Dispersing from a power filter?

[Shenanigansmo]

Hi guys n gals! I'm new to the axolotl scene. I don't have any yet, but I'm hoping to pick up my first little guy this coming weekend at the Hamburg, PA reptile show. I've been doing a bunch of research for about a month or two, so I'm hoping I'm doing things correctly so far.

I bought one of those 10 gallon kits that comes with hood, power filter, light, the whole shebang. It has been up and running for about 3 weeks now. I have play sand in the bottom, a couple of hides, some fake plants, and one large real plant. I have one small Danio fish in it to hopefully help get the cycle going. I plan to take a sample of my water to my local aquatics store today to have it tested (fingers crossed that it passes!).

There's one issue that I am pretty sure I need to resolve before I pick up my new critter this weekend. I've noticed that the power filter (the hang on back type) is fairly strong and puts out a decent current. I've got the large real plant in front of it to help disperse the falling water, but I'm wondering if there's a way to slow it down?

So the point I'm trying to make (in a lengthy way) is, is there a way to disperse the water as it falls out of the filter, slow it down, or should I just put more stuff in the way?

Help?!

 

[Donna001]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. :happy:

There are a few ways to lower the water flow on a filter. I have two types of filters in my axolotls tanks. One type is with a spray bar, which I have sitting below the water line with the holes in the spray bar angled up and towards the glass. The other filter I have is a waterfall type filter. I have that sitting quite low in the water, with the water up to the maximum line. Ways to further reduce the flow include any, or a combination, of the following:-
Putting plants in the way (which you have done)
Putting a hide underneath the flow, so the hide breaks the water flow and the axolotl can shelter from it
Putting a hide underneath but with a rock (or other decor) on top, which will break the water flow even higher before it gets to the hide
Using something like a clean piece of filter sponge attached to the outside of the filter just below the outflow, which will also reduce the water movement.

I hope that some of these suggestions help.
Please keep us updated on your progress and it would be great to see pictures of your axolotl when you get it. :happy:

 

[Shenanigansmo]

Thanks for the help. I was thinking about adding a few stacked rocks by the plant as well. I'll check out a spray bar. Where would I get something like that?

 

[Donna001]

The filter I have came with a spray bar, but I guess you could just get some plastic pipe of the correct size from a hardware store and drill some holes into it.
Or hopefully someone else will post some information on spray bars. :happy:

 

[gbed92]

I have just a regular filter on one end which I point towards the glass but I also put a plant underneath just to break up the flow even more. At the other end I have a moving bed filter to help keep ammonia down and that creates a lot of surface movement but nothing underneath the water.

My axolotl sits next to the filter because of the fresh water. And I've seen him sat on top of the moving bed filter in all the bubbles that are coming up. He seems to like it sometimes.

To slow down your filter you can also try using a denser filter media like filter wool or putting a bit more of your current media in. The density will slow down the amount of water that passes through the filter so it doesn't create such a big outflow.

At the end of the day your Axolotl will tell you if it likes its conditions or not. I think my axolotl is broken because he seems to do everything he isn't meant to do lol