lovethosefish

I love my sand , but I keep having sand shoot from my output on my filter. Even though the sand has not been moved around ( not to the point that this much would come from the filter ) it continues to shoot out . I even cleaned the filter of sand on sun. I would understand if it did it occasionally but it never stops . What can I do to stop or slow this ? Water wont get crystal clear because of the sand .
I even thought of going to fine gravel , but I have eels that love to bury themselves in the sand . And OMG what a huge job that would be to change subtrate with live fish and eels in the tank . Not to mention having to probably go through a mini nitrogen cycle AGAIN .
Please help , any suggestions would be appreciated .

GreenMan13

What kind of filter is it? Where in the intake on the filter?

lovethosefish

I Have A Canister Filter . It Is For A 150 Gallon , On A 75 Gallon Tank

GreenMan13

How close is the intake to the canister to the sand? Can you take a picture? Is the output pointed at the sand bottom?

jamison

My fish guy at the LFS told me to put a sponge around my intake. I haven't put the sand in yet, but it has already worked wonders for saving my filter from waste and leftover food. I will be switching to sand in a day or so and my fish guy swears by this method. I can see how this makes sense

Attached Images

0323082117.jpg (72.1 KB, 39 views)

lovethosefish

That Is An Excelent Idea . I Am Going To Try That . Thanks Alot !

jamison

The sponge should only cost $2 at your LFS. They'll know exactly what you're talking about. If you need help setting it up, just e-mail me and I will give you a step by step. It's real easy

lovethosefish

Ok Thanks Jamison . I Am Going To Put A Sponge On The Intake Tonight When I Get Off Work . Cant I Use Any New Sponge Or Does It Have To Come From Lps ?

jamison

The one from the fish store is best because it is very sturdy and has craters that act as grabbers so that your fish can eat any extra food in case of accidental over feeding. But if you have to get a regular sponge, just make sure it's at least an inch thick. Hold the sponge upright like in my picture and with a steak knife or utility knife, cut a slit in the very top of it, just deep enough to insert the entire tip of your intake. Rinse out your sponge and just slip that bad boy on. You'll see results in 6 hours max. Hope that helps! Let me know how it works out for you or if you have any questions

lovethosefish

I Will Let You Know . But It Makes Alot Of Sense So I Am Almost Sure It Will Work . I Am Really Excited About It . I Thought I Was Going To Have To Chng My Subtrate

jamison

No way. Sand looks awesome and if I were a fish, I'd prefer it. Good luck!
Funny how owning fish is like a big awesome science project.

lovethosefish

Yes it is . I love my tanks . I have MTS ( Multiple Tank Syndrome ) , I have a 75 gallon and got a 55 gallon about 3 weeks ago . I had it set up and running the same day LOL . It is beautiful . I wish I could post pictures , but I dont have the set up for that .
My 75 gallon has a spongebob squarepants theme . My nephew painted a bikini bottom back ground for the back of the tank . It looks really good . I have several of the characters and spongebob and squidwards houses .
Your tank looks really nice !!!!

jamison

Thank you, but that's just my basic set-up. I'm still very new at this and I'm always on the look out for new stuff. The tank I have now is just a 29g, and I was supposed to get my 55tall today. That one is the real beauty! I'm going to move my Pacus into the 55 with sand and a more powerful air-stone. Maybe a skull or two and def. a large Pleco. I was going to pass my 29g down, but if I have to buy some more equipment anyway, I might buy some more fish. I love the fish I have now and I have so much fun caring for them, that it's really becoming a passion an hobby for me. I'm thinking maybe some angels. Those are my mothers favorite, but I haven't researched how big they get. Maybe I'll look around for a while and the right fish will just catch my eye one day. All the fish I really want get really big and I don't know if you know anything about Pacu, but I really have my hands full. I will eventually need a tank of several hundred gallons. It's all worth it to me

lovethosefish

Have you thought about getting any eels ? I love my eels , I have four of them . 2 Peacock eels ( they like to bury themselves under the sand and you only see their head ) their adult size is 10inches . their names are Trixie and Eddie . Then I have a rope fish ( he is not an eel , but he looks like a snake ) , his adult size will be 18 inches but I have heard that he can get bigger . His name is Oliver . Then my baby is a Dinasour eel , his adult size is 10 inches ( also conflicting reports on his adult size ). His name is Baby Boy . He loves red worms from the bait and tackle store . I like to watch Baby Boy eat , he has a very hearty appetite.
I didnt go get the sponge when I got off work last night . I have a cold and was ready to get home. My baby has a cold too .But I am going tonite when I get off . I am going to get one for both tanks .
Talk to you later Jamison , Have a nice day !

jamison

That's a great idea! I've always thought of keeping eels, but haven't been able to because Jamison and Finnigan would eat them like spaghetti. But now that I will have two tanks, it's def. a possibility! Thank you. Sorry about your cold, I hate those! Get better soon.

lovethosefish

That was agreat idea about the sponge . It began to work almost immediately. It has been on my intake for about 30 minutes and there is no sand coming from the output. The water is going through the canister with no problem . THANK YOU JAMISON !!!!!!!!!!!

jamison

I'm so glad I could help you out! Pretty good for bein a Noob I guess.
I'm so stoked, I'm setting up my 55 tomorrow night and just bought 100lbs of sand. I cant wait! I'll take pics when it's finished. Glad every thing worked out for ya.

Steve113

I tried something similar to this with an old pair of ladies tights - it was good at catching little bits, but I found that the filter didn't actually filter, but rather gathered everything around the intake. and there was a lot of crap there -food, poo, and plant debris mainly. - when the filter was switched off for cleaning the trapped debris would just fall back into the tank.

As for my intake sucking up sand, Not really a problem I have encountered - pump must be quite powerful or maybe a little close to your substrate...