[Chet]

I noticed that the ball in the intake of my filter get clogged with plant debris. I think the ball in the intake is the big culprit. Has anyone come up with a solution to eliminate this? I think the ball aides in priming the filter.

 

[Diana]

Put a coarse sponge over it. This will trap the larger debris on the outside surface of the sponge, and allow the finer debris to pass through. A very coarse sponge is best, because a finer one will catch too much of the smaller debris and plug up too soon. It is taking over the job of the filter, and it is too small to really do this.