Fluval 104?

[andrew]

Okay so i got a fluval 104 off of ebay, do you think this will be to much waterflow? I think i will put a pillbottle with holes drilled in it on the end. Good idea? Thanks

 

[paris]

you could also zip tie a section of fiberglass screen over the end, if you bunch it up real big (in a sort of bag shape) that can provide an additional buffer from the intake tube incase your worried it may suck them in if the get close, you could do the same on the output to help baffle the flow, but it also should have a means of adjusting the speed of the intake, if not you can put a stopcock valve in the intake tubing section to slow down the inflow

 

[cynthia]

Andrew - as I said before I have several fluval 204's for the axolotl tank I use the pill bottle drilled full of holes. There is a picture of it here:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/27579.html#POST41460

scroll to the bottom of the post.

 

[jennifer]

The water flow rate on the 104 is adjustable. If your filter doesn't come with a manual, write back. I use a bowl of pebbles to baffle the outflow.

 

[andrew]

A bowl of pebbles? how do you manage that? It that pillbottle attached somehow? or is it just floating there? You guys really fill the tanks up with floating plants huh? Are those just plastic plants floting? Thanks

 

[andrew]

Oh i see the rubber band, very clever!

 

[cynthia]

Andrew - That is a twisty tie not a rubber band

When that picture was taken my tank did have live plants in it. That is floating hornwort you can see. Floating thick plants help block the light from the tank floor.

Now that it is getting warmer I decided to remove the lights because they create heat, so the live plants had to go too.

Jennifer - how are you using a bowl of pebbles to baffle the flow of the fluval 104?

 

[jennifer]

Here's a photo I posted:
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/7618/7828.html

There is no attachment of any kind on the end of the outflow tubing. The water wells up through the rocks. If this were an axolotl tank, the water could be higher, covering the top of the container of pebbles. For newts, this water level gives them a nice hangout on top of the pebbles.

(Message edited by jennewt on May 09, 2005)

 

[brian]

Very cool.

 

[cynthia]

Jennifer - very cool idea, I would have never thought of that.

 

[andrew]

Dang, Genius.... Can the flow get out well? Does it stress the pump any? Thanks

 

[jennifer]

I don't think it stresses the pump, the water flows out quite easily. The lever that can be used to reduce the flow rate from the fluval 104 basically just partially cuts off part of the flow on the way out of the filter; this must be more of a stress to the pump than the gravel would be.