Power filter - intake location

T

Twilight

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Sep 9, 2002
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Power filter.....how far down do u have your intake? What is the best place?

Hi there....

I have a 55gal tank. I also have Aqua Tech 30- 60 {330 GPH}. I use sponges in it. Do I need another Aqua Tech? I was thinking of getting one. I have two power heads and also an undergravel filter. My main question is .....how far down should I have the intake? Now it's about two 1/2...three inches from the bottom. I have the following fish.... 2 green severens, 2 jellybean parrots, four clown loaches, 1 pleco.

Thank you.
 
I have an Eclipse 2 system on top of my 20 gallon high. I didnt do any mods to the extension tube they gave me and the screen attachment on the end sits about 1/4 in. above my gravel on the bottom. Depending on how I clean the gravel some weeks it is touching the intake. The one thing I have noticed is in being that close to the substrate bits of food get trapped under it and you don't see this unless you move it periodically. When I do my cleanings occasionally I will find some freeze dried shrimp under there... just my $ .02 , shoot for some space between it and the substrate.

sm
 
My intake tube on the 125g is 4"from the gravel bed and on the 30g 6".The 30g is higher because the tank is high.On both tanks I have enough room to clean the gravel under the tube.
 
just below middle

I have the intake tube about 4 inches above the gravel bed in my 20 gallon. When I had my 45 gallon set up I had it at about 3/4 of the way to the gravel bed since the filter dumped the water down pretty hard. I wanted to avoid the filter sucking up mainly the water it had just dumped out...
 
I prefer to keep my intakes low in the tank, but this is based on seeing most of the waste fall to the bottom of the tank. If you run a RFUGF, the waste would be up in the water column, so the low placement wouldn't help. I also try and have my filters in between the powerheads, so the powerheads push the waste to the intake.

For small tanks, that have no powerheads, low and centered is preferable, IMO. I have a small tank at work setup with sand, so the intake can't be sitting on the sand, but it's pretty close. Helps keep it cleaner, I think.
 
I keep my intakes a few inches off the top of the substrate. Fish waste is heavier than water, and thus sinks. So it makes sense to me to keep intakes low to pick up stuff as it settles down. Seems to work well enough for me. As OrionGirl as said, that changes if you run a RFUGF.

HTH
-Richer
 
Re: just below middle

Originally posted by rohai
..... I wanted to avoid the filter sucking up mainly the water it had just dumped out...
Click to expand...

Excellent point..

I keep mine lower to the bottom. Most waste particles are heavier and sink..
 
Thank you all for your thoughts. Now what do you think of adding another power filter in my 55gal? Like I posted I have a 30/60 {330 gph} filter with sponges in it. Should I have two?
 
If the fish can take the extra current and if the tank has a lot of decor or plants, add the extra filter. I have a Fluval 304, Penguin 330, and an AquaClear 500 on my 55g. The Fluval and Penguin are on one end with the AC on the other. The intakes vary from 1" to 6" above the bottom.
 
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