Near Death Experience

[Ikebana]

So I've had my betta for nearly 2 weeks now, and he's such a character! He loves to play with his filter. He'll swim up to where the water comes out of the filter and inch forward until he gets hit by the current. It's pretty funny and he seems to love it!

So this morning I wake up and watch him be a happy fish enjoying his tank. I go do chores, internet for a while, and come back to put something in my room.

Well he's in a weird position when I walk into my room. Kind of diagonal and perfectly still. It takes me a second to realize that he's stuck on the intake of the filter. Of course I drop everything and just about trip over myself to turn off the filter. The cute little bugger must have seen me because he started flailing as if to say "Help mom! I'm stuck!".

Filter got turned off and he instantly swam around at mach 5 enjoying his freedom from the filter of doom. I haven't turned the filter back on yet. It's a Tetra Whisper for 2-10 gallons and he's in a 5.5. Is there a better filter I can use? Or someway I can prevent him from getting sucked into the intake?

He loves his filter and plays with it all the time, so it doesn't surprise me that he got stuck, but if he gets stuck while I'm at work he may not live long enough for me to save him again :(

[Pogthefish]

tie a thin cloth around it untill it sucks less

[Fieldz]

Put a sponge around the filter intake. The bacteries will use the sponge as a house, it will work as a mechanical filter, and, the most important, it will not let your betta get stuck again.

[Pogthefish]

the cloth works the smae as a sponge if u fold it and its cheaper :)

[Bombalurina]

It is less porous, though, and can cause the filter to struggle. A sponge allows more water flow and is more porous (therefore a better home for bacteria). :)

[Fieldz]

Both are good, but I still think the sponge is better because of the bacteries which can live in it.

[lilyth88]

Agreed on the sponge.

[Pogthefish]

mmkay, lol