DIY Pre-Filter for Aquariums

Hey guys,
I just want to talk a little about pre-filters. So you might have heard about people putting mesh and sponges over their filter intakes for breeding tanks. Or maybe those horror stories about long finned fish such as Betta or Fancy Goldfish getting their tails pulled in by the filter. Maybe it's the old "when I go to clean my filter I find shrimp and or dead leaves". Maybe your filter clogs easy? Impellers wearing out from sand getting into the filter.
Well, if done correctly a pre-filter can minimize a lot of these problems.
IMO they reduce a lot of maintenance, as your filter will not need as much attention as it would if you had not pre-filter.
Pre-filters are cheap too. I picked mine up for less than $3 AUD. I'm anticipating that it wont need replacing for years and years (if looked after correctly).

I hope this helps!
Here's how I made my pre-filter.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• pre
• filter
• prefilter
• aquarium
• fish
• tank
• aquascape
• tropical
• cold
• water
• coldwater
• fresh
• freshwater
• planted
• fry
• baby
• shrimp
• safety
• media
• sponge
• diy
• Goldfish
• Do It Yourself
• Aquatic

[myschwettyballs]

If you keep shrimps, leave it long and use a zip tie to close up the end or they'll get sucked up thru the bottom.

[PetaPanPipes]

@myschwettyballs Yeah, that would be a great idea. I've heard of people using elastic bands too, or stuffing a plug of extra sponge in the bottom.

Mine's just to stop large bits of plant/food/poo clogging up my filter. Because where I live, shrimps are illegal to bring in :(

[lostmangos]

Neat :-)