Juwel tank - fish in the filter

[annabel_roo]

Hi,
I was given a 70L juwel fish tank for my birthday - the ones with the black box in the back right hand corner containing the heater and filter. I finally got it all set up and put in my first fish including some neon tetras. I came back last night and found one of my neon tetra's had got into the black box somehow - i guess the only way through the filter system. I think it must have been in there for up to 5 hours. I got it and and returned it to the tank, it looked pretty stressed by the experience and has lost the brightness of its colour. It is also swimming round (slowly) on its own away from all the other neon's. Firstly am wondering if this has happened to anyone else? Also if anyone has any ideas what I can do to stop it happening again and if theres anything I should be doing for the fish which was trapped?
thanks
Annabel

 

[red-devil0602]

i have had a few juwels and never had this trouble, have you got the lid on the filter? is the water or filter at the right level?

 

[lovell_89]

i know that alot of people put some tights over the filter intake.

 

[The Devine One]

I have a juwel 96l and have had similar problems with fish getting into the filter if you look where the pipe comes out of the filter box there are gaps around it i wrapped insulating tape around mine to decrease the size of the gap but dont make it fit too tightly as you will need to take it off when you clean the filters

Hope that this helps

 

[morgan]

I also have a Juwel 96l and had the same problem. Someone on another forum advised me to cut up an old filter sponge into a circle and put that on the pipe to close up the gap. It works well but they can sometimes get in when you are doing maintenance. I shine a torch down the filter housing before I put the cover back on and put the electrics back on.

 

[supersuli]

hey, i just had this happen to me last night, i bought new fish for the tank (first fish in tank) and in the evening i counted one less, going crazy i looked in the filter and it was in there!! it had swum all the way down, so there was no way to get it out, cos the filters are stuck to the tank, so i hoped it would come up and i could net it.....it did and so i got it back into the tank i figured it had jumped in from the top cover of the filter, there are three holes, for the cables and one for your finger to pick up the cover. i just hope it doesnt do it again, im thinking of a way to close up the holes, but not permanantly. btw i got a juwel rio 125.

 

[annabel_roo]

Thanks guys, I told my housemates when I got back from uni and one of them had a look and worked out bout the gaps round where the pipe comes out. He got a piece of plastic and cut a whole out of it and has fitted it round the pipe - so fingers crossed I'll have no more escaping fish! I can no longer tell which neon tetra it was so I think thats a good sign
What a silly design feature tho!
mucho thanks,
Annabel XXX

 

[morgan]

It's a very silly design. I keep the water level a bit below the red line now. My first fish that went in was a young molly. I was a newbie and didn't know that fish can get in filters. The water went green and smelt awful. I lost quite a few fish and had to start the tank all over again. I did not have access to the internet then, otherwise I would have been told what was wrong. I will never forget the sight of my husband with tissues stuffed up his nostrils bailing out the tank! I am slightly joking now but at the time it was very upsetting. Oh, and the man at lfs where I bought the tank just said "you shouldn't have small fish"!!

 

[Rodders]

I had a cardinal get sucked into mine but only cause he was ill and couldnt swim away. Never had any probs of other ones getting sucked in.

Still, i didtch the internal filter cause they suck...

 

[annabel_roo]

It's a very silly design. I keep the water level a bit below the red line now. My first fish that went in was a young molly. I was a newbie and didn't know that fish can get in filters. The water went green and smelt awful. I lost quite a few fish and had to start the tank all over again. I did not have access to the internet then, otherwise I would have been told what was wrong. I will never forget the sight of my husband with tissues stuffed up his nostrils bailing out the tank! I am slightly joking now but at the time it was very upsetting. Oh, and the man at lfs where I bought the tank just said "you shouldn't have small fish"!!

[snapback]912757[/snapback]​

Aww nasty shop man - theres loads of small fish, you'd think you could rely on a fish tank being ok for all sizes unless it says otherwise! Thanks for all the replies guys XX

 

[thai]

I've had platties get in and molly fry. I think the molly fry quite liked it in there,a safe haven from the big mouths!

 

[morgan]

He is very unpleasant, unfortunately it is the best shop handy for where I live. And he sold me the small fish! I keep the water a bit lower because I thought the Neon Tetras could swim in through the slots at the top of the filter housing.

 

[supersuli]

hey all, can someone tell me where the water level is for the tank, i have a juwel rio 125, i bought it second hand, and i doesnt have a water level line. and i too think the filters are crappy...first day i bought my fish, it managed to get stuck in the filter!!!!

 

[Ian M]

Well to stick up for jewel tanks, I have 2 a rio125 and a rekord 96 and only once have i had a fish in the black filter housing and that was when it jumped when i was doing some filter changing. Sorry to hear about dissapearing fish. Perhaps some tights streached over the inlets will prevent small fish getting through the gaps.

Ian

 

[morgan]

I like Juwel tanks as well but nothing is perfect! I am probably going to have another, bigger, Juwel tank soon. They are very good at honouring the guarantee. I phoned them up when I thought my pump was broken and they said straight away take it back to where you bought it and get a replacement. Grumpy man in shop refused to comply, gave it a good clean and it worked perfectly!The water line in mine is marked in red, perhaps yours has worn off. The line is 1" below where the black hood is and about 1" above the slots in the filter housing.