Fish Tank Trouble! Need advice!

[Snake]

Hi!

We have been having some trouble with our fish tank filter's intake. Over the past 5 years or so we have lost 3 fish due to them being stuck to the intake.

So I had an idea today while shopping and picked up one of those elastic light balls, I guess is what they're called, and had the idea to cut holes in it and put it around the intake so the fish can't get sucked in.

Is it safe to put one of these in my tank? I think it may be okay, but I'm worried there might be a chance of it releasing toxins? I pulled out the light ball inside and cut holes all through it to allow water to flow through in to the intake.

I have found what they call, "Pre-filters" that do the same thing that I have in mind with the ball, but they are pricey (also they didn't have any at the store I was at today) and figured, if this won't harm the fish, why the heck not?

Thanks a lot to you all

PS
Here's a picture of what I bought:

[Adeel]

The best advice would be to stop watching 'Finding Nemo' in front of your pet fishes.

[Ghost]

Is it safe to put one of these in my tank? I think it may be okay, but I'm worried there might be a chance of it releasing toxins? I pulled out the light ball inside and cut holes all through it to allow water to flow through in to the intake.

I have no idea if they would release toxins, but if you're concerned about it, why not use a bit of luffa sponge? They are 100% natural, have large pores and should allow enough circulation, and they are pretty "stiff" too.

[Snake]

That was pretty funny, Adeel

Ghost, a sponge is what I intended to buy but they didn't have any. I've bought sponges like that there before (Walmart). I looked in the arts and crafts section as well as the paint section (the nearest pet store is an hour away unfortunately). So once I saw the ball after finding no sponges, that's when I thought of that idea.

\\--EDIT--//
Oh, and I of course looked in the pet section... which is the first area I looked

[Tramponline]

Quite a lot of people use nylon thights (pantyhose) to built their own pre-filters. It's very cheap and the material is non-absorbant (Just check it's pure nylon)

I built filters for bumbelbee houses out of those, they work great. The only hassle is, you have to stretch them out as far as possible(!) / i.e. on a frame),
so the intake can suck enough water (in my case, so the air can circulate freely), otherwise their mesh/fabric would be too tight.

Other people prefer simple constructions with sponges as pre-filters (with fairly large pores), as those are much quicker to be cleaned compared to DIY nylon stocking
constructions ones.

[Babar]

While the makers/sellers of those might not know anything about fish, you might ask them if they're toxic to kids (I guess they'd expect that question, a kid might put anything in its mouth). Fish aren't the same as humans, but it's a start, right?

[Ghost]

Luffa's a gourd, actually, and can be grown easily. I used to have a patch because they make nice natural sponges for art supply (and rather tasty soup).

But so far trampoline's idea sounds best; you'll probably never be short of a place to get nylons.

[Snake]

I've been looking around a bit and come to find out, lots of people are buying them for their pets to play fetch at night, as well as toys for their toddlers. Still not too sure about having it in the fish tank, but I do feel a little better about it. I think I may just hold out to find a sponge.

[Darth Mandarb]

I put a plastic skeleton hand in my tank once (a "life size" hand sticking out of the rocks).  I got it from some crafts/hobby store (not a place for aquariums) and didn't even think about it.

It looked amazing.

Then all my fish died.

I wouldn't risk it.  Foam/Sponge is your best bet but, again, I'd make double (triple) sure it's aquarium safe before puttin' it in the water.

[Snake]

Wow, that's horrible, Darth Sorry to hear.

I had it in my hand after cutting it up and on my way over to the fish tank to put it on the intake when I had the thought - it was after smelling it actually, and I thought right then that it may release toxins in the water. I did a bit of googling around first to no avail, and so, as most of my quandaries, ended up here I always know that if I can't find the answer to something or find someone somewhere that has had a similar experience with something by googling, best bet is that I will find them here!

[Ghost]

The problem is that even if a plastic toy is deemed "non-toxic" for humans, fish are so very different. They are smaller, they have a different metabolism, it's really hard to judge what could harm them.

I had the idea that you could use a bit of glass sheet. Just ask if a hardware store can cut them for you (it's pretty common here and often they don't even ask money) and drill some holes in. THAT should be absolutely safe.

__
edit:
Fish Tank Trouble would make an awesome adventure game, don't ya think? Sounds catchy

[Snake]

edit:
Fish Tank Trouble would make an awesome adventure game, don't ya think? Sounds catchy

Hahaha. Can I expect to see this in the future?