The Sponge Filter
This simple and effective device is often overlooked by today's modern aquarium hobbyist and seen as outdated technology that belongs in the era of VHS tapes and audio cassette players. Many fore-go their use in favor of more "modern" filtration methods, such as the latest canisters and wet/dry systems. Certainly, there is much to be said of the advances in filtration technology in recent years... but I would like to suggest that not only do sponge filters have a place in the modern aquarium, but that their benefits so supersede any of their perceived downsides that one would be almost foolish not to at least seriously consider their use.
How It Works
(not my picture)
As illustrated in the photo above, sponge filters, as their names suggest, are sponges that use pressure to draw aquarium water through their porous bodies and trap detritus as a method of mechanical filtration. As illustrated above, this may be done with an external air pump and tubing, or alternatively a powerhead.
While sponge filters do provide a simple method of mechanical filtration, their major strength lies in their effectiveness as biological filters--the most important aspect of filtration in our tanks. Pound for pound, sponge filters will outperform many other types of biological media for the amount of beneficial bacteria they harbor.
The Benefits
Let us explore the beneficial use of sponge filters, on their own, and in addition to an already properly filtered large aquarium:
Cheap and Easy:
Large sponge filters, such as the Hydor V, can be found online for a mere fraction of what most HOB and canister filters cost, and can often be found secondhand in a LFS for next to nothing. There are also great DIY methods.
While they do require additional equipment to run--either an air pump or a powerhead--many hobbyists already have these on hand, and if they do not, they are multipurpose tools that any serious enthusiast would do good to own.
Cheap and effective additional filtration should be welcome in any setup.
Halp! I need teh oxygen!
Running an air pump or a powerhead is a great way to increase surface agitation and water flow and up the amount of oxygen available in the aquarium. However, sponge filters do this as well, with all the other added benefits they provide! This leads us to...
Baby when the lights, go out...
Power loss is a nightmare for any aquarium hobbyist. Our fish rely on electrical power to run their life-sustaining filtration and heating systems. Perhaps the most effective method in dealing with this is buying a backup generator, but for many living in urban areas and without much of a budget, this is arguably not a very feasible option.
During a power loss, your power filters obviously stop circulating tank water through their different forms of media, and thus beneficial bacteria loses its food source of fresh fish waste--this can and will lead to a crashed cycle in less than a day. When experiencing power loss, one would ideally immediately move their media from their power filters in to the tank itself with the fish, and run a battery powered air pump to provide oxygen to your tank.
But what if no one is home (or even worse, your idiot roommate is the only one there!)? What if it happens in the middle of the night and you sleep through it? Automatic battery powered back up pumps partially solve this problem, but then you still are starving your bacteria in your external filters...
Sponge filters, even without battery powered back up pumps to an extent, solve this problem. They are already in the tank, with large colonies of bacteria in contact with tank water. Coupled with a battery powered back up, they laugh in the face of power loss... or at least chuckle.
Additional info on how to deal with power loss:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48578
Got ANOTHER tank? (What will the wife say?!)
Cycled sponge filters from established tanks are one of the best methods for seeding beneficial bacteria in a new aquarium. By running multiple sponges in your setup, you will always have one on had should you buy a new tank, need an emergency hospital or quarantine tank, or even a fry tank if you are lucky enough to have fish that breed... without having to stress about the cycle. Also, they are great for helping out someone new to the hobby as well!
Low maintenance (like the girl you SHOULD have married...)
Ever try taking apart and cleaning a large canister filter, like an FX5? It's not pleasant, and for many hobbyists this can sometimes lead to neglect that can affect the full performance of these filters. Sponge filters do not suffer from this problem! They simply require an occasional squeeze and shake in used tank water.
But they're UGLY...
Any good fish keeper worth his salt (no pun intended to you SW guys...) should be able to hide sponge filters without issue:
(not my picture)
Above is MFK member JK47's SA cichlid 125 gallon... while you can obviously see the sponge filter in the middle of the tank, this is partially due to the angle of the picture. Besides that, there are actually THREE Hydor V sponge filters in this tank.
Furthermore, java ferns and other plants will actually grow on sponges as well...
(not my picture)
In Closing...
For their cost, simplicity, and multiple benefits, sponge filters are perhaps one of the most effective additions you can add to your tank. While they are entirely capable of acting as the sole method of filtration for a tank, I believe they are most effectively used as additional filtration in the modern aquarium, where their simplistic effectiveness can truly be appreciated without fault put on their inherent limitations.
