# external filter outlet cover



## simon Coram (15 Nov 2016)

While cleaning my tank i had to evict about 10 shrimp from my filter that must have been sucked up the outlet. At the moment I've got a bit off filter floss covering it. 
What do you use over them?
The white floss seems too fine, is it best just to use some black bigger holed filter sponge and wrap it.


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## Lindy (15 Nov 2016)

You can get stainless steel shrimp proof inlet strainers.
http://www.shrimpandscape.co.uk/filter-intake-guard-182-p.asp


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## dw1305 (15 Nov 2016)

Hi all, 





simon Coram said:


> is it best just to use some black bigger holed filter sponge and wrap it.


If you have shrimps I'd definitely have a sponge pre-filter. As well as keeping shrimps (and other bits) out of the filter, the shrimps will use it as a browsing surface.

If you want a small neat sponge, the ones they sell for the Fluval Edge should do, <"Fluval Edge Pre-Filter Sponge">.

I like a much more substantial sponge (in PPI10 or PPI20 sponge), so I either DIY one from a sponge sheet (sewn up with nylon thread), or <"I use the drilled sponge blocks they sell for Koi filters">. 

cheers Darrel


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## SinkorSwim (21 Nov 2016)

Agreed with dw above, the pre-filter option is the best. I have bought the sheet pre-filter online at a very cheap price but had to wait whilst it was shipped via sea freight. I was able then to cut and DIY a HOB pre-filter. Only I used Gel superglue to bind the sponge. There's alway one or 2 shrimp grazing on it.

I've heard of Nylon stockings being used to cover the filter but haven't tried it myself, yet.

I've moved away from conventional internal filters where shrimp are concerned and now only use sponge filters - easiest for maintenance, are cheap and as long as you have a decent air pump, will do the job and never kill a baby shrimp.


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## Fiske (29 Nov 2016)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, If you have shrimps I'd definitely have a sponge pre-filter. As well as keeping shrimps (and other bits) out of the filter, the shrimps will use it as a browsing surface.
> 
> If you want a small neat sponge, the ones they sell for the Fluval Edge should do, <"Fluval Edge Pre-Filter Sponge">.
> 
> ...



I have one of those Fluval sponges, and aside being horrified retrospectively by the price; I'd advise against it. *It clogs really fast*. Go for something more substantial with a larger pore size.


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## JMorgan (6 Dec 2016)

Despite having a fluval 406 on one tank I recently fitted its intake with an Eheim prefilter - they go for about £10 on eBay. I did have to bodge the pipe work a bit to get things to fit together. Though most of my filters are simple internal sponges, where I have HOB types these also have sponge prefilters, not because I have any shrimp at the moment, but because they just make a huge amount of sense to me. Its very easy to fall into an "out of sight - out of mind" trap with stuff inside canisters and HOB's, especially if you're a bit lazy like me, so I prefer to have the mechanical filtration where I can see it and do something about it regularly.

The good thing about the Eheim prefilters is that while they are more expensive they do unclip for cleaning really easily and the sponge Eheim use is decent quality - there's nothing worse than nasty polyester (not polyether) foam as it clogs very fast as Fiske said, but also doesn't have any resilience to its internal structure and so deforms making it much more difficult to clean.

Thanks for the link to the koi filters Darrel - I'm going to get myself some of those!


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## dw1305 (6 Dec 2016)

Hi all, 





JMorgan said:


> The good thing about the Eheim prefilters is that while they are more expensive they do unclip for cleaning really easily and the sponge Eheim use is decent quality


I've got <"these on one"> of the tanks as well and they work really well.

cheers Darrel


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