EMERGENCY FORUM - MP40 kill fish?

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MP40 kill fish?

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Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
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Topic: MP40 kill fish?

Posted By: spike
Subject: MP40 kill fish?
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 3:17pm

Does anyone have experience with their MP40's or 60's being strong enough to suck in fish? I have lost two tangs now since getting my MP40's and have found them both sucked to the power head. I'm fully aware that this can happen for a number of reasons if the fish is sick, being picked on, not eating, etc but the two tangs I've lost now have been perfectly fat, full, and healthy. I've seen them often picking algae off the power heads like many other places in the tank, but I just can't make sense of this. I'm not necessarily trying to diagnose a problem with my tank as I've had a reef tank for 10 years and understand my params and such, I'm just curious if anyone has had this experience with the power heads and if so do the black mesh covers help or any other suggestions? Thanks.

Replies:

Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 3:47pm

I would think it could be possible.

Try the mesh cover; if it happens again, then the fish was definitely sick or dead before it got sucked in...

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- My Current Tank: 50g Starfire Cube Reef

* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *

Posted By: tileman
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 4:07pm

I've been running mp40's for 2 years now and haven't had any concerns or mishaps with fish. I guess it could happen though.

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335G Reef
TOTM.
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ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012
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&

Posted By: spike
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 4:51pm

Thanks bob and brad. I didn't think it could happen either and I have plenty of smaller, weaker fish. My only thought is that the tangs sit and pick algae right off of them. But I have a 210g with 10-12 other fish and no problems. These two tabs showed no external problems and were eating well, that's why I'm perplexed.

Posted By: DLindquist
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 5:06pm

Yes, it can happen. I watched as our Blond Naso was nibbling algae around the base of one of our MP60's and just as the MP60 ramped up to near full capacity, it sucked him in flat against the wet side. In horror, I pulled the plug on the MP60 and he instantly swam away. I don't use the foam covers as a lot of food gets trapped within those covers but I'm sure this would help something like this from happening.

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A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.

Posted By: wickedsnowman
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 5:29pm

I can almost guarantee it can happen. I had the same thing happen with a koralia 1400 and that is less power than a mp 40. Luckily I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I know my sailfin wasn't sick because as soon as I unplugged it he swam away and has since been fat and happy. I am sure if I hadn't been home he would have been toast.

Posted By: spike
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 7:59pm

Interesting info everyone. Thanks. I have had two other stories of people witnessing their fish being sucked to them while feeding from R2R in addition to the couple here. I never gave it a lot of consideration but it sounds like it can definitely happen. Are there any thoughts to preventing it? I guess I just have bad luck to lose to tangs to it.

Posted By: Corey Price
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 8:39pm

I have seen MP40's suck in shrimp and I don't doubt that it could suck fish in right next to the powerhead, but not usually. Dead or dying fish are usually near the rocks or up against an intake for a pump or powerhead...

I have a hard time believing the powerhead was the cause of death for a tang. Most likely the fish was dying and was very weak or already dead. Tangs are very good swimmers.

Corey

Posted By: laynframe
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 8:55pm

my mp 10 sucked in and killed a gobie

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The time we enjoy wasting isn't wasted time!!!!

Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: December 09 2012 at 9:04pm

I didn't read above...

But my answer is that it isn't possible. Even if you cut off the shroud and run them unprotected for years... which I have done

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/past-issues/2009/october-2009/article/48-ecotech-marine-vortech-cage-modifications

Adam

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Come to a meeting, they�re fun!

Posted By: Molli
Date Posted: December 10 2012 at 8:45am

I would think the fish would have to be a pretty weak swimmer. I'm sitting here watching my two young clowns within about an inch of my mp40 playing around and my foxface swims right up to the side of it to eat algae.

Posted By: Pete Moss
Date Posted: December 31 2012 at 4:09pm

Fish in nature have to deal with much harsher water flow than an MP40. It seems a fish would have to be a weak swimmer for whatever reason to get caught. In normal circumstances any fish should be able to withstand the flow. The fish would need to lack normal strength levels to become trapped by the flow of our aquarium equipment. Perhaps if it was feeling under the weather :P

But I've seen crazier things happen I suppose.

Posted By: 08TRDOFFROAD
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 11:04am

I found my Kole Tang stuck to my MP10 several months ago, I just figured he had died and the current dragged the corpse up to the MP10...

Posted By: Bryce
Date Posted: January 18 2013 at 1:07pm

MP40's are vortechs of death, take them out of your tank and sell them to me at a heavy discount if you want any of your fish to survive.

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65g Reef