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Sponge filter in planted nano

B

brodnig

Member
Joined
21 Dec 2011
Messages
33
Location
Bigton, Shetland
Hi all,

New member here - possible stupid questions alert! I have a Fluval Flora aquarium and, when funds permit, will be setting it up as a planted shrimp tank.

I want to use the tank as close to 'stock' as possible i.e. using the kit that comes with it rather than buying new lights, CO2 kits etc. However, one addition I am considering making is replacing the supplied filter with an air-powered sponge filter.

The main reason for this is to preserve baby shrimp, i am keen to breed shrimp in this tank and don't want the wee babies getting minced in the impeler of the supplied internal! I also think it may be easier to conceal a simple sponge in the tank using a few well placed plants.

Plants i am planning are Marsilea hirsuta, Crypts annd mosses. Perhaps some easy stems as well.

To get to the point: Will the lack of flow supplied by a sponge filter lead to growth/algae problems? And, will an air-powered sponge provide enough filtration for a shrimp only tank (I am looking to start with around 10 shrimp)?

Sorry for long post. UKAPS has been a goldmine of information so far, couldn't find much talk of air powered sponges though (maybe a reason for this!)
 
Most of the internal filters for nanos are super safe with shrimp so no worries there.
If your budget isn't very tight I'm recommending you Dennerle's nanos, they come fully equipped with everything you need to keep a planted tank with shrimps.

More info here

Mike
 
Many thanks for the responses. :thumbup:

I had planned to keep the system fairly 'lean' as you say BigTom, mainly to keep costs down. I'm not bothered about slow growth as long as things remain relatively healthy and algae free.

The Dennerle Nano filters look good and I see they are advertised as 'shrimp safe'. Chances are though I would stick with the supplied internal rather than buy another. Interesting that you say that shrimp are generally safe with internal filters for nano aquaria - maybe I'm being a bit overcautious.
 
BigTom said:
If in doubt you can always fit a bit of sponge/tights over the filter intake.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea. I suppose tights stretched over the intake wouldn't reduce flow too much either.
 
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