Filter Help

[Stylix1981]

I have a strange question, I am unsure if anyone has had this issue before.


It appears that my filter is causing a current in my fish tank that is sausing my neons to struggle a little when swimming against it.


It does'nt matter where i aim the filter, there always seems to be a current in whichever direction it is facing.


Can anyone give me any advice?


It is an aquael asap 300 filter, thanks.

 

[pauldadams1984]

I use filter floss, hang it off the out flow pipe so it's in front but not tight (not heavily restricting water movement out of the filter).

It will stop the flow and It makes the water clear too. Just change it when you do your weekly water change.

Buy pond supply as it's cheaper and doesn't need to be amazing quality!

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Only drawback is that it doesn't look natural or even nice inside the tank
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Having the exit under water and not over the water also helps

 

[Andy Sager]

Keep in mind that Tetras come from waters that have a flow to them so the Neons might actually be enjoying the flow. What I would do is decorate the tank in a way that there is a block of the flow so that IF the Neons are struggling, there will be a place with slack water for them to rest. This is usually done with a large stone or nice piece of large driftwood. The fast water would be deflected by these blocks and the fish will hang behind them when they need a rest.
AS a point of interest, there are many Youtube videos of Tetras in nature which if you watch any of them, you will see the flow I'm talking about.

 

[pauldadams1984]

Keep in mind that Tetras come from waters that have a flow to them so the Neons might actually be enjoying the flow. What I would do is decorate the tank in a way that there is a block of the flow so that IF the Neons are struggling, there will be a place with slack water for them to rest. This is usually done with a large stone or nice piece of large driftwood. The fast water would be deflected by these blocks and the fish will hang behind them when they need a rest.
AS a point of interest, there are many Youtube videos of Tetras in nature which if you watch any of them, you will see the flow I'm talking about.

You definitely need hiding spaces that block the current if you're gonna have a strong current with neon's. No hiding places will stress the little guys out.

If you try adding things and placing things in a certain way to strict flow in certain areas but that doesn't work. What I used to do was point the filter outflow to the back panel of the aquarium. That panel will absorb the flow.

Neons in particular like a small flow but not a strong one. They'll just hide from it if it's a strong one and they'll be fine in doing so, but when you have neons, you don't want them constantly hiding.

The conundrum comes when you have other tank mates with a variety of preferences.

 

[Andy Sager]

The conundrum comes when you have other tank mates with a variety of preferences.

That means you have mixed the wrong fish together. Just because they all have fins and scales does not mean they all can go in the same aquarium.
Proper mixing of species makes for a more harmonious and successful aquariums. You also have to take into consideration to not oversize your filter that will create the improper conditions.

 

[pauldadams1984]

100%. The comment is made about people only learning they have got a variety of preferences after the fact.

Sometimes it's so difficult when you first start. Go to a chain pet store in the UK and I expect further afield and 95% is marked as easy to keep. They might include the size but that's as far as it goes.

So many people are just buying what looks nice and have no idea how complicated it actually can be to get the right mix and style whilst keeping them safe.

That's why this place is here!!

Imo, the worst thing in this space is the phrase "community tanks". It allows people to buy whatever they want that looks nice and call it a community.

All tanks should be "species only" or "parameter" tanks.
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To further that, I remember walking into a shop to notice most fish labelled as "community fish" and some labelled "non community", which is a start and helps to differentiate the "non community" but again, really blurs the line for a beginner!

 

[Andy Sager]

100%. The comment is made about people only learning they have got a variety of preferences after the fact.

Sometimes it's so difficult when you first start. Go to a chain pet store in the UK and I expect further afield and 95% is marked as easy to keep. They might include the size but that's as far as it goes.

So many people are just buying what looks nice and have no idea how complicated it actually can be to get the right mix and style whilst keeping them safe.

That's why this place is here!!

Imo, the worst thing in this space is the phrase "community tanks". It allows people to buy whatever they want that looks nice and call it a community.

All tanks should be "species only" or "parameter" tanks.

It's the sad reality of the disappearing Mom & Pop shops. I've known many over the years that would not sell fish that did not belong together or belong in a particular sized aquarium. There needs to be a resurgence of these shops.

 

[pauldadams1984]

It's the sad reality of the disappearing Mom & Pop shops. I've known many over the years that would not sell fish that did not belong together or belong in a particular sized aquarium. There needs to be a resurgence of these shops.

Like everything, things need to evolve to stay in line with modern society.

The only problem with that is that we live in a throw away society and it seems like it's the same with tropical fish.

I for one would be happier if LFS sorted their **** out and increased prices along with increasing knowledge and information.

If people want to take risks with randomness then they pay cheap prices on eBay.

As it is I feel much more secure buying livestock from local eBay sellers than I do from local fish shops, which is totally backwards..

I bought some amazing blue cherry shrimp from a guy 2 miles away and he would only let me have them after viewing my tank first and doing a water test.

Surely this should be a requisite from all fish shops.

