# Killer Filter



## PalermoPenano (Jul 17, 2007)

My AC 110 has killed two of my apple snails. They were naively grazing along the filter intake, next thing you know half their body was sucked through the grate while their shells is still on the outside. This has never happened with my fluval 404 or eheim 2217, just with the AC 110. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I was looking to add a few amano shrimps but now I'm apprehensive because they may just turn into filter food.

Thanks in advance for all your advice!


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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

Turn the flow to the lowest setting, this will still allow for some level of filtration without the suction.

I would not recommend covering the intake with anything as the covering then becomes your filter.

Good luck


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## clock906 (Nov 22, 2007)

I cover the intake with a coarse/ porous sponge (i use this http://www.petco.com/product/13797/Hagen-Elite-Mini-Underwater-Filter-Foam.aspx)

Works very well. Never had any guppy fry got sucked in. Smaller particles (grain size) will still pass through the sponge (you can see that when you open up your filter for cleaning), but all the bigger pieces will be stuck on the sponge.

I think it makes cleaning easier this way. Just take a bag/cup and cover the intake area so when you take out the sponge for cleaning, the debris won't go back to your tank.

And I heard turning down the filter flow rate is not good for your motor.
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## Grey Legion (Mar 20, 2006)

clock906 said:


> I cover the intake with a coarse/ porous sponge (i use this http://www.petco.com/product/13797/Hagen-Elite-Mini-Underwater-Filter-Foam.aspx)
> 
> Works very well. Never had any guppy fry got sucked in. Smaller particles (grain size) will still pass through the sponge (you can see that when you open up your filter for cleaning), but all the bigger pieces will be stuck on the sponge.
> 
> ...


I understand your thinking but using the the flow control will do no harm to you motor what so ever.

Do you think that blocking the inlet with a sponge/filter floss is not making the filter work harder to draw water through as it clogs with debris ??

Not trying to start a argument, but you can see that both have different effects.


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## ozi (Aug 23, 2007)

PalermoPenano said:


> My AC 110 has killed two of my apple snails. They were naively grazing along the filter intake, next thing you know half their body was sucked through the grate while their shells is still on the outside.


Hi. Is that a fact that you witnessed or just a speculation of what might have happened?? Because it's kindof hard to believe that an AC110 filter could suck an apple snail right out of it's shell  Especially since you said you never had this problem with the canister filters (which I think have a higher GPH rate). 
If you haven't actually seen the sails being sucked in alive, maybe they just died (an amonia or nitrite spike, or who knows) and then they got sucked in the by the filter's input.


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## PalermoPenano (Jul 17, 2007)

Well they didnt exactly get sucked right out of their shell. Only one of them actually died, the other one miraculously survived after being stuck for 2 days. The one that died had his head and tentacles sucked through the grate. Theres no way they couldve died due to water conditions because all my fish are fine and healthy (I use my rummynose as my barometer) and if anything would die due to water conditions i think it would be the fish that will be the first to go. I have only community fishes in my tank and none of them are snail eaters, so we can rule that out. 

I have an Ehiem 2217, fluval 404 a UV sterilizer and the AC 110 for my filters. You'd be suprised at the intake power the AC 110 filter has. I took of the grills for maintenance while the filter was still running and I had to struggle to pull my middle finger out when i was rubbing of the algae build up in the intake. I tried to do the same with the fluvals and eheim and have never experienced the same power. Mind you both canister were purchsed brand new and receive periodic maintenance, more so than the AC 110. 

My snails still gets stuck on the AC 110 until now, but as soon as I turn it off they just fall off and go about their way. I guess the one that died was just unlucky and got a little too curious with the intake.


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