[Abettanamedaugust]

Hello, I’m new to forums.

Here’s the thing: I have a 20 gallon long tank that I had had cycling and uninhabited for months. I Added hardscape and plants about maybe 6 months ago. I now have about 3 red rili shrimp and 4 Amano shrimp as well as 6 neon tetras and 2 nerite snails. (These were all added over the course of the last 6 months.) I’ve been dealing with a funky intake and output on my canister filter that I really don’t like at all. The intake tube is too tall and the output attachment doesn’t stay suctioned to the glass for more than 2 hours.
Now for the fun part. I decided I’m going to replace the input and outtake but am lost as to what type of attachment would be best. I’ve already decided I would like an intake with a surface skimmer; so that is taken care of. It’s the output that I’m curious about.
Does anybody have a suggestion as to the best types of output attachments for a shrimp tank? I want good circulation but I don’t want the current to be too strong for my plants. Mainly I’m worried about my rotala. I don’t want it being disturbed too terribly. And I also am not really sure what kind of current my fish and shrimp would do best with.
Any guidance or experiences would be super helpful!

 

[Blue Ridge Reef]

Welcome to the forums! If I knew the brand and model of your filter I might be able to make a suggestion that would suffice for a while. We'd need to see hose diameter and such to consider attachments. But I'd personally almost never suggest a canister for anything under 40 gallons or so, especially with shrimp in the equation. My immediate thoughts are to buy an Aqua Clear 50 and put the provided sponge over the intake to protect any baby shrimp that might survive the neons. But if you'll give some more info on what you are working with, I bet the members here can come up with something.

 

[Abettanamedaugust]

Welcome to the forums! If I knew the brand and model of your filter I might be able to make a suggestion that would suffice for a while. We'd need to see hose diameter and such to consider attachments. But I'd personally almost never suggest a canister for anything under 40 gallons or so, especially with shrimp in the equation. My immediate thoughts are to buy an Aqua Clear 50 and put the provided sponge over the intake to protect any baby shrimp that might survive the neons. But if you'll give some more info on what you are working with, I bet the members here can come up with something.

Hello! Thank you so much for your suggestion. Right now I have a cascade 500. I knew going in about the possibility that it was gunna be overkill but at the time I was planning to overstock the tank with schooling fish. I have since changed my mind but am still using the canister. I removed the activated carbon it came with and filled it with sponge and bio rings when I first got the shrimp. I believe all cascade canister filters use the same size hose if I’m not mistaken. I honestly have no clue what the diameter is though.
My only thing about the Aquaclear is that I really don’t like HOB filters. That’s me just be picky though. I have one on my 5 gallon betta tank and I complain about it all the time haha. There is literally nothing wrong with the performance of an HOB, it’s simply the look and the trickling noise I always end up hearing at times. Honestly though, if it means my shrimp will be happier then of course I’d get one for the 20 gallon in a heartbeat.

 

[Zoidburg]

Have you looked into a baffler for the HOB? Could probably either make or buy one.

Can't really help in regards to your canister though.... I'm sure that something could be made or modified for it or purchased.

 

[Abettanamedaugust]

Have you looked into a baffler for the HOB? Could probably either make or buy one.

Can't really help in regards to your canister though.... I'm sure that something could be made or modified for it or purchased.

That’s a good idea actually. I might use that for my 5 gallon. Not sure why I never thought of that before.

 

[AVN]

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn't know too much about using surface skimmers in planted tanks so I'll skip that question.
What kind of filter are you using? Most canisters have inline valves that you can use to adjust the flow both ways.

If you want good intake attachments for a shrimp tank you should consider chopping off the tall intake and replacing the end with a sponge filter. Not the best for physically filtering leaves and debris but it will provide an amazing benefit for shrimpies.

 

[Abettanamedaugust]

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn't know too much about using surface skimmers in planted tanks so I'll skip that question.
What kind of filter are you using? Most canisters have inline valves that you can use to adjust the flow both ways.

If you want good intake attachments for a shrimp tank you should consider chopping off the tall intake and replacing the end with a sponge filter. Not the best for physically filtering leaves and debris but it will provide an amazing benefit for shrimpies.

Oh I never thought to shorten the intake. That is a big issue with my current intake because it’s too tall. That would help quite a bit.
I use a cascade 500 canister filter. And yes, thankfully I did learn I could adjust the flow rate with the valves when I got it. My biggest issue is the output shape(?). I guess “shape” is the right word? The attachments it came with are just not cutting it for me. The shape of the hard plastic pieces are awkward and don’t fit well on the rim.

 

[AVN]

Well there are a variety of shapes you can buy to attach to your output, depending on what you want to accomplish. I personally like the spray bar default to eheim filters so that is what I use in most tanks.

For canister filters I think almost everyone is in love with lily pipe attachments. https://fishlab.com/lily-pipe/

 

[sudhirr]

The link was a fantastic article. Good read.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Abettanamedaugust]

Well there are a variety of shapes you can buy to attach to your output, depending on what you want to accomplish. I personally like the spray bar default to eheim filters so that is what I use in most tanks.

For canister filters I think almost everyone is in love with lily pipe attachments. https://fishlab.com/lily-pipe/

Thank you for the article! It was very helpful. I’m starting to wonder if I should get a simple HOB since someone pointed out it’s better for shrimp. So many things I wish I knew to research before I started. I guess you never stop learning in this hobby though.

 

[Zoidburg]

Thank you for the article! It was very helpful. I’m starting to wonder if I should get a simple HOB since someone pointed out it’s better for shrimp. So many things I wish I knew to research before I started. I guess you never stop learning in this hobby though.

A lot of shrimp keepers actually use sponge filters rather than HOB's... just have to set them up in such a way that the bubbling of the air pump (or the pump itself!) isn't annoying... which is rather easy to do with several of the different sponge filters.

I've got a dual sponge filter in my tank that attaches to the wall via suction cup. I plan to upgrade the tank some day and switch over to corner HMF filters.... fancy sponge filters

 

[Abettanamedaugust]

Thank you for the article! It was very helpful. I’m starting to wonder if I should get a simple HOB since someone pointed out it’s better for shrimp. So many things I wish I knew to research before I started. I guess you never stop learning in this hobby though.

A lot of shrimp keepers actually use sponge filters rather than HOB's... just have to set them up in such a way that the bubbling of the air pump (or the pump itself!) isn't annoying... which is rather easy to do with several of the different sponge filters.

I've got a dual sponge filter in my tank that attaches to the wall via suction cup. I plan to upgrade the tank some day and switch over to corner HMF filters.... fancy sponge filters

That’s a good point. I’ve realized, as I’ve gained experience, how much needless worrying I did about the filters and “not having enough filtration”. I will definitely be getting a simple sponge filter for my next tank. I want a grow out/shrimp breeder tank next! (I swear this hobby has made me an addict 😅)