Filter too strong for Betta?

Ethand

Gday guys,
Just typed out a big long thing & then the forum crashed when I posted... CBF retyping haha... No idea what happened to the drafts that got saved since that disappeared too!
Basically I’ve just introduced my Betta, Alpha, to his new 42L tank. He’s come from an unheated 6L bowl & is loving it, gets along great with the 10 Neon Tetras he’s sharing it with too!
Looks like the filter might be too strong for him, though - the Tetras have been in the tank cycling it & had no issues at all zipping around, but Alpha, with his big fin surface area & less powerful swim, has been blown about by the filter a bit. He spent most of his time in the new tank hiding in the ‘caves’ in the driftwood, chilling at the bottom of the tank & underneath the filter/wrapped around the heater. I turned off the filter about 40mins ago so I could feed everyone & he’s a completely different creature with the filter off! He’s been zooming about (peacefully!), spending most of his time at the top of the tank & not going anywhere near the filter/heater.
Any tips on how to get the filter to be less aggressive? I’ve got the spray bar angled directly upwards since I figured that would make things less intense, but please correct me if there’s a better way to do it!!
This here is my filter:
https://www.theonlinepetshop.com.au/p/aquarium-filter-power-aquacare-prof-ac900f-900l-h-for-fish-tanks/016004
Any clue if it’s adjustable in how strong it is? I think it could easily pump out half as much & be far more suited to this tank! Any help greatly appreciated - proper tank setups are all very new to me!
Ps excuse the colour of the water - driftwood is also new-ish, so still releasing tannins despite me boiling/soaking it & doing daily 30% water changes!

Frayk

Hi Ethand, unless you can clamp the filter outlet somehow,i can only suggest a smaller filter.As your tank isnt over stocked it shouldnt be a problem,perhaps slightly larger water changes??? Alternatively there are some pretty good external filters on Ebay.
KOGAN 400LPH, for an example, check em out
Fantastic looking tank m8,real nice,congrats.Cheers.

Frayk

Forgot to suggest ditching the spray bar, too much back pressure [load] on the filter.

Bob

Hi Ethan,

I think you are over-filtering (42 ltr x 900 l/hour) is a bit much, your water needs contact time with you bio-filter to do it's job. As identified flow-rate is also too high for Alpha. Generally speaking I don't recommend restricting flow as that will cause damage to the filter itself.

I usually direct the flow down the nearest wall of the tank, this does produce a fair bit of turbulence but only in the immediate area of the side. Do not direct the spray bar directly at the side and this will also increase pressure in the filter itself.

Tank looks very nice, well done.

Water colour is fine, both the Betta and neons will appreciate the tannins being released into the tank. Crystal clear water is not a feature of either of their preferred bio-topes.

Ethand

Thanks guys, sorry just saw this now - I mustn’t have email notifications active on this forum!
I’ve actually managed to fix the issue by just changing the angle of the spray bar... someone on another forum suggested angling the spraybar at roughly 45 degrees towards the top corner of the tank. This has both hugely reduced the turbulence in the water & has massively cut the biofilm I was getting on the water surface...
All inhabitants are still getting along great, too! 😊

Pokitren

Ethand said:

I’ve got the spray bar angled directly upwards since I figured that would make things less intense, but please correct me if there’s a better way to do it!!
This here is my filter:
https://www.theonlinepetshop.com.au/p/aquarium-filter-power-aquacare-prof-ac900f-900l-h-for-fish-tanks/016004BP
Any clue if it’s adjustable in how strong it is? I think it could easily pump out half as much & be far more suited to this tank! Any help greatly appreciated - proper tank setups are all very new to me!
Ps excuse the colour of the water - driftwood is also new-ish, so still releasing tannins despite me boiling/soaking it & doing daily 30% water changes!

It's strange that I can't see your link. It says that the server is not found.
I'm looking for a new filter, so I'm interested in the options on the forums.

CirLoM

Pokitren said:

It's strange that I can't see your link. It says that the server is not found.
I'm looking for a new filter, so I'm interested in the options on the forums.

I have the same problem. Apparently that site no longer exists.