# Filter intake cover for shrimp



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

Question - I read that many of you are using a foam prefilter when using any kind of filter that draws water out of the tank (canister, HOB, etc).

Is this just filter foam held on with rubberbands, or is it a manufactured piece?

Also, doesn't this foam disrupt mechanical filtration by blocking larger waste particles?


----------



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Hi Owen, I think most use just a solid piece of coarse foam, cut a slit into the center, and stick it onto the filter inlet strainer.

It will act as a pre-filter, so if there are lots of things floating through your tank (like dislodged leaves) it will block the inlet over time and might need some more frequent cleaning. Of course it should be simple to take it off and squish it a few times in the sink, quicker than the usual filter cleaning.


----------



## wood (Nov 15, 2006)

Yea I use a regular foam pad exactly as wasserpest describes. Cut a slit down the inside middle if the pad, slide intake inside. 

Seems to work well for me.

-Ryan


----------



## sandiegoryu (Feb 15, 2006)

I use a sponge that was specifically made for a prefilter. I bought it at Japan. I think it was an Eheim brand. And it fit PERFECTLY in my filter intake. And the thing is so damn perfect. Keeps flow at its highest without sucking in the tiniest baby shrimp. I wish I could give you all this magnificent little sponge.

Maybe I'll post a thread later when I go to Japan again and try to find it. :-D.


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

Any chance someone has a photo? I cannot picture this, unless you are talking about a large block of foam, greater in width than the diameter of the intake... ??

I do have some coarse pads, that I could "wrap" around the intake strainer, but that does not seem to be what you are doing.

Also - doesn't this essentially become the primary mechanical filter, since nothing but the smallest stuff will get through it, which I thought would be a bit undesireable.


----------



## Solstice (Jan 9, 2006)

I use a filter sponge from an AquaClear 50 filter, cut it so it's a little larger than the diameter of the intake, bore out the center of it so it will slip over the intake, then put some pantyhose over the whole thing and tie the pantyhose on with thick thread.

So yes, it's a large block of foam greater in width then the diameter of the intake....

You can see the result in this pic:









As far as it being the primary mechanical filter, yeah, that's true, but I don't have much floating around my tank anyway. There's no reason to consider it undesirable. If anything, it's just more surface area for beneficial bacteria to build up.


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks everyone - & thanks Solstice for the photo and description. Love that nano! Read the documentary. I'd love to get my son going with the CRS, but not sure my water parameters are good enough for them, and the living contents are supposed to come out of his pocket, not dad's (dad has enough in to this deal already), so looks like RCS!! :icon_smil


----------



## wood (Nov 15, 2006)

Solstice said:


> I use a filter sponge from an AquaClear 50 filter, cut it so it's a little larger than the diameter of the intake, bore out the center of it so it will slip over the intake, then put some pantyhose over the whole thing and tie the pantyhose on with thick thread.
> 
> So yes, it's a large block of foam greater in width then the diameter of the intake....
> 
> ...


I do the exact same thing, AC 50 foam pad. Except i don't get all freaky with the pantyhose 

-Ryan


----------



## Ankit (Dec 15, 2006)

How is this? http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Sponge-Fi...ryZ66795QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Will that slide right onto the tip of the intake and be safe for shrimp babies?


----------



## RedIrocZ-28 (Oct 24, 2006)

Ankit, yes it will. I have successfully bred Cherry Shrimp in a tank with one of those exact sponges slipped over the intake tube. It is too dense to let babies through but still lets the water be sucked in at full power. 

One thing to remember though, it will get clogged every month or 2 so you should take off the filter, and wring it out in a bucket of tank water. 

In fact I'm using one on my new Brackish tank right now, the water is so crystal clear its unbelievable. I believe the pre-filter to be partly the reason. I can look through the full length of the tank (4ft) of water at the TV on the other side and not notice I'm looking through water.


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

5 inches in diameter? My HOB filter intake is only about a 1/2 inch away from the glass. Do you just trim the back of that thing?


----------



## trackhazard (Aug 24, 2006)

You can actually cut one of the sectors of the filter off and just use that. Same principal as using a coarse foam block from any other filter. Cut off a sector, poke a hole in it and slide it over the end of the intake tube.

-Charlie


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

trackhazard said:


> You can actually cut one of the sectors of the filter off and just use that. Same principal as using a coarse foam block from any other filter. Cut off a sector, poke a hole in it and slide it over the end of the intake tube.
> 
> -Charlie


Sector? You referring to this foam pre-filter or a component of the HOB?


----------



## 415w203 (Oct 31, 2006)

i use the replacement filters for elite sponge filters. perfect fit for my ada stainless lily pipe and for my hob whisper. the ridges on them are great. my newborn cherries love hanging around it. 

one problem. with the hob, the sponge is a bit smashed but i found that to be good. with my ada stainless steel intake, i positioned it to have suction all around. bad idea. a little fishy got stuck and died there. now, i smash it on two sides, in the corner.


----------



## 415w203 (Oct 31, 2006)

do a search, i remember the detailed thread on this just about a month ago.


----------



## cornhusker (Jan 26, 2005)

*filter sponge*

i use a Marineland reverse flow pre-filter sponge.dab a little silicone on one end and slide onto almost any diamater inlet strainer.can also cut in half for smaller filters.go to bigalsonline.com for this product.the diamater of this sponge is just right,not to big to crowd things.make sure silicone has dryed at least twenty four hours before using. regards,cornhusker


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

This? :http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...382250/cl0/marinelandpenguinreverseflowsponge

What purpose does the silicone serve, or is that to plug the hole?


----------



## schwa (Jan 21, 2007)

*prefilter pad*

The same people that make the hydrosponge filter also make a prefilter sponge that comes with many size adapters to fit pretty much any inlet pipe size of course they wont fit the emperor biowheel filters but anything with a round tube.http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/PreFilter.html


----------



## Owen Stubbs (Mar 20, 2007)

Schwa - that's EXACTLY what I was looking for!! I have seen the large version, but never the small one. Thanks for the link!!!


----------



## sethsmom5702 (Mar 12, 2007)

I couldn't get a sponge to fit the intake on my Eclipse 3, so I took a pair of my 1 yr old's LEGGINGS(thicker than nylons) and cut a piece to fit over the intake to my filter, stretched it tight, then I secured it with a small rubber band. It's done fine and I've seen shrimp sitting on it(not sucked to it, just eating). It's free and you don't have to look all over to find the components!


----------



## cjyhc4 (Dec 18, 2006)

Oddly enough, I just take a piece of quilt batting (the poly kind), double it over and wrap it around a couple times before tying it on with fishing line. It does the same thing, my baby shrimp have no problems with it and is super cheap ($2 for a big roll at wal mart). I just replace it once a week, or as necessary.


----------

