I would bet on the fish being sick. Fish cannot be sucked in unless you are talking about a BIG powerhead or something and little fish. Even then, the fish are smart enough to stay out of the strong current IMO.
AC 500 killing my fish left and right
- Thread starter rdelbalso
- Start date
Well, the tank isn't cycled yet, having only been a few days. There might be traces of ammonia that you just don't see on your test that, having been combined with the stress of the fish being in a new envioument, killed them.
I use prime every time I add water to the tanks, but i think for most of the water in the fresh tank I didn't use it because I put the water in the tank 4 or 5 days before I added the fish. I have been told many times instead of treating water before adding to your tank you can just let it sit for a day. I figured this is essentially what I was doing for 4 days. Is this wrong? Maybe that could explain it.
If you have only chlorine, yes, sitting out overnight will be fine. If your water contains chloramines, they won't gas off. Important to check with your utility to make sure which treatment is appropriate. Many areas are changing over from chlorine treatment to chloramines, since the chloramines are effective for a longer period of time.
Ok. the hagen rep just emailed me the following response:
The Aqua Clear 500 is three times the size you need for your aquarium. This may be why you are experiencing excessive flow from the output. This may also be the reason fish are getting stuck to the input. If the motor is vibrating, I suggest you return it to the retailer as it is most likely defective. It should run completely silent. I suggest you exchange it for a smaller unit, like the Aqua Clear 300 which is suitable for aquariums up to 100 gallons, or the 200 for aquariums up to 50 gallons. There is also a flow control on these filters which can be used to reduce the flow. When you bring the filter back to the store, I also suggest you bring a water sample to have it tested. If there are any problems with the water quality, this may be causing the fish to become weak, which will explain why they are getting sucked into the filter as well.
Do people agree that the AC500 is way too big for the tank? I didn't buy it from a store, but it came with the tank used. I have read that many people use this size on a 55 gal.
The Aqua Clear 500 is three times the size you need for your aquarium. This may be why you are experiencing excessive flow from the output. This may also be the reason fish are getting stuck to the input. If the motor is vibrating, I suggest you return it to the retailer as it is most likely defective. It should run completely silent. I suggest you exchange it for a smaller unit, like the Aqua Clear 300 which is suitable for aquariums up to 100 gallons, or the 200 for aquariums up to 50 gallons. There is also a flow control on these filters which can be used to reduce the flow. When you bring the filter back to the store, I also suggest you bring a water sample to have it tested. If there are any problems with the water quality, this may be causing the fish to become weak, which will explain why they are getting sucked into the filter as well.
Do people agree that the AC500 is way too big for the tank? I didn't buy it from a store, but it came with the tank used. I have read that many people use this size on a 55 gal.
I don't think it's that oversized. I plan on running 300's on my 55's, but they will be lightly stocked. I would be comfortable running a 500 on a 55, and up to about a 90 (totally understocked). Bigger than that, and I won't run just one filter. If there's serious noise, it might be a problem, but it could just be the impeller chamber needs cleaning.
Heck, I've run an AC 300 on 10 - 20 gallon tanks for a long time, and never had any problems with fish getting sucked up.
Heck, I've run an AC 300 on 10 - 20 gallon tanks for a long time, and never had any problems with fish getting sucked up.
Thanks OrionGirl for your responses. I didn't think it was too big. I did try to clean the implellar housing already and it didn't make any difference, I might try that again.
Check the impeller to make sure it hasn't chipped. The littlest chip can cause some serious noise issues, but they are easily and cheaply replaced.
If you are still uncomfortable with the amount of suction, get an extra sponge block, cut a hole in the small end, and shove the intake into the whole. It will require cleaning, but this will prevent fish from getting stuck on it. I've done this in aquariums where I had small fry I didn't want trying to hide in the intake tube (silly killi fish!).
If you are still uncomfortable with the amount of suction, get an extra sponge block, cut a hole in the small end, and shove the intake into the whole. It will require cleaning, but this will prevent fish from getting stuck on it. I've done this in aquariums where I had small fry I didn't want trying to hide in the intake tube (silly killi fish!).
Thanks, I will check that. If I still have problems I will replace it and maybe use your sponge idea. I just checked my city water report and we only have chlorine in there currently. They are going to switch to Chloramine in December.
