My Powerheads are MURDERERS

[badfish]

Alright i just lost my third fish to a powerhead,

1 - Very small O. Clown - totally healthy for the one week i had him. Got into my preskimmer for my BakPak2 and got sucked into my rio 600

2 - Chromis - got stuck to my maxi jet 1200, also smalll. Also healthy the night before. Had him for two weeks.

3 - Chromis #2 - also got into my preskimmer and was no match to the rio 600. Also small and healthy.

Does anyone else have this problem. If anyone is familiar with the BakPak 2 Preskimmer, i had to take the sponge off, which is supposed to stop fish from getting in. If you leave it on, it prevents a smooth flow of water into the preskimmer and causes the pump to run dry, which will proabably kill it. What should i do. I was considering taking off the preskimmer when i upgrade my pump to a MJ 1200, but now im having second thoughts. AHHHHHHH.

 

[dianeww]

Can you rubber-band some netting over the in-take? Onions and oranges come bagged in plastic netting...I have some over the intake in my fresh water aquarium. Double or triple it up...even baby guppies are saved this way!

 

[fishyrican]

Another thing I was thinking of was needlepoint screen, but that is not as flexible as the produce netting. You can get it in black or white usually, though I am sure other colors may be available.

 

[badfish]

Wow, those are both great ideas, thanks guys.

 

[NewInTown]

fiberglass screen from the hardware store works great. I lost a small O. Clown too,
to a maxi-jet.

 

[badfish]

any ideas on how to secure the screen over my pre-skimmer? its a box seen in this link http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20758&item=4379197407&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[zacdl]

Pantyhose.

 

[dianeww]

If you happen to have a pond (or maybe your neighbor does), the netting used to keep leaves out in the fall is perfect. Also it's black.

 

[fishyrican]

I'm a freshie, not a salty, so this may or may not work for you: drill small holes into the prefilter and use plastic cable ties to secure the screen, or in the alternative, use small drops of silicone.

 

[zacdl]

Diane,
Pond netting is about 1" holes in there... thats too big.

Fishey, That is an idea....

Could you drill some more holes into the prefilter so you get more flow???

 

[dianeww]

My pond netting has 1/4 inch holes!

 

[zacdl]

Where did you find 1/4" at?????