Filtration for Apisto Aquariums

[Levin Tilghman]

Any suggestions for filtration systems? Something that will work efficiently but not suck in baby fish in a breeding situation? Especially for a larger aquarium?

 

[gerald]

air-powered sponge filters are probably the safest for breeding tanks.

 

[larryl]

I like the "mattenfilters" from Swiss Tropicals, just a foam slab with an air-driven tube that pulls water through it and back into the main part of the tank: http://www.swisstropicals.com/library/mattenfilter/

Super gentle but really good biological filtration.

 

[Mike Wise]

I use both with success.

 

[TCMontium]

If you plan to grow the fry in the same aquarium for a few week/months or you want to have also some fry-safe fish like hatchetfish, some pencilfish, farlowellas, otocinclus etc. then you might want to get an external filter with more filtering power and volume for biological filter material than sponge filters. I use thick and fine pored filter sponges or sponge filter sponges to cover the filter intake. I also use a woman's sock or a filter media bag to cover the sponge for stability, easy cleaning and extra fry protection. With the thick layered and fine pored sponge the intake power of the filter both decreases and is spread to a larger area, so it doesn't even catch a newly free-swimming fry (of course, that depends on how powerful your external filter is, I just used Eheim Classic 2211 and Tetra EX 400 for Apistogramma breeding tanks).

 

[allentwnguy]

I second sponge filters. I'll run 2 (sit on the bottom sponge filters) in each of my larger tanks allowing one of the filter sponges to be cleaned and replaced with out harming the biological filtration capacity of the tank. In smaller tanks I run those suction cup to the glass filters with 4 sponges on 2 intake rods. Again I can clean 1 or 2 sponges leaving the rest alone. Should a tank run into trouble (cloudy water, debris, whatever) I have 3 fluval c2's I can hang on the front of the tank temporarily with whatever filter media needed. If there's fry in the tank and I'm worried they may get pulled in I'll put an sponge over the intake tube.

 

[henkh]

Spongefilter or Hamburger mattenfilter. I am a huge fan for the last system.

 

[allentwnguy]

I have always admired the sheer amount of filtration capacity of a mattenfilter and the grazing area for shrimp. But my worry has always been how to clean it in an established aquarium with lots of fry or shrimp. Mattenfilters go to the glass bottom and if substrate is involved....

 

[Mike Wise]

Yes, that's my only concern with matten filters. But, since I only clean them when tearing down a breeding tank and remove all the fish first, they aren't that much of a problem.

 

[allentwnguy]

Yes, that's my only concern with matten filters. But, since I only clean them when tearing down a breeding tank and remove all the fish first, they aren't that much of a problem.

Then it makes sense to have all that good filtration. While I don't consider myself a breeder I have about 400 cacatuoide fry and couldn't imagine trying to clean a mattenfilter with them around. Also a breeder would most likely have a bare bottom tank making it a breeze, especially if have an extra filter and just do a swap out.

 

[Mike Wise]

My grow-out tanks use sponge filters; easy to remove, flush and replace. I like mattens only because the don't take up much visual space for their surface area.