Ugh! Soooo frustrated!

I put a Fluval pre-filter sponge on my filters intake for when I brought home 2 berried female shrimp. They had the babies and the filter worked great. I recently had to take it off, because it was getting clogged (regardless of daily rinsing and squeezing out), which caused a huge current reduction that was starving my Bamboo shrimp. The babies were about 3/4 cm when I did this.

I was cleaning the tank this weekend and took out the filter media to see if any babies had been sucked up. Didn't find any babies, but found and adult male! (And I haven't really seen any babies since). I don't know HOW the male made it past the impeller - he must be some kind of super shrimp! The babies grew super fast and I'm hoping they've just upped their size and that's why I haven't really noticed them in the tank lately.

All my females get yellow or green saddles, but never get to the berried stage, (probably b/c of the 2 guppies, who don't bother them at all, but I'm sure would eat the tiny babies if they could). So, I don't have to put the pre-filter sponge back on unless I get lucky and my shrimp finally breed..... but now I'm afraid the big ones are going to get sucked up the filter and NOT be lucky enough to make it past the impeller. (My husband noticed that the impeller moves up and down, so he was thinking maybe it moves out of the way if there is debris and maybe that's how the shrimp made it....)

So, first I couldn't get them to breed, now I've got adults trying to kill them selves! I just can't win!

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

IS your filter a canister?Many of the canisters the flow lands in the canister before it comes in contact with the impeller.Not uncommon.Actually a friend who bred bettas did her canister maintenance every three months I believe.Once she found a betta fry in her canister,that had obviously been there awhile.He was stunted from living off the organisms in the canister,and was a quarter the size of his siblings,lol.But he was a fighter for sue to go so long being stuck in there.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

A couple of other things too....how high is your water level? If the level is at the very top, the shrimp will actually climb over the HOB outflow and into the filter. (this is of course if it's an HOB). I find Pearls all the time and have even watched them do this.

As for the pre-filter, I would look at changing it if it is impacting things that much. Look at getting a box of AC10 sponge filters. Get one soaking wet, place on saucer and then in the freezer. Once it is frozen (even to the saucer), you can drill a hole through the middle of it almost all the way through. The hole should be slightly smaller than the intake tube. Works perfectly.

Hint: By letting it freeze to the saucer, makes it so much easier to drill the hole through. ;o)

It's a HOB filter.

And the water is really high. Crazy things - I wonder why they would swim into the filter lol. I'm hoping the male did that and didn't go through the whole system.

I'm hoping the babies are just bigger now and didn't get eaten by the impeller.

Hm.... will have to try the frozen sponge thing. (I'm guessing I don't drill all the way through, so that they won't get sucked up the bottom too right?) And, are AC10 sponge filters just the replacement filters for an Aquaclear filter? Do they not get gunked up so fast/as much?

Thanks!

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

Yep, I get them at PetSmart. They come in boxes of three. They aren't as porous as the sponges you are currently using. This still allows ample flow through the filter. And the are squared which makes for a better fit too.

Sweet! I shall have to give this a try!

Thanks every one!

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36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981