The Woefully Underappreciated Sponge Filter

[LouisLeow]

It sure is cheap but is it effective?

[kurare]

Oh the thing is just nasty, you can see a brown tinge right into the core of the yellow sponge, so i figure it's doing 'something'... how effective? I dunno I also have a sump for taking taking of the REAL filtration :P
This is just a little thing I've got for extra... safety measure even...
Random PVC pipe + sponge + airline tubing/pump is what i had lying around... besides the fishes and I like the bubbles. One day when the power dies, that sponge will be the only thing i got try and save my fishes as the sump crashes... *crosses fingers*

[romanjetfighter]

yo, how important is the circular clear tube that goes above the sponge filter?

i got two sponge filters but one of them is missing the long clear plastic tube..are they both going to work well

[NocturnalX]

haha this is one of the most enjoyable guides i've read so far
i don't know if it's just because i use a sponge filter or it's because the author didn't make a boring article.
i'm pretty sure it's the latter.
thanks!

[aclockworkorange]

haha this is one of the most enjoyable guides i've read so far
i don't know if it's just because i use a sponge filter or it's because the author didn't make a boring article.
i'm pretty sure it's the latter.
thanks!

Thanks! Much appreciated.

[xrayjeeper83]

Nice article, I run 3 sponges on my cray tank and one in my betta/snail breeding tank. And they are quieter then the wet/dry on my puffer tank

[kevinfleming21]

I have them in EVERY tank except one, I love em!

[aclockworkorange]

I like them especially in any tank over 55 gallons, unless it is a fry tank.

[Didgeridoo]

I discovered that putting a powerhead on the top of the tube is a great way to distribute oxygen for one and also allows water to be drawn through the sponge. I use the zoomed powersweep powerheads and attach an airline to the output. This sends out a myriad of small bubbles into the tank and super oxygenates it. My fish don't even appear to breath cuz there's so much oxygen in there. lol.

You still do get mulm build up on the bottom but they're great little filters! Fry love to pick at them as well.

[Judge Holden]

That's a great article. There's so many new gizmos in the hobby we forget the old ones worked pretty well.

Question: Notice the plastic log on the far right. Currently it's placed on top of a bubble ring for looks & aeration. If I jam a 5" sponge in there the filtration dynamics won't be the same as a regular sponge filter (the air would travel through the sponge from the bottom). How effective would this be? There are spaces on the front and back of the log for water to enter the sponge. This would be supplemental filtration.