Can Plants & Power Filters co exist?

[gautier]

The water pouring in from the filter really dirturbs the plants in that region, also the suction tends to make the plants in the back stick to the suction opening.

Any strategies to avoid this?

 

[JustOneMore20]

I've had to put a sponge in front of the outflow of the HOB on my 55g (also have a cannister). It was too strong. It wasn't very visually pleasing, but it helped keep the plants upright.

My 29g has only a HOB and it isn't that strong, so the plants don't suffer.

If you want to keep the HOB, you can put a sponge in front of the outflow. You can also put a sponge over the intake, but plants will still stick to it...just not as bad.

 

[gautier]

how about using an external canister filter? or does that still suck in water the same way? how well do they work btw?

i'm not that faithful to my HOB so any suggestions is fine.

 

[ryan]

the current on the plants is acually good for them because it helps them get better roots and stay in place and will probaly not hurt them but you can but a sponge over the intake as suggested

 

[JustOneMore20]

Cannisters take in water the same way. I have a sponge over the intake of my XP3 just because I don't want plant leaves to get into the filter and rot. The output is a spraybar on my XP3 and I can turn the pressure down, so it doesn't blow the plants over like the HOB output does.

 

[czcz]

Stiff plants -- like Anubias and Cryptocoryne -- near the tubing helps. I keep stems near filter outputs all the time and it ends up alright after they adapt to the current. I think you will find most plants do fine even in heavy current.

 

[docrak]

Here’s a tip for canister filter owners. I have a Eheim 2026 in my 60g. You would think 172 gph of circulation wouldn’t create a lot of current but it does. The problem with most spray bars is that they come tuned to spray at high pressure which creates currents in the aquarium. Fast moving water isn’t always desirable in a planted tank. The trick to reduce the pressure in the spray bar is to increase the size of the holes. Increasing the hole size by 15-25% will dramatically reduce unwanted tank current while maintain adequate water movement. If the holes are too large you won’t get enough circulation in the tank. Another trick is to create new holes. My spray bar has two new holes pointing up to create localized surface agitation.

 

[Zezmo]

You have to create space around your inlet to prevent stuff from getting sucked up. Many HOB's just create a waterfall that dumps into your tank, not much to do about that, just keep it clear under the outflow. Some, like Tetratech models have a tube/funnel that is the outflow, you can attach a tube, like the kind used in a UGF, to it to get the outflow underwater. You can then point the outlet back at the back glass to further blunt the flow.

In general, IMO, lots of circulation is very desireable in a planted tank. It keeps fresh ferts at the leaves, and makes sure your CO2 is everywhere.

 

[fish_4_all]

Well I will take the circulation anytime and I am in the porcess of finding powerheads for my 10 gallon tanks just for that. I agree with the ones that say circulations is a good thing with the problems I have seen in certain areas of my tanks and not others. The szponge over the intake or even a column made out of plastic canvas around the intake can keep the plants out. My crypt red Wendtii is directly in the outflow of my AC20 HOB and it loves it. The leaves are thicker and taller than I have seen them and I think it prefers the flow.

 

[gautier]

any powerheads out there that aren't big clunkypieces of equipment? or at leasst small in size?

better yet, shaped in the shapes of driftwood or rocks?