koi fry will they get sucked up by 7/8" input hose (no screen) to filter?
Hi,
I've got koi fry (1/4" to 3/8") in a 75 gallon stock tank with an external canister filter Hydro Prime 10 (90 gallons per hour). There is string algae lining the walls of the stock tank and string algae floating in the water.
I have positioned two 8" airstones in one corner of the tank where I have the input hose which has a 7/8" diameter with no screen. I have the output hose in the same corner of the tank.
The question is will the koi be sucked up through the 7/8" diameter input hose (no screen) to the filter?
The idea of the 2 airstones is to keep the koi fry away from the input hose. The airstones form a 90 degree fence and the input hose is behind this air fence.
I had tried putting a screen on the input hose but the string algae plugs the screen and eventually the prevents water flowing through the input hose.
Is this setup going to work without sucking all the koi fry through the filter? Has anyone else done something similar?
Thanks
Many of us have experienced similar challenge though with different set-ups and have dealt with it in different ways. As you described it, I think there is a good chance many fry will get sucked in. To your advantage, the pump is not too powerful. To your disadvantage, the fry are still very small, the container is rather small, and there is no screen.
You might try making or getting a screen with very small holes, but with a large frame to spread out the suction. Two plant baskets wired together or a 5 gallon bucked with holes drilled in it can serve as the frame for the screen. Cheesecloth or mosquito netting can serve as the screen, but it may be better to double it up, as they can slip through holes that are pretty small. You may also want to get as much of the long algae out as you can. You probably don't have to wipe it all out, just get it under control enough that is won't clog up your screen so much (which you might have to clean often). Hope it works okay.
I have a 24 hour update. Many fry were sucked into the filter. About 20 were found alive at the bottom of the canister.
This is not a good idea of not having a screen on the in take hose and counting on the air stones to create a fence/barrier.
This is akin to random culling.
I am trying to make a large area screen (with small holes) as Matt24 has suggested. Thanks for the suggestion Matt24!