How to get rid of lily pipe inlet algae?

[Dscheng]

It happens sometimes in my tanks too, the nerite snail somehow manage to get into the lily pipe (either via the tank glass or nearby plant leaves), they stick very strongly to surfaces so can even move against flow.

If its in your outflow pipe, do watch that it doesn't crawl all the way into the canister filter, as once it reaches the impeller, it'll get wedged and jam it up (nerite snail shells are very hard) and that will cause damage to the filter.

Best to disconnect the hose and push the nerite snail back out with a flexible brush... can clean the pipes at the same time too.

Yes, it managed to crawl up. Oh gosh, it spend around 2 hour cleaning my lily pipe. Now quite clean haha. However, it is smart, it dont dare to crawl all the way to the hose. I lazy to take out and clean, haha.

[Dscheng]

how did it get in? hahaha..

Wah he can withstand the flow rate. POWER !

Yes it can withstand my 600/h flowrate, like UA mention, it stick on the surface very tight. What a hardworking snail !

[Dscheng]

Hi all,

I am back with lily pipe. Is intake with the sponge ok? I am worried my shrimplet and smaller shrimp will suck into the canister. When i do cleaning, i actually discover 5 to 6 small shrimp inside my canister! At the same time, i am also worried the intake speed will be affected.

[Urban Aquaria]

With that type of sponge guard, shrimplets will not enter the filter... though due to the higher density of that sponge material, the intake flow will be restricted, so it'll tend to reduce the overall flow rate. You will also need to clean that sponge regularly as it will clog up very quickly and further slow down the flow.

Its actually okay for shrimplets to enter the canister filter, they will live and grow in there until you retrieve them during the next filter maintenance (lots of food and bio-film for them to graze on in the filter), and they will be protected from being eaten by the fishes in your tank too. Its a win-win situation.

While installing a sponge guard is okay, i do find it abit visually obtrusive, especially when nice glass pipes are used... it adds an extra bulky thing to an otherwise clear pipe that was originally meant to look invisible.

[Jimmy]

i'll prefer to use those stainless steel mesh instead of sponge guard, at least it won't restrict the flow and still prevent shrimplets from being stuck in.