getting AC sponge super clean

[mopani]

hey with my new 7 in royal i won, my bio is off the charts, I will be moving my community to 125 in a few weeks. The question is i have been cleaning my 110s more often and I know i am suppose to clean in tank water, but it just aint doing. If i use prime treated water out of the tap, will it destroy my BB. I know i will never get my sponges back to the pure color they were but i am squeezing and rinsing them all i can and it doesnt seem to be doing anything.

[F1 VET]

Clean your sponges with tank water, fill a 5gal bucket up and squeeze them for 10min,also add some bio media so your bb can be housed properly and your sponges are strictly mechanical.

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[mopani]

Lol guess I need to extend my cleaning time, do for a bit but not 10, I never clean my bio max, usually leave the bag in the filter


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[joe jaskot]

Unless your water is super chlorinated, it is almost impossible to kill off all your beneficial bacteria while rinsing a sponge in tap water. Your bio max should just be rinsed in a bucket of tank water. You have to realize that not all beneficial bacteria is in your filter. The beneficial bacteria is on every surface of everything in your aquarium (glass, gravel, plants, decorations, heater, etc.)

[mopani]

Unless your water is super chlorinated, it is almost impossible to kill off all your beneficial bacteria while rinsing a sponge in tap water. Your bio max should just be rinsed in a bucket of tank water. You have to realize that not all beneficial bacteria is in your filter. The beneficial bacteria is on every surface of everything in your aquarium (glass, gravel, plants, decorations, heater, etc.)

yea i do rinse my biomax off in tank when the mesh net starts to get dirty, I will try the tap water rinse like you said.

[aquami]

I use tap water and alternate cleaning weeks for my AC110 sponges.

[KrazEDesigns]

For extra water flow when rinsing my filter media, I use a big turkey baster that's just for the fish & squirt tank water on any areas I need to loosen gunk; they also have their own toothbrush....

I also second what F1 said about spending more time rinsing the sponge. I have pigs... I mean goldfish, and if I can get the sponge from their filter clean, anyone can get theirs clean lol

[F1 VET]

yea i do rinse my biomax off in tank when the mesh net starts to get dirty, I will try the tap water rinse like you said.

Tap water has killed many members bb off or at least enough to throw the tank into a cycle, didn't realize u had bio max too, so blast the sponge with a hose then and shake the bio in tank water.

__________________________________________________ ________________

Go S.Vettel #1 RB8 3X WDC!!!!!!!!!

Well, I just learned something useful on this site...there's a first! KAKAAAAW! ON IT.

>http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/fo...itrate!-POTHOS

[Jackson]

All I can tell you is filter floss is the way to go.
Strip the filter and toss it out.

Panaque and sponges do mix. As you can see it's a pita cleaning the sponge.
I've seen power washers used and the sponge looks like new after. If you have one try it out.




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[Bderick67]

First thing cut the sponge in half lengthwise and then stack the two halves one on top the other in the filter. Same amount of sponge but alot easier to clean. I clean my sponges in hot tap water, always have. I rinse the biomax in tank water. I intend for the BB to colonate the biomax not the sponge. Have tested and never seen any sort of mini cycle while doing this.