But no, deaths = business, so let's keep everything **** and force people to keep buying, just like cheap electrical goods



Anyway mini rant over

 

[Andy Sager]

Like everything, things need to evolve to stay in line with modern society.

The only problem with that is that we live in a throw away society and it seems like it's the same with tropical fish.

I for one would be happier if LFS sorted their **** out and increased prices along with increasing knowledge and information.

If people want to take risks with randomness then they pay cheap prices on eBay.

As it is I feel much more secure buying livestock from local eBay sellers than I do from local fish shops, which is totally backwards..

I bought some amazing blue cherry shrimp from a guy 2 miles away and he would only let me have them after viewing my tank first and doing a water test.

Surely this should be a requisite from all fish shops.

But no, deaths = business, so let's keep everything **** and force people to keep buying, just like cheap electrical goods



Anyway mini rant over

Actually, that's not the case everywhere. In areas with no big box stores, M & Ps reign. So it's not keeping up with modern society as much as its people's unwillingness to pay for knowledge.
You are incorrect that deaths = business. Just look how many small tanks are for sale on Ebay or Craig's list or other garage sales. They are the result of getting suckered into getting a tank because the fish look pretty without having the store have scruples to care about the customer. I was in the fish business long enough to know this to be true.
What you experienced with your shrimp seller used to be the standard in M & Ps.
As for the " throw away society", we seem to be going in that direction but it started when people stopped keeping fish as a hobby and started keeping them as furniture adornments. That started with the advent of video games when the shift went from a kid's hobby to an adult's hobby because adults had more expendable money so prices increased as did tank sizes and equipment. I watched the hobby almost die in the U.S. until that shift happened. It's been downhill IMO since then.

 

[pauldadams1984]

Yeah I totally get that. I am nearly 40 [emoji20] and grew up when video games were just getting bigger and bigger. I had fish (that I looked after) from the age of 8 till about 14, but then I got a pc and a playstation. That meant the end for the fish. It's only when I felt too old to be playing silly games that I've gone back into fish.

Guessing many have a similar story.

It would be cool if an aquatic specific nitrogen cycle was entered into a school science curriculum. I know it's included somewhere based on the world we live in but i don't recall anything about aquatics.

 

[Andy Sager]

Yeah I totally get that. I am nearly 40 [emoji20] and grew up when video games were just getting bigger and bigger. I had fish (that I looked after) from the age of 8 till about 14, but then I got a pc and a playstation. That meant the end for the fish. It's only when I felt too old to be playing silly games that I've gone back into fish.

Guessing many have a similar story.

It would be cool if an aquatic specific nitrogen cycle was entered into a school science curriculum. I know it's included somewhere based on the world we live in but i don't recall anything about aquatics.

I've got you by a few years (25 ) and spent over 45 years in the pet/fish business so I've witnessed a lot that has happened in our hobby over the years. Your story is exactly why the market shift happened.
Science taught today is a far cry from what I learned in school for sure. Many of my science classes had fish tanks and I was supplying them the fish from what I was breeding so we did learn about all that was going on with the aquarium. I was fortunate to have had a mentor who was a certified Ichthyologist so I got a real aquarium education from age 7 on. I can see why most schools ( or teachers) wouldn't have tanks today with budget shortages and poor experiences with their personal tanks maybe.
It's just a shame.

 

[Caliban07]

I have a strange question, I am unsure if anyone has had this issue before.


It appears that my filter is causing a current in my fish tank that is sausing my neons to struggle a little when swimming against it.


It does'nt matter where i aim the filter, there always seems to be a current in whichever direction it is facing.


Can anyone give me any advice?


It is an aquael asap 300 filter, thanks.

Can a spray bar be attached to the filter?

 

[Stylix1981]

To be honest, im not sure.

 

[Andy Sager]

To be honest, im not sure.

I found this little review of your filter which I suggest you watch.

You'll see her solution for the flow as well as answering the question about attachments. ( although there is little aquarium wise that can't have an adapter custom made for. )

 

[Caliban07]

To be honest, im not sure.

That would be the best solution in my opinion. Attach a spray bar and set to spray at the surface from back to front. If the flow is still too much you can widen the holes in the spray bar with a drill to reduce the exit velocity.

 

[Stylix1981]

I found this little review of your filter which I suggest you watch.
You'll see her solution for the flow as well as answering the question about attachments. ( although there is little aquarium wise that can't have an adapter custom made for. )

I watched the video but it says that the filter does not create much flow in the water only a localised current.


That is not what is happening in my tank, though after watching that i have no idea why.

 

[Andy Sager]

I watched the video but it says that the filter does not create much flow in the water only a localised current.


That is not what is happening in my tank, though after watching that i have no idea why.

Maybe post a video here of your filter in action? What I saw in her video was using the piece of wood as a deflector for the water ( which was what I had recommended in my previous post). Is it possible your filter is a larger model or that your sponge is not inserted properly leaving more of an opening for faster flow?