Sources and additional info:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/sponge_filtration.html
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Misc Sponge Filters.htm
This simple and effective device is often overlooked by today's modern aquarium hobbyist and seen as outdated technology that belongs in the era of VHS tapes and audio cassette players. Many fore-go their use in favor of more "modern" filtration methods, such as the latest canisters and wet/dry systems. Certainly, there is much to be said of the advances in filtration technology in recent years... but I would like to suggest that not only do sponge filters have a place in the modern aquarium, but that their benefits so supersede any of their perceived downsides that one would be almost foolish not to at least seriously consider their use.
How It Works
(not my picture)
As illustrated in the photo above, sponge filters, as their names suggest, are sponges that use pressure to draw aquarium water through their porous bodies and trap detritus as a method of mechanical filtration. As illustrated above, this may be done with an external air pump and tubing, or alternatively a powerhead.
While sponge filters do provide a simple method of mechanical filtration, their major strength lies in their effectiveness as biological filters--the most important aspect of filtration in our tanks. Pound for pound, sponge filters will outperform many other types of biological media for the amount of beneficial bacteria they harbor.
The Benefits
Let us explore the beneficial use of sponge filters, on their own, and in addition to an already properly filtered large aquarium:
Cheap and Easy:
Large sponge filters, such as the Hydor V, can be found online for a mere fraction of what most HOB and canister filters cost, and can often be found secondhand in a LFS for next to nothing. There are also great DIY methods.
While they do require additional equipment to run--either an air pump or a powerhead--many hobbyists already have these on hand, and if they do not, they are multipurpose tools that any serious enthusiast would do good to own.
Cheap and effective additional filtration should be welcome in any setup.
Halp! I need teh oxygen!
Running an air pump or a powerhead is a great way to increase surface agitation and water flow and up the amount of oxygen available in the aquarium. However, sponge filters do this as well, with all the other added benefits they provide! This leads us to...
Baby when the lights, go out...
Power loss is a nightmare for any aquarium hobbyist. Our fish rely on electrical power to run their life-sustaining filtration and heating systems. Perhaps the most effective method in dealing with this is buying a backup generator, but for many living in urban areas and without much of a budget, this is arguably not a very feasible option.
During a power loss, your power filters obviously stop circulating tank water through their different forms of media, and thus beneficial bacteria loses its food source of fresh fish waste--this can and will lead to a crashed cycle in less than a day. When experiencing power loss, one would ideally immediately move their media from their power filters in to the tank itself with the fish, and run a battery powered air pump to provide oxygen to your tank.
But what if no one is home (or even worse, your idiot roommate is the only one there!)? What if it happens in the middle of the night and you sleep through it? Automatic battery powered back up pumps partially solve this problem, but then you still are starving your bacteria in your external filters...
Sponge filters, even without battery powered back up pumps to an extent, solve this problem. They are already in the tank, with large colonies of bacteria in contact with tank water. Coupled with a battery powered back up, they laugh in the face of power loss... or at least chuckle.
Additional info on how to deal with power loss:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48578
Got ANOTHER tank? (What will the wife say?!)
Cycled sponge filters from established tanks are one of the best methods for seeding beneficial bacteria in a new aquarium. By running multiple sponges in your setup, you will always have one on had should you buy a new tank, need an emergency hospital or quarantine tank, or even a fry tank if you are lucky enough to have fish that breed... without having to stress about the cycle. Also, they are great for helping out someone new to the hobby as well!
Low maintenance (like the girl you SHOULD have married...)
Ever try taking apart and cleaning a large canister filter, like an FX5? It's not pleasant, and for many hobbyists this can sometimes lead to neglect that can affect the full performance of these filters. Sponge filters do not suffer from this problem! They simply require an occasional squeeze and shake in used tank water.
But they're UGLY...
Any good fish keeper worth his salt (no pun intended to you SW guys...) should be able to hide sponge filters without issue:
(not my picture)
Above is MFK member JK47's SA cichlid 125 gallon... while you can obviously see the sponge filter in the middle of the tank, this is partially due to the angle of the picture. Besides that, there are actually THREE Hydor V sponge filters in this tank.
Furthermore, java ferns and other plants will actually grow on sponges as well...
(not my picture)
In Closing...
For their cost, simplicity, and multiple benefits, sponge filters are perhaps one of the most effective additions you can add to your tank. While they are entirely capable of acting as the sole method of filtration for a tank, I believe they are most effectively used as additional filtration in the modern aquarium, where their simplistic effectiveness can truly be appreciated without fault put on their inherent limitations.
Sources and additional info:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/sponge_filtration.html
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Misc Sponge Filters.htm