filter intake

[justDIY]

my pleco loves the camboba i recently added to my tank ... loves it so much that it's all nearly gone ... the fish is not eating it, but breaks it up into small pieces that find their way to the strainer on my filter

the pump on the fluval is so strong that it's actually crushed the plastic strainer in on itself in an effort to suck in these plant fragments

so I was wondering if something like a spray-bar could be used as a filter intake

is anyone doing this already ... what if any are the disadvantages?

I see there is a stop valve in the strainer, which I think is part of the priming system ... any ideas on how to replicate this?

[loganj]

Not sure about the check valve...my old Fluval doesn't have anything like that. Could you perhaps use one of the PH filters for a Hagen powerhead? They make good strainers and are large enough that it would take a lot of trash to stop them up. I always remove the inner core with the filter floss and just use the outer shell. The only problem I can see with the spray bar intake is cleaning it. Perhaps you could not glue the cap on it? That way you could remove it and use a brush on the inside.

[justDIY]

when I was putting together a pond pump for my folks, the pump had a very large plastic strainer (maybe 4" around and 4" long) which fit over the intake ... it was covered with a piece of coarse foam that slipped over it ...

I wonder if HD carries those

I wonder if something that big would stick-out in my 29 gal

Probably time to evict the pleco to the pond... and pick up more otos

[loganj]

The Hagen PH strainer is very similar to what you're talking about...I think it would work.

[justDIY]

Is this whatcha mean?

that does look good - if I removed that white stuff inside, it'd make a good strainer - deff better than the puiny one that comes with another Hagen product (the fluval)

[loganj]

That's what I use. I believe there is a small and large size. The top and bottom come off and the cylinder splits into two halves making cleaning very easy. The inner tube with the floss comes right out. There is also an insert in the top that can, with some effort, be removed if need be to make it fit the filter intake. They're pretty sturdy when you get them all snapped together.

[justDIY]

excellent - next time I order from big al's I'll pick up a pair!