Filter current question?

KingTriton

I bought a little aquarium kit for my betta. It's just a small tank with an under gravel filter. There's a plastic tube that carries air and bubbles up. When they come out it creates a quite a strong current on top of the water that is hard for my poor fish to swim against. Is there anything I can do to help minimize this? I read somewhere else that you can put a small plastic cup of some sort over it to keep the flow in 1 place. I'm just wondering what you think. Should I try something else for her instead? I don't want to stress her out by moving her around too much.

Dave66

Bettas are still water fishes; they exist in weed-choked, swampy pools in SE Asia. They aren't equipped, even in their natural form, to fight current. If your air pump has a rheostat, adjust the speed of the bubble to about one per second. If not, I believe Whisper has a model with a rheostat on top to vary the amount of electricity and thus the amount of air pressure.
You will need to address the problem, as constantly struggling against a current is detrimental to your fish's health.

Dave

herefishy

Add floating plants.

KingTriton

I asked this question on another forum and was told by one person to remove the filter completely. Even if the water in a tank this small cannot be completely filtered, wouldn't keeping a filter in it be better than none at all? I'm scared to turn the filter off, but would you think it might be better for her to do so?

I think I am going to tie string around the plastic tube carrying the air from the pump into the tank to help decrease the flow until I can get an actual one to clamp on at the store.

Flashygrrl

I'd just get a few elodea like herefishy says...might make Betta even happier with something to munch on and "hide" under.

KingTriton

Since I don't have time to get any plants right now, I've just cut a cup to fit around the top of the filter to keep the current in one small place. It has definitely slowed down the current and my fish now enjoys swimming around the top like she used to before the filter was introduced.

SST

Yippee!