HOB dampening

[Sgooosh]

hello all,
I have a spare HOB filter that I am attatching to my new quarantine/fry tank.
this filter is meant for 20-30 gallons +
but the tank is only 10 gallons.
how should i make it so that the filter has less flow so it can be more quiet and also more gentle to the fish?

 

[connorlindeman]

hello all,
I have a spare HOB filter that I am attatching to my new quarantine/fry tank.
this filter is meant for 20-30 gallons +
but the tank is only 10 gallons.
how should i make it so that the filter has less flow so it can be more quiet and also more gentle to the fish?

You can put some sponge near the output and that should help dampen it.

 

[Sgooosh]

You can put some sponge near the output and that should help dampen it.

I don't have any more sponges since all of them are inside the filter, but i put some rags on the output. the rags area ctually helping it filter more thouroughly too!

 

[FranciscoB]

The easiest way is the old cutout splastic soda bottle trick. Will not reduce flow, but it will diffuse it to the sides so it does not do damage to fragile fish or plants. Works with all HOB brands. Search for that in this site, as I have posted pictures before (I would attach one here but I am away from my computer). Good luck!

 

[sharkweek178]

The easiest way is the old cutout splastic soda bottle trick. Will not reduce flow, but it will diffuse it to the sides so it does not do damage to fragile fish or plants. Works with all HOB brands. Search for that in this site, as I have posted pictures before (I would attach one here but I am away from my computer). Good luck!

 

[Sgooosh]

Thanks! I'll try that with holes on the bottom too!

 

[sharkweek178]

Thanks! I'll try that with holes on the bottom too!

When I first set up my ten gallon, I saw my poor fish getting tossed around by the outflow from the HOB filter. I immediately went looking for a solution. I saw some sites say to stuff a sponge in the intake tube. But that seems like it could damage the motor by overworking it. I also saw one that recommended putting one of those soap dishes with suction cups under the outflow and put some glass beads in it to diffuse the water flow some more. I don't know how well suction cups will hold up under constant pressure from the flow. And a water bottle is a lot cheaper.

 

[sharkweek178]

A follow up to this. I was seeing dust like particles in my tank and I could not figure out where they were coming from. Eventually I sussed it out. The water bottle baffle I attached to my HOB filter had accumulated algae on the inside and the water flow was breaking off small pieces of algae that went into the tank that looked like dust. I replaced it with a new bottle and problem solved.

 

[Sgooosh]

A follow up to this. I was seeing dust like particles in my tank and I could not figure out where they were coming from. Eventually I sussed it out. The water bottle baffle I attached to my HOB filter had accumulated algae on the inside and the water flow was breaking off small pieces of algae that went into the tank that looked like dust. I replaced it with a new bottle and problem solved.

I have tried many methods and I think the best is making a cloth "hammock" out of rags and filter foam to keep the water flow small.
but this method also grows algae fast