Filter problems

[Juggernaut22988]

I am going to get a new filter for my tank

My platies will be giving birth soon, what can I do to stop the frys from being sucked in? I dont want to use a breeding net because my fish almost always abort when in the net.

My lfs told me that there has to be a water current to spread the heat from the heater. I was thinking of buying an airpump and taking out the filter to distribute the heat.

Is it okay to not have a filter for a month (or until the frys are large enough)?

I dont want to use a breeding net (for sure).

Help!

 

[lauraswan26]

have you looked into either buying or building a sponge filter? These connect to your air tubing, and won't suck in the babies...

 

[Juggernaut22988]

can u explain how it works?

 

[Liz05]

Put a piece of pantyhose over the suction tube of the filter. It is a HOB, right?

 

[Juggernaut22988]

HOB?
what does that mean?

 

[lauraswan26]

I'm not very good at science and all that, so I cannot tell you why or how it works. I just know it's a great filter, especially for young or week fish.

To build: Okay, first get your materials together: an air pump, tubing, and a sponge/foam (4" thick, open celled foam from re-upholstery places works well, and you can usually get scraps for free). Cut into squares according to the size of your tank, I usually do 4-6 inch squares. Dip the piece in water and then freeze it. When it's frozen, drill or cut a hole into it wide enough to slip the tubing into; Then connect it to your air pump, stick it in your tank, and voila! Much cheaper than buying them.

The models you buy sometimes come boxed in and have either the sponge alone, or the sponge with carbon in it, too.

For safety's sake, make sure the tubing is long enough and part of it hangs below the pump so that if it drips, there's a place to drip off of, rather than going into your air pump.

Also, for your fish's safety, make sure you rinse the sponge really really well before you build it or stick it in your tank, just to avoid harming your fish with any chemical or bad residues in the sponge material...

Hope this helps, and anybody who can add onto this, please do!

 

[Sea_Monster87]

If it's an undergravel filter you don't need 2 worry about them getting sucked in, but probably mom platty will eat the babys so you may want to buy a breeding tank or net.

 

[guppymonkey]

Unlike egglaying species, the fry of livebearers such as platies are free swimming at birth. This makes it less likely that they will be sucked up into the filter. I have a hang on the back power filter on my tank and I haven't had a problem with the fry from my guppies being sucked up.

Turning off the filter is a very bad idea. It would probably kill your fish and if they didn't die they would be very stressed out. The best thing to do if you want the fry to live would be to set up a separate tank for them. I use a small 10 gallon aquarium with an inside corner filter that isn't powerful enough to suck the babies up.