GDT78 Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 What would be the best filters for shrimp only tanks ? 1. Under gravel 2. HMF (hang matten filter) / sponge filter 3. canister 4. etc ?? I am using ADA Aquasoil in all of them with here and there some moss, crypts, Buces, java ferns, anubia petite. The tanks currently are: A few 5gal with hang on back filter 10gal with canister 15gal also with canister I have some stainless steel mesh as pre-filter over the filter intakes so that the baby shrimp stays out of the filter. The downside of too many canisters is maintenance. Do you guys reckon it would be better to go for a sponge filter / HMF as it would be able to cater for more bio film & bacteria etc ?? Purplelizard9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 OKay, here's my opinion. For years we were on the roll of using canisters and any other filtration we could to over filter the tanks and have as pure water as possible. The result? Shrimp that became over sensitive, and would die extremely easily if not kept in sterile conditions. In my opinion, using a sponge filter/HMF is just fine and will increase the hardiness of shrimp for more enjoyable keeping from hobbyists. mayphly, svetilda, jem_xxiii and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
californiashrimp Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Anything really. Sponge is fine. I run canisters because I want to make sure my tanks are over filtered. I don't think an UGF is worth the time it takes to set it up. HOB's (I like Aquaclears) are good as well. Haha I guess I recommend using anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 What I like to do is use an HMF and of course having air run the jet lift but I also put the intake of my eheim behind the HMF. I figure more water flow through the sponge is a benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Here's my 2 cents: I like to run an oversized Aquaclear HOB filter (with a Han stainless steel filter cover) so I can use things like Matrix and purigen. I keep the flow on the lowest possible, and I even sometimes switch out the impeller for a smaller one so the flow is even slower. I also use a double sponge filter for 2 reasons other than just the increased bio-filtration. 1. I get more surface movement so more oxygenation. 2. I then have a backup in case of power outage. I can just hook up a battery powered air pump to the airline hose and I have aeration plus filtration. Shrimp Life 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 Everyone will have their own opinions through personal experience and what has worked best for them. Really you can't go wrong with any of the options, it boils down to what works best for you with the space and size of aquarium given. With where my aquariums are at within my household, space, and the needs I wanted met a canister filter was the best choice in my opinion. I wanted something extremely quiet, that knocked out the majority of filters. I have plenty of room I really love the amount of room canister filters allow us to use for biological filtration. I don't feel it is over filtering your aquarium if the primary means of cleaning your water is through biological filtration. I do recommend adding a Choice Bubbler or something comparable for the increase surface agitation and oxygenation that canister filters are missing. As to your maintenance conclusion, I rarely ever clean out my canister filter. Maybe once every 6 months if that. How often are you cleaning yours, and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivergardennursery Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 My .02 I Import, grow, breed a lot of very fancy Goldfish and now shrimp. I have gone through every type of filter system you can imagine. After 12+ years, I am back to sponge and HMF filters. I have a lot of tanks running at a time and the electricity cost of an air pump for a lot of tanks or single tank is minimal. Also power outage as mentioned above, you can run off backup systems. They do look ugly and take up more space, but I still use them in almost all my tanks. They also are easy to maintain and isolate if need be Now if you want to talk about Koi..... well my filters and pumps are more in the 10K range for each pond, but the Koi are in the 2k range each Vpier, svetilda and Soothing Shrimp 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimp Life Posted February 17, 2016 Report Share Posted February 17, 2016 I use sponge filters and the hang on filters with sponge on the intake, that works for me so I don't bother changing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZIr Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 Currently running a 6 tank (10 gal) setup using air driven HMFs 30ppis from Swisstropicals for 8mths now. Found them very stable with shrimps breeding successfully. Added benefit of an ultra economical setup as all were powered by a single Hiblow 20 Soothing Shrimp, Rivergardennursery and Vpier 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josu2 Posted February 24, 2016 Report Share Posted February 24, 2016 One filter that you don't hear much about but I have quite liked is Deep Blue's BioMaxx 10, which I would recommend for 5 and 10 gallon tanks. Pretty good flow rate for a 10-gallon rated filter (~100 gph) and it is adjustable down to what looks to me like about half that. The intake has narrow enough slits that I have watched ~1-2 week old shrimplets eat detritus off of it without harm, making the need for a cover less immediate (though still recommended). More important, has a pretty nice sized volume and basket area, not too much smaller than an AquaClear 20. Better yet, you should be able to get at or below $15. I recently got another one on sale at my LFS for $10. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d0pey Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 I run 3 tanks each with different filters! Sponge, canister, and hob. Canister is definitely my favorite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggznfinz Posted March 4, 2016 Report Share Posted March 4, 2016 I love my 30 ppi Hamburg Matten Filters from Swiss Tropicals. Lots of different filters will work so you need to pick what works best for your situation. I had over 3000 gallons running last year. Running canister filters would have been cost prohibitive since I would have needed 100 more electrical outlets. Also think of the electrical cost. I ran 100 tanks or so off a jemcho air pump and a DIY air system. Only 141 watts to run the majority of the tanks. The other tanks are part of a 500 gallon Aquaponics system that used pumps but that's a different topic. I think the filters you have now will work fine as long as they are maintaining your water quality. HMF will work well if you have one or many tanks. However If your shrimp addiction is getting worse and your going to keep adding tanks then i would highly recommend you looking into the HMF. Any reason you are wanting to switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggznfinz Posted March 4, 2016 Report Share Posted March 4, 2016 Also I have heard some people say that HMF are unattractive. I think if you are creative they can look really nice. I used black sand, black 30 ppi and the glass was painted black as well. The filter was cut a little big so there is a slight bow that hides the jet lifter tubes. I think it blends in well. Sorry this was shot with a bad camera and I had just disturbed the sand so there is a lot of particles floating in the water svetilda and Soothing Shrimp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plamski Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Undergravel filter running with air.API Sponge filter / cleaning once a month/ Classic Eheim with eBay prefilter box. In prefilter I have filter floss and Purigen. The canister is full with bio media only. In Prefilter I clean and replace the floss + replace the purigen every 2 months. Canister get maintenance ones per year. 20 something shrimp tanks from 15gal to 40 gal.All of them have this setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240ric Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Undergravel filter running with air.API Sponge filter / cleaning once a month/ Classic Eheim with eBay prefilter box. In prefilter I have filter floss and Purigen. The canister is full with bio media only. In Prefilter I clean and replace the floss + replace the purigen every 2 months. Canister get maintenance ones per year. 20 something shrimp tanks from 15gal to 40 gal.All of them have this setup. plamski, do you have a link for the eheim classic canister pre filter box that you use? Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davesays Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Assuming the prefilter box works by overflow, how do you prevent shrimp from entering the prefilter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vpier Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 Been in the fish hobby for 30 years, about 15 years ago decided that UGF's suck. UGF are a sewer traps and causes more problems down the road. Ever take down a tank using UGF for a few years and finding it chock full of nasty gunky buildup underneath? Leads to old tank syndrome. UGF's are an old antiquated way of keeping or are for newbies. At one point in my carreer I had over 1800 tanks in a large warehouse with some rare very expensive WC african cichlids with nothing but air driven sponge filters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plamski Posted March 8, 2016 Report Share Posted March 8, 2016 With shrimps it is different.Very small amount of waste, not much roots and plants.Most people restart their tanks every 2-3 years either way because substrate won't buffer any longer.Malaysian trumpet snails help a lot too. Here is one fast video of 1 of my tanks. LMK if something around filtration is not clear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jvHR6E3zww Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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