Baffling a small Fluval filter

[Genghis]

Hi there. I got Genghis 2 days ago and he seems to really enjoy his Fluval 2 gallon tank with lots of plants, but last night I put on the filter at the lowest setting and he was horrified, clamped, hidden behind a plant at the bottom. I unplugged it, but I would like the water to filter, so I am curious about baffling this type of filter. Does anyone here have experience? I was thinking just a piece of sponge rubber banded around it, but he hated it so much I may not use it at all. Kind of seems like a waste though.

As you can see, Genghis is skeptical.

photo-12 by havenaht, on Flickr

[toad]

In my personal opinion, you don't really ~need~ a filter for a single fish. I know a lot of people use them in every tank, right down to the one gallons, but I don't like them, and don't think they are really needed, especially if you keep live plants.

I have a 10 gallon and two 3 gallons, all unfiltered with live plants. The water stays crystal clear (except for that week I had a weird bacterial bloom in the 10 and it looked horrid). I do a 25% on the 10 once a week, and twice a week for the 3's.

I just set up a 20 gallon that does have a filter, because I need something to oxygenate the water and make up for the bioload for the tetras I'm going to put in there. But I wish I didn't need one!

If you really want to use the filter, I'd definitely try the sponge baffle. You could also try a water bottle, but you'd need to get creative with it to make it stay... The sponges are cheap enough that if it doesn't work, you won't have lost much on it.

[battered]

What a lot of people do with the Fluval Spec is make a small slit in the tubing of the filter. It works well even with a halfmoon; I've done it personally. Also, it's beneficial because I have a small Hagen adjustable heater in that small compartment. Cutting that slit means more circulation in that area, which allows for the heater to heat much more efficiently.

You can also try to angle the filter upwards and to the side against the glass to minimize the amount of direct current the betta feels.

In my opinion, take advantage of the filter on the Spec - it's very good for its size.

[staffylover]

can you attach a spray bar to the outlet and face that downwards or towards the bottom of your tank? I recently had the same problem with the filter in my Juwel tank and I bought a diffuser for it and then pointed it downwards against the glass and there is hardly any current now and my boy is happy with it

[Genghis]

Thanks all for the helpful advice. I have yet to see how the plants affect water quality - perhaps I don't really need to filter. The slit idea sounds like a good one. I wonder if I couldn't just put the mouth on the inside of the filter compartment as well.

He was pretty angry with any moving water, so maybe I'll try it altered one more time, then quit if it's too much for him.

Thanks again!

[battered]

Take a look at this. Has some suggestions for covering the mouth of the filter. http://plantedtank.net/forums/showth...ow+fluval+spec