Filter killing my fish?

[Shanks]

My brother (who isn't a fish expert) went into the living room this morning and saw one of our guppies caught in the filter, it's tail was apparently shredded off. Is this a normal occourance how he described it? Should I do something to block off the filter?

[ct-death]

The intakes are not strong enough to "suck up" a healthy fish, but they are known to tired a severely ill fish and can possibly ketch a fish against the intake, but it will still not br strong enough to suck it through...

Perhaps a guppy's fancy long fin could appear to be sucked in, but this would be it.

If you are concerned you can always get a sponge to place over the intake.

Oh yeah, I forgot. Sleeping fish will also be slowly drawn up against the intakes if they sleep nearby. This happens to my gouramis maybe once or twice a month, but he wakes up and all is fine.

[fishieperson321]

Was the guppy caught in the intake or did it get up into the aquarium overflow? Typically, if it is caught in the intake,the fish is and could not swim out of the current. What size tank and what filter?

Daniel

[Shanks]

Well my brother found it "wrapped" against the filter, and when it got free, it's fan-tail was gone, ripped off. It died later. Do fish often get maimed from filters? :S

[ct-death]

I know fry and baby shrimp can easily get sucked up into a filter (thus the sponges), but even with fries after 3 weeks they are strong enough to avoid the intakes.

I find it extremely difficult to believe that an intake from a normal filter could cause damage to an adult healthy fish.

[mvigor]

Basically, if the fish was weak enough to let the filter intake suck him up against it, he was dying already for a different reason. The filter didn't kill him, he was just already too weak to fight it.

It's kind of like people who think their snail might have killed one of their fish. No, your fish was at death's door and the snail scavenged him.

[Chele&Luke]

I have horrible problems with my Elite Stingray 15, to the point I've renamed it 'The Tetra-nator'. I will be changing it over to a hob real soon!!

I've banned myself from keeping them in the meantime!

After blocking the filter intake, my neons found a whole new way to kill themselves around the BACK of the filter - I'm still trying to figure out a way to block of those 2 tiny slits back there without covering the suction caps that hold it on!

Sponges should do the trick nicely on your filter tho :)

Sorry to hear bout your poor guppy :(

[riddle4sphinx]

I had that problem with guppies once..... it was a new batch of guppies i had just bought and two of them died the same way you decribed. I put a different fliter on the tank because the filter I had seemed to be too strong for guppies that were trying to gain some strength and fight off any disease after living at the petshop. And yes, their tails had shredded off too. How long has he had the guppies?

[jm1212]

are you sure it died after?

[fishieperson321]

After blocking the filter intake, my neons found a whole new way to kill themselves around the BACK of the filter - I'm still trying to figure out a way to block of those 2 tiny slits back there without covering the suction caps that hold it on!
:(

:idea: :idea: :idea:

You could always take some polyfil and place it on the back of the filter to make a tight fit. Just rip the holes for the suction cups and VIOLA!!:dance:

Daniel

[wataugachicken]

put an aquarium sponge or some pantyhose over the intake. you will have to remove it once a week or so to clean it, but it will protect the fish. you should also find out what made the guppy so weak in the first place that it wasn't able to swim away. testing your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate would be a good start.