Cuttle fish and powerheads?

**treefiddy** · Dec 12, '08, 3:56am

First thanks for the cuttles Daniel they arrived not hatched so I'm just waiting,Now I'm interested in confirming my suspicions I have two koralia 3's in my 55gal are those going to be dangerous for the cuttles and if so what power heads do you recommend?

**Thales** · Dec 12, '08, 9:32am

Any power head that you cannot cover the intake with foam is dangerous for cuttles, specially small ones.

**treefiddy** · Dec 12, '08, 12:12pm

Do you know another brand that move a good amount of current but you can cover the intake of?

**Thales** · Dec 12, '08, 2:47pm

You can cover the intake of any of them with foam - like you would use with an aquaclear hang on back filter. Good amount of current is subjective, so I can't really help you there. There may even be a way to cover the intake area of the koralia, but you would have to play with that.

**L8 2 RISE** · Dec 12, '08, 4:17pm

If it's possible for you to drill a closed loop in, that would be the best option, I personally never plan on, nor will put a ceph in a tank with powerheads just because of the possible danger, it's not worth it IMO. Also, it would be very easy for you to just set up some plumbing for a hang-over closed loop. No drilling or anything, just pvc and a pump, not expensive, and not as much of a risk to cephs.

**Thales** · Dec 12, '08, 4:37pm

Originally Posted by L8 2 RISE

If it's possible for you to drill a closed loop in, that would be the best option, I personally never plan on, nor will put a ceph in a tank with powerheads just because of the possible danger, it's not worth it IMO. Also, it would be very easy for you to just set up some plumbing for a hang-over closed loop. No drilling or anything, just pvc and a pump, not expensive, and not as much of a risk to cephs.

It seems that a closed loop would present most of the same dangers as a powerhead would. In either case, the intake must be ceph proofed. What do you see as the difference between the two?

**L8 2 RISE** · Dec 12, '08, 5:15pm

Originally Posted by Thales

It seems that a closed loop would present most of the same dangers as a powerhead would. In either case, the intake must be ceph proofed. What do you see as the difference between the two?

It's waaay easier to cover up and keep unwanted things from going down. Also, even if you were able to cover up the intake on a powerhead, an extra curious octo could end up putting its arms in the output too far... I just think closed loops are way easier to keep stuff from going down, and, as an added bonus, are more aesthetically pleasing, as in some cases, you can't even see it, and in others, it's easy to camoflauge as apposed to a big black box in the aquarium...

just my

**Thales** · Dec 12, '08, 5:38pm

How is it waaay easier to cover up?

**esquid** · Dec 12, '08, 6:20pm

Originally Posted by Thales

How is it waaay easier to cover up?

you find that more unbelievable than anything purposely going in the outflow of a powerhead?

**Thales** · Dec 12, '08, 7:09pm

Nope, I just don't see how covering the intake of a closed loop is any easier than covering the intake of most powerheads.

**DWhatley** · Dec 12, '08, 11:16pm

I was assuming he meant something along the lines of siphon in and power out but I suspect a detailed description is in order.

**L8 2 RISE** · Dec 14, '08, 5:33pm

I don't uderstand how you would cover the intake of a powerhead such as a koralia or other similar pumps with sponge easily and thoroughly... You'd have to wrap the sponge around it and cut it to fit or something.... obviously I'm missing something

I've never had anything but closed loops except for a very little 25 gph turned down to the slowest possible "setting" on my 2 gallon and never plan to use anything but closed loops. It's way easier IMO because instead of having a round sort of grate-type thing on pumps like koralia's, you have a round pvc opening that there are actually sponge fittings you can put on, or mesh, or pretty much anything.

As for the arms being sucked in thing... I was visualizing a pump such as a koralia, as that is what this thread was started about, and it just seems to me that it wouldn't be too hard for an octo to stick it's arms into the "grate" around the pump and somehow get them into the impeller..

obviously I'm missing something here

**cuttlegirl** · Dec 14, '08, 8:04pm

I think I finally understand...

**Thales** · Dec 14, '08, 8:13pm

Right. Like I said earlier, you would have to experiment with a koralia, but I think it would be done. Any other kind of power head, like a maxi jet, has an intake that is essentially a piece of pipe which can be easily covered in foam or whatever.

**treefiddy** · Dec 20, '08, 8:24pm

Thanks,for the input I think what I'll do is to put a pump in the sump with a output going in over the side so as to eliminate the intake all together and I've taken precautions on my overflow...

**Paradox** · Dec 21, '08, 7:18pm

For a cuttlefish, the koralia are probably fine without modifying it. The intake is very dispersed unlike typical powerheads. I run vortechs without any modified covering and they are much much stronger then koralia pumps. Once in a while I would see a cuttle against a vortech. I would walk closer to the tank to turn the pump off, thinking that it was stuck, but the second it see me, the cuttlefish leaves the pump on its own. Ive later learned that they sometimes like to do this or play in the flow. However, if the cuttlefish is weak and dying, just like any animal, it may get stuck in the pump. This situation often causes the incorrect conclusion that the pump was the cause of the cuttles demise, not realizing that the cuttlefish was dead or dying prior to it getting stuck in the pump.

**treefiddy** · Dec 27, '08, 10:03pm

Thanks a lot paradox I'll go ahead and leave the koralia 3 then... Out of the four eggs by the way three hatched awesome unfortunately the ten gal hatchery didn't work out and I lost one but the other two are doing well it seems,I think possibly the flow was to bothersome and made it difficult to get the food.