mystery of the missing fishes

[lowell]

Yesterday when I looked into my planted tank,I noticed that some of my harlequins are missing.thought they were dead.this morning when I woke up,there's only 2 remaining fishes left,they were all gone!this evening,when I accidentally looked at my canister filter,I saw my fish stucked at the side of the filter.When I opened the filter I was surprised that all my fish was there and they were all alive! there were also some red cherry shrimp in there,two of them,pregnant.I immediately transfer them back into the tank and the 2 preggy shrimp.My question now is,will the red cherry survive inside my filter,because I left some in there?

Thanks for reading.

[Shadow]

Shrimps will survive inside the filter as long as the impeller does not kill them. They scavenger, thus they can get food inside the filter.

By the way how big is your inlet?

[lowell]

when I saw my shrimps,they're at the bottom of the canister.I hope they won't get near the impeller.The reason why they were sucked was,I made my lily pipe as my intake.now I returned it to my normal set up,the lily pipe as my output.

thanks.

[vinz]

... guess you learnt the hard way why we have the 'grill' on the intake. Thanks... I had a good chuckle to start my day.

The shrimp in the filter should be safe from the impeller if your filter media is set right. The water flows down the sides of the baskets to the bottom then up through the media in the baskets. I doubt your shrimp will find their way thru the media.

Shrimp larva will probably get sucked right through and back into the tank. Too small to be harmed by the impeller... at most it'll be a roller coaster ride for them.

[lowell]

... guess you learnt the hard way why we have the 'grill' on the intake. Thanks... I had a good chuckle to start my day.

The shrimp in the filter should be safe from the impeller if your filter media is set right. The water flows down the sides of the baskets to the bottom then up through the media in the baskets. I doubt your shrimp will find their way thru the media.

Shrimp larva will probably get sucked right through and back into the tank. Too small to be harmed by the impeller... at most it'll be a roller coaster ride for them.

yeah right..I just experimented on it to remove the slime on top of the water.Guess it won't work smoothly. so do you suggest I put them in on the tray of the canister instead of leaving them under?how often should I clean my canister?
thanks.

[vinz]

Leave them at the bottom. The bottom of a well designed canister filter is suppose to be a reservoir where the larger debris sink from the water current. There they decompose and feed the filter bacteria. Shrimps and snails in that area help to break down the organic debris.

Prescribed cleaning is once every 6 months. Just rinse the ceramic rings and sintered glass with tank water (from water change). Fine filter pads should be replaced as they will most likely be very clogged... even if you rinse them clean. Depending on the amount of waste your tank produces, your actual cleanign period may vary. You should clean it if the water flow seems significantly lower.

[lowell]

Leave them at the bottom. The bottom of a well designed canister filter is suppose to be a reservoir where the larger debris sink from the water current. There they decompose and feed the filter bacteria. Shrimps and snails in that area help to break down the organic debris.

Prescribed cleaning is once every 6 months. Just rinse the ceramic rings and sintered glass with tank water (from water change). Fine filter pads should be replaced as they will most likely be very clogged... even if you rinse them clean. Depending on the amount of waste your tank produces, your actual cleanign period may vary. You should clean it if the water flow seems significantly lower.

thanks vinz,i will follow your advise.