ok so I know many you have sand in your aquariums and many of you have Canister Filters so sand is't really an issue for you guys. I on the other had can't get a Canister for this particular one. So my only option is a HOB (hang-on back) but i hear that if sand gets in the impeller it will destroy it,so what can I do to keep sand out the filter???????????
will making the intake tube shorter work???
I cant get a sponge filter becuse I really dont like how it will show up. So how do you guys keep sand out of your HOB filters ????????????

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I have black tahitian moon sand in my tank and it's mostly pretty heavy. When I first put the sand in I cut the tube on my hob in half. So now instead of hanging 4 or so inches above the sand it hangs about 6 or 7 inches above the sand. Even with all the air flow and fish I have sand doesn't get in the hob. Not sure if it's because the sand is so heavy or not.

The sand doesn't fly up when I put new water in the tank. Guess it's because I have so many fake plants that it shields the bottom from all the current.

Is that you tank in that pic. It looks great!!!!
How much did you pay on that sand ??

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I have just regular play sand from the home improvement store. Anytime I am messing around in the tanks I just turn the filters off. So far, no problems. The guy that I bought the tank from said he got sand in his impellers and they made more noise than usual as a result. I had to replace one impeller because of that. Sand is fairly heavy and stays put.

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I have sand in just about all of my tanks which counts to 21 and I have never had a problem with it getting into the filter impeller. Clean the sand good, and slowly add water to the tank. I use a plate sitting on the sand while filling. Just make sure the sand is settled before putting the filter on the tank.

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SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY YEARS, NOT MONTHS!!!
220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

thanks, thats what I did and its working so far I only wanted to make sure it will work long term lioke you guys said

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If you can't/don't want to use a pre-filter, then turning off the filter while performing any type of maintenance is really your only option.

You get some nylons and fix around the inlet as well. Cut a small swatch that is big enough to cover the basket, put a light film of silicone on the basket careful to not block the ports and then cover. Let cure and you have an instant strainer.

i have also recently had problems with that

its my first sand aquarium and i found the filter stopped
so i took it out and found about a tabelspoon of sand near the propeller area
so im thinking of putting nylon on it but im cunfused because i want the dirt/scum to go in the filter but not sand.......
i forgot what the sand is called but its a fine grain sand
extremly soft
it feels like powder

If you're using a hob filter don't even bother honestly. There's done sponge filters that can be covered with rocks or plants. Sponge filters can do the job on a small tank too. You'll find it will make a grinding noise that will be continually more and more activating until it is too loud to stand.

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