filter and substrate question

[karen99]

I just have some questions on the best filtration and substrate for Malawi's.
I bought a used tank which came with a non-working HOB filter. I like HOB's; I use an Aquaclear and find they work well and are cheap and quiet, plus this new tank's hood is already cut to fit a HOB.
But I know from experience that HOB filters, sand substrate, and digging fish DO NOT mix... the filter sucks the sand up and it gets caught in the impellor.
I have plenty of spare medium-small gravel and sand available... so I'm trying to decide between options:
1) Gravel substrate, HOB filter (which the fish might not enjoy as much)
2) Sand substate, some other filter (but I can't afford an expensive filter like a canister filter)
3) Sand substate, HOB filter with a spare filter sponge stuck over the filter intake, and hope that works to keep sand out of the filter

 

[IceH2O]

Option 3 is your best bet if you're worried about the sand.

I have a sand substrate but use a Penguin 200 and an XP3, both intakes are about 3 or 4 inches off the sand and don't suck up any sand. If there is any its usually less than a quarter of a teaspoon. I used to use sponges on the intake but don't bother anymore.

 

[karen99]

The problem I had was when a grain or two of sand would get lodged around the impellor... it would make an awful grinding noise and I would sometimes spend 1/2 an hour trying to find that grain. After nearly a year of having to pick sand out I finally switched to gravel in that tank.
And, I just don't want that problem with my cichlid tank. The sand didn't seem to do any real damage to the pump but it was just a major annoyance.

 

[~*LuvMyKribs*~]

Try and get the finest grain sand as possible... that will help if any happens to get into the intake.

Keep the intake tube 5 inches or so off the sand. Add a sponge around the intake... you can buy sponges for this purpose that are small enough to catch the sand but porous enough to allow enough water through.

IMO adding a canister wont help much in terms of reducing sand getting caught in the filter... my XP3 rarely gets any in there but it did at first a bit.

Granted, only the larget of the Aquaclears will be enough filtration for Malawis. They are so messy, they can really benefit from extra filtration.


-Diana