Fluval FX5 knocks my little fish around

[jmpgop]

So I LOVE my Fluval FX5, but I have recently gotten some new smaller fishes that have now been added to the tank.

If they swim to the right hand side, they stay very low or very high in the tank - there is a lot of power/water coming out of that FX5.

Then I also even noticed previous to this that my other fish spend most of their time over to the left. Rarely venturing to the right of the tank. It's calmer on the left with no output.

SO, I turned the valves down - the ones going in and out of the filter. I closed them a bit - about 1/8 of the way towards closed. So just a smidge on both sides to reduce the flow.

Is this Okay?

It is a 72 gallon tank so I'm on the very low end of even "meeting the need" for this filter.

As soon as I adjusted it down, my newest penguin fish came up from the bottom and started swimming around confidently in their little school. My Cherry Barbs ventured over to the right side like the've never been there before. Waiting for my Pearl Gourami and my Angel fish to head that way too...

Good choice?

thanks,
Janelle

[jmpgop]

Well I didn't find anyone who had experience on here with this issue SO I was able to dig around quite a bit more on the Interweb and found some information.


If anyone else is ever looking, I found my own answer.

http://www.stoneteknh.com/fx5/


Yes you can adjust the aquastop valves on the FX5 Fluval to reduce the flow for smaller tanks so your fish don't get beat up


Janelle

[Link119]

Cant you also make a spraybar to even the flow across the whole tank?

[Terrance]

I'd give them a week or two to try to get adjusted to the flow. If no better, than aim one of the out-take toward the glass.