How Do I Make My Power Filter Less Powerful?

[Bloodworm]

************ ISSUE RESOLVED ***********

I had a Marina i25 6.6 gallon filter on my betta tank. It grabbed my betta and tore his fin off and killed him. I went to the store, returned the Marina and bought a Top Fin 10 gallon power filter. Its flowing out the water a bit too hard. The tank has about 2.5 inches of air at the top, so I can fill that up with water a bit more. What else can I do to make it suitable for a betta?

 

[Dazzler666]

As per other posts on this site buddy ( they do take some finding tho!!). I don't know that particular filter but can you open the holes/jets in the outlet tube? This will maintain the amount but lesson the turbulence of the flow.
Hope this helps .... I am a novice tho so just giving ideas!!!! ✌.

 

[OldMan47]

I have never seen a healthy betta that had a problem with reasonable filter flows. I am well aware that some betta people will disagree with this but I find that a healthy, emphasis on healthy, betta is a robust peaceful member of any community tank. It will not do well with aggressive tank mates but will prosper in any reasonably peaceful tank. I keep mine in endler breeding tanks to help me keep down the resulting population explosions but must admit that my present one and his predecessor have both failed at that task. They are just too easy going to do much to control my endler populations.

I am always suspicious of people complaining about filter flows bothering their bettas, since mine never seem to have such a problem. My guess is that some other factor has made their betta listless and that resulted in the fish drifting up to the filter inlet and not exhibiting a desire to escape. My own fish, kept in my 45 gallon endler tank, are more than able to escape its huge filter flow at will. They escape a filter rated at much higher flows than in any typical 5 or 10 gallon tank with no seeming effort at all. I have seen them have their fins pulled toward a filter inlet but have yet to see it trap them, even at the much higher flows that my filter gives. Maybe this exhibits my own prejudices but I find filter flow rate as an excuse, not a real world problem.

 

[elmo666]

Think you need to carefully before looking for a way to reduce the flow as I would say the turnover is not enough now. 4 x an hour is a minimum, 6 x would be preferable. As said a healthy fish should have no problem with your current flow rate.

 

[OldMan47]

Elmo, where do you get that flow multiplier? I do not disagree with the typical value that you are citing since it is quite typical but I know full well that I operate many tanks at far less multiples with no problems at all. Do you have a reference that says that such a high flow is actually needed?

 

[tmiller]

A external deflector / diffusion to reduce would be the only way.. never restrict the flow of a designed electronic device or you will have problems.

push it against the back of tank and your fish may not even notice it.

As for inflow to the filter a pre filter or a cage for the inlet. a distance from the strainer will reduce suction..

 

[HAMBONE]

I put a big piece of slate in front of my outlet to the tank..