most LFS will order parts- so if you want the strainer that's supposed to come with your powerhead, ask if they'll order one or if they have one they don't need. My sotore used to keep incomplete shipments in back so we'd have parts for all types of filters, etc. The soponge idea is probably best, imo. Then if the fish should be caught in the suction he won't be harmed by the softness of the sponge. Good luck!