Question: How Do I Help Control Water Movement From Filter?

[Zalesa]

Hi all!

I am new to the axolotl hobby and I am planning on purchasing some axolotls from the forum when my tank is cycled and ready!

Today I set up my canister filter to begin my cycle process and I noticed that the outtake valve was flowing extremely heavily, so I changed it to the spray bar. I aimed the spray bar at the tank wall like many people have suggested to help the flow and movement, however it is still moving the water pretty heavily.

I would just like to know what y'all have done to help combat this in your tanks and maybe give me ideas to help mine.

Thank you so much!
Lauryn

 

[Caesar]

Hey for mine I put a sponge at the end of my H.O.B. filter. It worked pretty good for a while but one day it left a film over the water (probably a user error of mine ).

Now, I just stack up his pvc pipes and fake branch to block the flow of water going into the tank. I was trying to do something like the first picture on this website, with what I had:
Axolotls - Housing in Captivity

Also, if the filter is meant for a 70 gal tank and you only have a 30 gal that could be a problem!! Don't get a filter that's too strong. :wacko:

 

[Holly12]

Hi all!

I am new to the axolotl hobby and I am planning on purchasing some axolotls from the forum when my tank is cycled and ready!

Today I set up my canister filter to begin my cycle process and I noticed that the outtake valve was flowing extremely heavily, so I changed it to the spray bar. I aimed the spray bar at the tank wall like many people have suggested to help the flow and movement, however it is still moving the water pretty heavily.

I would just like to know what y'all have done to help combat this in your tanks and maybe give me ideas to help mine.

Thank you so much!
Lauryn

I put a floating turtle dock under the outflow of my hob filter. I also wedged an extra piece of foam between the dock and the outflow to further slow down the flow.

 

[Zalesa]

I ended up purchasing a sponge filter and using an air flow control valve to keep it at a good flow. Thanks for the replies

 

[BadFishy]

If you go back to the spray bar, set the bar about 2 inches below the surface and point the spraybar up to the surface at a gentle angle (45 - 30 degrees). This will cause the surface to be a bit turbulent which will actually help oxygenate the water.
We know that Axies are not the most fastidious of animals so higher filtration and increased oxygen in the water is a good thing.

 

[MarieKarma1311]

I know you've already got some stuff to help with the water flow but i thought i might let you know my trick.

I have three tanks of varying sizes ( 10, 29, and 50 gal ) that all have hang on filters with heavy flow, my solution was to place a bath loofah hanging on the filter into the tank. The loofah breaks the flow of water, adds an extra layer of filtration, and the axies love to climb on them.

I hope my advice helps, its far less expensive and I have found it to work wonders.:happy:

 

[Caesar]

I know you've already got some stuff to help with the water flow but i thought i might let you know my trick.

I have three tanks of varying sizes ( 10, 29, and 50 gal ) that all have hang on filters with heavy flow, my solution was to place a bath loofah hanging on the filter into the tank. The loofah breaks the flow of water, adds an extra layer of filtration, and the axies love to climb on them.

I hope my advice helps, its far less expensive and I have found it to work wonders.:happy:

I love this idea. :angel:

 

[MarieKarma1311]

Yeah no problem, it was a life saver for me, and my axies just love to climb and hang onto them. Just make sure you rinse the loofahs out thoroughly before use.

not to mention you can get an array of colors that just adds to the decorations of the tank :happy:

 

[tipnatee]

That's just reminding me so much of the day I've got my first axie... What a joy and the horror of worrying of ever single thing that could have gone wrong. Yep that's the feeling. Today all I did with filter situation is connecting giant fine sponge filter to my canister filter . Because the sponge I use is a size of my head the water pressure that comes out just hit the top of the sponge and broke down the pressure automatically. Now solid matter never have to go in to my good filter so no longer need for filter cleaning day. The water is super polish clear ... Still have one separate air drifting sponge just for the extra clean and oxygenated.

 

[Deadpixels]

I've been looking for a way to calm down the flow of my TopFin 10 filter, so I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I'm going to try the loofa idea since they're so easy to find and cheap.

How does the spray bar thing work? Is that the kind of thing you DIY make or something you purchase?

 

[CaptainK1088]

I know you've already got some stuff to help with the water flow but i thought i might let you know my trick.

I have three tanks of varying sizes ( 10, 29, and 50 gal ) that all have hang on filters with heavy flow, my solution was to place a bath loofah hanging on the filter into the tank. The loofah breaks the flow of water, adds an extra layer of filtration, and the axies love to climb on them.

I hope my advice helps, its far less expensive and I have found it to work wonders.:happy:

Wow what a great idea this is ! I just bought the Tetra Whisper ex45 for my thirty gallon. I originally only had a ten gallon filter simply because I was trying to avoid too much water movement, but I was doing a lot of water changes. I heard going bigger is usually better, but it was obvious my axy wasn’t enjoying the heavier current. This is working great so far, and it actually looks pretty attractive in the tank.
My one concern though is a possible build up of mold overtime on top, where the loofa is not completely submerged. Maybe I’m just paranoid. :supercool:
Thanks again!

 

[LeoTheDoctor]

Five years later, this thread has helped me with the same problem. The loofah works perfectly, it's genius.