How to protect alevins and shrimps from the aspiration of a filter?

The protection of fry and shrimp is a recurring problem in the aquarium hobby, as well as in the world of the garden pond. In addition to pumps and filters, predators also represent a potential danger to fry.

Several solutions can be envisaged, depending on the means, the situation and the structures available. Let's see how to protect our fry and shrimp, without affecting the work of filters and pumps.

Protecting fry and shrimp: the solutions

D system and nylon stockings

Sometimes you need a quick fix to prevent the fry from being sucked in. During spawning, some of our enthusiasts use a nylon stocking to cover the filter suction strainer.

As effective as it is, we recommend considering this solution only as a temporary solution. Indeed, such a process will greatly reduce the throughput. And, as a result, the nylon stocking will get dirty very quickly.

Use secondary spaces or areas for fry and shrimp

The idea is to place the fry and shrimp in a secondary area. This will not only protect them from filters, but also from predators. Indeed, in addition to filters and pumps, you must also take pike, perch and other herons into account!

If your pond is made up of several areas, you can place your fry in the upper pond. If you don't have an alternate area, you can also put them in a temporary bin.

Fry love areas where there are plants to hide in. Moreover, plants considerably promote the reproduction of fish. And this is valid for aquariums as well as for ponds!

You can even kill two birds with one stone, and orient yourself towards plants that filter water !

Protect the fry with protective nets

If you are more in the world of the pool, we offer another solution, just as effective. These are protective nets for the pumps .

These are made with fine mesh, and which one will place when one notices that the fish reproduce. This will protect the fry, and prevent them from being sucked into the pump.

What fish are easy to keep?

You can imagine that not all fish are raised the same way. As it happens, some fish are easier to keep than others.

Viviparous fish

Among other fish, and if we are looking for more flexibility, we will prefer viviparous fish. In other words, these are those fish that give birth to fry rather than laying eggs.

The most used in aquariums belong to the Poeciliidae family, viviparous or more precisely ovoviviparous fish .

Cichlids

On the other hand, fish belonging to the Cichlid family are also very present in the aquarium trade.

Highly evolved, these fish are known to take great care of their offspring. In addition, they have the particularity of accepting all kinds of food.