Reducing water flow from filter?

[callistra]

Just fyi I put another piece of the sponge that normally goes inside the filter and in less than a week my cycle crashed.. I wonder if maybe it stops the flow so much it depleted the oxygen levels in my tank and the bb can't survive without oxygen..

[finnfinnfriend]

Ive seen other people using a sponge on the outflow to slow it down a bit. I don't see how it would be a problem if it is a sponge with large pores. I would think it would provide extra housing for the BB....If it does end up messing anything up, I think stuffing some extra sponge in the media box would slow down the flow...

[callistra]

My media box is full to the top. I got the cycle back to normal in only 3 days so it just depleted it a bit. I added a low flow air stone and used a different sponge that didn't slow down the flow quite so much.

[finnfinnfriend]

Originally Posted by callistra

My media box is full to the top. I got the cycle back to normal in only 3 days so it just depleted it a bit. I added a low flow air stone and used a different sponge that didn't slow down the flow quite so much.

How is the new sponge different? Does it have bigger pores? And what is the airstone for?

[Blue Fish]

I've used the sponges for the last couple of months, and they've worked great, no upsetting the cycle, but I also started the cycle that way, so maybe that made a difference.
If you're worried about blocking up the outflow, you can also take a peice of glass, like from a frame, and block off about 3/4 of the tank on the side with the filter, so there's still some water movement and the O2, but the flow is occluded from reaching the fish. Basically you're creating a little alcove for the filter with the glass.

[callistra]

Bigger pores and the air stone adds more oxygen to the tank since there is little breaking of the surface with the sponge in place now.

[Atena]

I've had a baffle on both ends of my filter and have no problems with them. I also added one under where the water comes out to disperse the water to keep from creating a current.

I don't have a bubbler and Beta's don't need oxygen as they are air breathers, so this has never been an issue for me, though my tank is only 2.5 gallons and I do not have a cycle setup. I have tried but it just won't stay stable in the tiny tank.

Guppy hates ANY water movement, instantly gets stressed and starts biting his tail. so it is something I watch very closely.

[finnfinnfriend]

Oh yeah and I've heard you can put some sponge inside of the intake stem. Has anyone tried that and does it work well?

[callistra]

I've put one around it.. works fine. I wouldn't put a betta in a tank with an HOB filter without one.

[Virto]

Originally Posted by finnfinnfriend

Oh yeah and I've heard you can put some sponge inside of the intake stem. Has anyone tried that and does it work well?

You can wrap the intake in sponge or you can take the cap off and stuff it full. The built-in filter for my 5-gal hex tank is way, way too strong if I don't baffle the intake.

In a pinch, you can wad up a ball of non-scented paper towels and use it to plug up most of the intake stem. Just position it high in the basket so it reduces the area open to the water. Change it every few days to prevent it from getting scummy or from falling apart.

Eventually, I switched to using filter sponge to baffle the intake, but because it flows, I also had to baffle the outlet by cramming some filter sponge pieces into it. As long as the water continues to flow, and the filter basin doesn't overflow or sit stagnant, there's nothing to worry about.