[dezzie.mauldin]

So, I run an aqua clear 30 on my 20-gallon long community tank. It's great along with my sponge filter it does a wonderful job at making sure my tank is pristine at all times. But there is a small problem.... I have cherry shrimp in this tank, and it is a community tank....and the shrimps keep finding their way into my filter. Now I've put panty hose around the intake and it's clogging the flow something awful. I need something that doesn't restrict flow and can keep the aqua clear running efficiently without letting baby shrimp in. Any suggestions? I don't want to use a larger sponge filter as the tank is heavily planted as well. Pictures attached.... The aqua clear is on the left side the sponge is on the right behind the driftwood. I'd like something that is easy to hide as I'm going to remove the narrow leaf sword and put Vals in front of the intake as soon as I find something decent online to buy (Vals are hard to find for me for some reason). Also excuse my cyanobacteria... currently getting rid of it with blue exit (which by the way is working great so far! although I am on treatment cycle 2)

 

[somewhatshocked]

I use Fluval pre-filter sponges on all of my ACs and have for about 20 years. Never had an issue. Just pull the pre-filter off during each water change, squeeze them out in the bucket, put them back on.

They become great grazing areas for shrimp, as well, and that's how I'm usually aware I have shrimplets in my tanks.

 

[dezzie.mauldin]

I use Fluval pre-filter sponges on all of my ACs and have for about 20 years. Never had an issue. Just pull the pre-filter off during each water change, squeeze them out in the bucket, put them back on.

They become great grazing areas for shrimp, as well, and that's how I'm usually aware I have shrimplets in my tanks.

It doesn't restrict flow?

 

[somewhatshocked]

Not in any noticeable way. Just have to squeeze them out every once in a while if you notice flow slowing like you would any other sponge filter. For me that's every week or two. Maybe longer in some tanks? Just depends. I find that if there's more particulate matter than a sponge pre-filter can handle, there are other problems in the tank that need to be addressed or there's overfeeding. I run AC50s or AC70s on most of my 20gal tanks. AC20 on tanks smaller than 10gal and AC30 on most of my 10gal tanks. Tons of shrimp. Several community environments. Maintenance is the same as in any of my tanks running Eheim canisters with sponge pre-filters.

There are also stainless steel pre-filter options and some made from fiberglass or plastic mesh. But I find they offer less long-term reliability than sponge. Not every seller is honest about the stainless steel they use and it's not always marine grade. I've made my own on occasion but even those end up looking rough after a couple years.

One other thing to keep in mind: shrimp are climbers. So it's entirely possible your Neocaridina are climbing up the outflow and into the filter chamber. It's really tough to get around that. They love getting at the filter tasty bits.

If you put a black background of some sort on your tank, a black sponge and all of your equipment would kind of visually disappear or be disguised. You'd barely notice it in a setup like that.

 

[ProudPapa]

I agree about the pre-filter sponge. It won't restrict the flow any noticeable amount until/unless it needs cleaning. Just think of it as extra filtration (which it is).

 

[dezzie.mauldin]

I agree about the pre-filter sponge. It won't restrict the flow any noticeable amount until/unless it needs cleaning. Just think of it as extra filtration (which it is).

Ah, ok now can I get these at like petco?

Not in any noticeable way. Just have to squeeze them out every once in a while if you notice flow slowing like you would any other sponge filter. For me that's every week or two. Maybe longer in some tanks? Just depends. I find that if there's more particulate matter than a sponge pre-filter can handle, there are other problems in the tank that need to be addressed or there's overfeeding. I run AC50s or AC70s on most of my 20gal tanks. AC20 on tanks smaller than 10gal and AC30 on most of my 10gal tanks. Tons of shrimp. Several community environments. Maintenance is the same as in any of my tanks running Eheim canisters with sponge pre-filters.

There are also stainless steel pre-filter options and some made from fiberglass or plastic mesh. But I find they offer less long-term reliability than sponge. Not every seller is honest about the stainless steel they use and it's not always marine grade. I've made my own on occasion but even those end up looking rough after a couple years.

One other thing to keep in mind: shrimp are climbers. So it's entirely possible your Neocaridina are climbing up the outflow and into the filter chamber. It's really tough to get around that. They love getting at the filter tasty bits.

If you put a black background of some sort on your tank, a black sponge and all of your equipment would kind of visually disappear or be disguised. You'd barely notice it in a setup like that.

OK cool, I do my water changes weekly but I do them into a 5 gallon jug, can I rinse in tap water if I put dechlorinator in it instead or do I need to do it in tank water?

 

[ProudPapa]

Ah, ok now can I get these at like petco?

Probably. You could definitely get them from Amazon, or just about any online store that sells fishkeeping supplies.

 

[somewhatshocked]

can I rinse in tap water if I put dechlorinator in it instead or do I need to do it in tank water?

Definitely. Treated tap is fine. You could even just rinse it under the tap and squeeze it out a few times in Prime-treated water to be on the safe side if you want. The only time it could potentially become a problem is if it was your sole source of beneficial bacteria and it won't be. Think of it more like mechanical filtration (which it is) instead of just being surface area for nitrifying bacteria.

Since I suffer from severe Multiple Tank Syndrome, I have a bunch of spare pre-filter sponges. I just pop a new one into place when an old one gets clogged up. Makes the cleaning process easier and I don't have to think much about whether or not water has been treated when rinsing. If you buy two or three instead of just one, that'll make your tank maintenance life a lot easier. They're cheap, so that's my recommendation.

Like @ProudPapa suggests, you can get them just about anywhere. They're usually a lot cheaper on Amazon and sometimes come in multi-packs. Just be sure to read reviews before making a purchase, as many will include photos of actual usage.

 

[dezzie.mauldin]

Definitely. Treated tap is fine. You could even just rinse it under the tap and squeeze it out a few times in Prime-treated water to be on the safe side if you want. The only time it could potentially become a problem is if it was your sole source of beneficial bacteria and it won't be. Think of it more like mechanical filtration (which it is) instead of just being surface area for nitrifying bacteria.

Since I suffer from severe Multiple Tank Syndrome, I have a bunch of spare pre-filter sponges. I just pop a new one into place when an old one gets clogged up. Makes the cleaning process easier and I don't have to think much about whether or not water has been treated when rinsing. If you buy two or three instead of just one, that'll make your tank maintenance life a lot easier. They're cheap, so that's my recommendation.

Like @ProudPapa suggests, you can get them just about anywhere. They're usually a lot cheaper on Amazon and sometimes come in multi-packs. Just be sure to read reviews before making a purchase, as many will include photos of actual usage.

Thank you lol I had a bunch of tanks in my old apartment but when we moved it went down to just the 20 gallon and I'm In a nice spot now where I can start up my tank obsession again. Somehow I lost most of my fish supplies in the move :/ thanks for the info!

 

[evil8]

I have a bunch of spare pre-filter sponges. I just pop a new one into place when an old one gets clogged up. Makes the cleaning process easier and I don't have to think much about whether or not water has been treated when rinsing. If you buy two or three instead of just one, that'll make your tank maintenance life a lot easier. They're cheap, so that's my recommendation.

This is what I do too.