# How do I prevent shrimp from being sucked into the filter?



## sheepsheeplamb (Jun 23, 2007)

Hey,

I redid my 6gal Eclipse Tank earlier today and picked up ~20 Ghost shrimp to add to it after the change. 

Right now I'm using the filter that came with the Eclipse 6gal tank but I think that it might suck up shrimp(I found one in the filter months ago with the same filter) 








The filter tip is the one below the 2 tubes; on the right side.


Is there anything I can do to prevent baby shrimp from being sucked up into the filter? The tip it removable. 

Do Tetras or Danios eat baby shrimp? I have both in my tank along with the shrimp atm.

Can someone explain sponge filters to me? Do they suck water into the filter? Send air bubbles out of the sponge like an air pump?

Thanks in advance!


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## cjunky (Nov 26, 2007)

To be honest there is very little you can do with a power filter. Anything that can suck up dirt and fine particles will suck up shrimp zoes.

What I do in my shrimp tank is use air driven sponge filters like the algarde bio 200 or the Huey Hung series of sponge filters.

In my other tanks where im just trying to protect "small" creatures ratherrthan microscopic I remove the end of the filter intake and replace it with a sponge filter, for example the spone from an algarde bio45 will fit on the inlet for your tank if stretched a little (careful not to tear the sponge when stretching).

This works nicely as it prevents anything from 0.5mm upwards getting sucked up and adds additional biological media to your tank.

do remember to wash the sponge form time to time as it can get clogged and thats bad for your power filter.

Regards

Marc


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## crazie.eddie (May 31, 2004)

Yes, I agree. You can use netting and then some kind of pre-sponge filter over the filter intake, but the newly hatched shrimps could still get sucked into the filter. The best thing is to just carefully check your filter for any shrimps. I normally clean out my canister filters every few months and I occassionally find shrimps in there. One time, I had just cleaned out the filter after almost a year (filter was still new) that I found various sized RCS, from full sized adults to babies.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

If you don't mind the sight, you can try using a sponge filter. If not then just use a piece of filter to cover it. I find the Aquaclear sponge filters to be perfect for that job. Cut to size, make a slit in the middle, and slide up over the intake tube. You should remove it once a week to clean it though, gets nasty.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Pantyhose with a rubber band at top (so you can take it off for rinsing out occasionally) or a fine sponge pre-filter.


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## NeonShrimp (Mar 9, 2006)

I also have a 6g Eclipse used for shrimp. I use sponge filters because they will not harm shrimp of any size. 



> Do Tetras or Danios eat baby shrimp? I have both in my tank along with the shrimp atm.


Yes they do eat baby shrimp as will all but a couple of types of fish. They may even stress the adults to the point of death.




> Can someone explain sponge filters to me? Do they suck water into the filter? Send air bubbles out of the sponge like an air pump?


So the air bubbles create a current pushing the water along.
This current/flow helps to create a vacuum along the water flow and thus the water is sucked into the sponge and out of the air bubble tube. 

If you submerge a bag with air in it under water you can feel the bag pulling itself up towards the surface. This is the same concept with the force of the air bubble pushing the water through the filter. Hope this helps


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## fish-aholic (Dec 23, 2007)

http://www.kensfish.com/atipondandprefilters.html
Great prefilters!


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

OOO that's a great resource! Didn't have that one- thanks!roud:


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