betta is struggling against the filter. What can I do?

[prettykitty123]

I just set up a filter on my 10 gallon tank (a Tetra Whisper PF10 filter with a medium BioBag cartidge). Everything is working perfectly, but my betta fish, Swimmers, is struggling to swim to the other side of the tank.

I have been checking on him every half hour and it looks like his two tiny fins near his face are swimming at warp speed, trying to work against the waterfall affect. I tried a tip I found on YouTube that you take a water bottle that the ends have been cut off and the middle is cut lengthwise and put under the filter and the cover. It won't stay and just sinks under the weight of the waterfall.

I don't know what else to do, but I don't want Swimmers stressed again. I just got him to eat normally and got his fungal infection cleared up. Any tips?

[Kithy]

I use duct-tape for my filters :X Gotta try and keep it dry while you're putting it on there.

In all honesty, you don't need a filter though. You can make do without if you can't tame it.

[Bluewind]

An odd question but is it the uptake or the output that's causing the current? And do you have the tank full enough of water if it is the output to keep the falling water from having a long distance to fall?
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[callistra]

Don't remove your filter. You can't cycle your tank without it

Make sure your water is almost all the way to the top.. I fill mine just below the black frame around the tank.

Set the flow as low as possible. Add a Prefilter sponge: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...efilter+sponge
And baffle by using a rubber band or silicone band to attach a large pore sponge to the outake.. make sure you are still getting decent bubbles below as that's what's actually aerating your tank.

If that's still not enough you'll need a different filter. I use an Aquaclear 20. Others like the Fluval C Series.

[prettykitty123]

Originally Posted by callistra

Don't remove your filter. You can't cycle your tank without it

Make sure your water is almost all the way to the top.. I fill mine just below the black frame around the tank.

Set the flow as low as possible. Add a Prefilter sponge: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...efilter+sponge
And baffle by using a rubber band or silicone band to attach a large pore sponge to the outake.. make sure you are still getting decent bubbles below as that's what's actually aerating your tank.

If that's still not enough you'll need a different filter. I use an Aquaclear 20. Others like the Fluval C Series.

I didn't know I had to have the water level in the tank that high. I always thought you had to have it lower than the black frame. No wonder the waterfall effect is so strong on my filter! I will fill the tank up more and see if this helps. Thanks!!

[prettykitty123]

Okay, I filled my 10 gallon tank up more to where its about 1/2 inch below the black part at the top of the tank. This has reduced the waterfall effect of the filter to where Swimmers isn't being blown to the other side of the tank, but I discovered another problem this morning...

I noticed that Swimmers is going up to the surface of the fish tank more often than he used to. Its like he is wanting to blow bubbles or suck up more air. In fact, for almost 30 minutes, while I was in my bedroom cleaning up, he spent most of this time close to the surface of the tank.
Is this normal? Could this be because I filled the tank up with more water?

[jenjen182]

Hmm.. odd. My tank has a filter and it does do the waterfall effect, but my betta has no problem with it. However, I always do fill it up again so much that the water from the filter only falls a very short distance so the impact doesn't have as much strength. He probably is happier that the waterfall is gone, so I would just keep watching him.

Best of luck to you!

[Viva]

Originally Posted by prettykitty123

Okay, I filled my 10 gallon tank up more to where its about 1/2 inch below the black part at the top of the tank. This has reduced the waterfall effect of the filter to where Swimmers isn't being blown to the other side of the tank, but I discovered another problem this morning...

I noticed that Swimmers is going up to the surface of the fish tank more often than he used to. Its like he is wanting to blow bubbles or suck up more air. In fact, for almost 30 minutes, while I was in my bedroom cleaning up, he spent most of this time close to the surface of the tank.
Is this normal? Could this be because I filled the tank up with more water?

It may be because he realized the current in the tank has slowed significantly and his bubble nests won't get destroyed. I took the aeration wand out of my 10 gallon and within a day my Cinder had blown a pretty sizeable nest, something I had never seen him do before I took the aeration wand out.

[sainthogan]

I have that same exact filter in one of my tanks and you need to have the water perfectly level with the water output, otherwise, the waterfall effect will be too strong. If it's perfectly level, the surface water will be completely still, then you know you've reached the right height.