Cheap filter for small breeding aquarium

[Raven_]

Hello.
Have a small aquarium to breed snails and small fish, roughly 20L water in it.
The filter is a 2L plastic bottle(food grade quality) with holes at the bottom.

The bottle is filed to 75% with ehfimech and topped with filterpad.
http://www.aquatichouse.com/FILTRATION MENU_files/ehfimech.jpg

Have a small pump 150-350L/H with a hose connected to it which goes to the top of the bottle.
Seems to work well standing in a corner but there is very little surface movement on the water.
Would 6 10mm holes at the top of the bottle help to oxygenise the water ?

Thinking of building a surface skimmer, any ideas for a simple one that stops fry's from getting sucked in ?
Would a 2mm hole be big enough for fry of these 2 fishes to get through ?
Xiphophorus maculatus
Poecilia reticulata


Regards
Raven

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

wow simplicity is always good!

Not sure why you would need a surface skimmer but I would assume most holes capable of flowing enough water will be big enough to suck fry through at their early stages. I would just use some filter fabric.

 

[Raven_]

Surface skimmer was to get more surface movement, was more or less none at all.
But have thrown the filter away and made a new one.

Took a piece of 16/22 tubing and used tape to thicken it at one place so it would stick better to the opening of the new bottle.
The tubing was then pushed through the opening of the bottle and down to the bottom with around 1cm clearance.
Cut a small window at the top of the bottle and filled it with filtermedia and connected a small pump to the tubing.

Works quite well, the water level in the bottle is 6cm higher than in the aquarium, the water flow down on the side of the bottle and draws down air in the water.

The intake of the pump have been covered with fine filterwadding(?) but will soon be changed to a piece of pantyhose.
http://www.glimtensakvariebutik.com/butik/images/zoobest_filtervadd.jpg

Works quite well, no chance of snails getting in the pump or fishes for that matter.
Snails do climb up the little waterfall and into the bottle.