plant skimmer ( catches all the leaves floating around your tank)

[sunmiztres]

One of my favorite plants is riccia, I just love the carpet it makes. The only reason i hate riccia is it is always floating around my tank when it brakes off from the carpet. I use to take a net to it each day but every time i put the net in the tank all my fancy tail guppies jump in the net and a few of them have almost gotten put in the trash or sink so i thought there has got to be a way to control all the riccia floating in the tank.

I took a powerhead I had laying around and put a large strainer on the intake and a tube with pantyhose on the out take. I placed the powerhead where most of my leaves end up, behind my outtake of the filter. I have the strainer just above the water line. I tuned it on and within 30 minutes all my riccia
( at least 2 handfuls ) that was floating around my 80 gallon tank was attached to the strainer or flew inside the tube where the pantyhose catches it from flying out. It even sucks up the big plant leaves. I just use my hand and grab all the stuff that is to big to go through the strainer.

It works real good with the riccia because all the big pieces stay attached to the strainer so I can grab them and start some more carpet. I could cut big holes in the strainer so the bigger pieces could get caught by the pantyhose but then I would have my guppies getting sucked up also. They are not very smart.
I know after a while the propeller will need to be cleaned because of all the plant pieces going through it but I can do that when I clean my tank rather then trying to net all the pieces everyday.

Now it does not look pretty but I am going to hide it behind my plants and you'll never know it's there. I need to get a smaller tube on the outtake but for now it does a great job, I have NO riccia floating in my tank...YIPPEE

I don't know if this has been done already but I thought I would share my form of a plant skimmer.

[Martin]

very nice!!

great way to catch duckweed as well!!

[essabee]

Good Idea!

I have to use the net for floating leaves on my aquariums, deary routine. I do manage to catch some of my smaller danios and white clouds quite often, especially when I am in a hurry.

I will have to make several of your gadgets. How about making them like tiny acrylic aquariums and attaching them on the rear wall 1/2" below the water-line; attach the intake of a power head under the bottom and put a pad of floss inside on the bottom.

You think they will work?