Would a "Prefilter" Solve my AquaClear 110's "Bubble Sucking" Issue?

[ClinicaTerraLTD]

Okay, so torrents of bubbles from one of my 18" bars at the back of the tank continue to cascade into, and be sucked up by, my AquaClear 110's intake pipe/strainer (and I realize this should eventually do some kind of naughty stuff to its impeller), and thus I am getting that continuous, droning, annoying "box full of rocks" noise from the 110 as it cuts the bubbles into microbubbles and unhouses/unseats the impeller...it is beyond annoying even sitting feet from the tank looking at it in our recliners, but due to the layout of the tank and what I was trying to accomplish with the "bubble curtain" in the back, these bars just can't work anywhere else but along the back glass, unfortunately putting one of them directly under the 110's intake strainer...

Here's my question -- would some kind of "prefilter" that I keep hearing about, which primarily keeps small fish from being sucked against the strainer, work to relieve this bubble chopping issue? If I were to add some kind of prefilter onto the AquaClear's intake strainer, would this eliminate some of the bubbles getting sucked up into it? If not, is there something else I can try such as putting a mound of substrate on that one spot of the bubble bar to block the bubbles from being sucked up?

If the prefilter could work, where would I find one and how do these install exactly? I have no experience with them...

Thank you, everyone, in advance...

[CrunchyLeaf]

Maybe you could take one of the aqua clear filter sponges and cut it down a little bit, then put it over the intake so that the air bubbles can't be sucked up whole by the AC110.

[Honey Badger 1]

Applying just a bit of common sense with the placement of your bubble bars/filter intakes can be very very effective in managing to sort that issue out without requiring waiting for 14 replies [It's hard to imagine that you really need to ask that].. In other words try it and see.

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[ClinicaTerraLTD]

Maybe you could take one of the aqua clear filter sponges and cut it down a little bit, then put it over the intake so that the air bubbles can't be sucked up whole by the AC110.

I had read that perhaps removing the bubble bar and adding some kind of tape to the area that sits beneath the filter intake to "block" the bubbles coming from that area could work...

Any thoughts? Would "tape" leech some kind of unwanted toxins into the water?

[Lady10Godiva]

I wouldnt want to put tape in a tank.

For your prefilter what I like is to use the aquaclear 30 size foam and then take a steak knife and cut it twice down the middle in the shape of an x, not going all the way through. Then you can just wiggle it on over the bottom of your filter. They are super cheap (can get a 3 pack for less than $5) just about anywhere, and then you have backups for if you mess up cutting one or when they get really gross or fall apart. I would say it is worth a shot to clear up your bubble problem because it might be a cheap and easy fix then. It will just add to your maintance a little because you have to clean the yuck off them too.

Good luck

[ijankrom]

For your prefilter what I like is to use the aquaclear 30 size foam and then take a steak knife and cut it twice down the middle in the shape of an x, not going all the way through. Then you can just wiggle it on over the bottom of your filter.

That's what I've done in the past, works great.

[Lady Hobbs]

Move the bubbles so they don't get sucked up by the filter. This applies to all filters, not just the AC.

I keep my bubblers in the center or front of the tank just for that reason. (And cover them with substrate.)

[MrJim]

Doesn't putting a "pre-filter" on this simply make it a sponge-filter with a powerhead? Will the filter material in the AC still be getting enough "food" for the biological media to remain active or will it all be concentrated into the pre-filter?

[Cliff]

Sometimes this simpliest solutions are the best. I would move the bubbler

[ijankrom]

The pre-filter would be to small to convert all, the bio-media in the filter compartment will get plenty to survive.