How Do You Properly Clean Sponge Media?

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MonsterCichlids75

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 15, 2012
347
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16
Boston, MA
hey everyone,
this may sound like a dumb question but its something I've wanted to clarify for a while. I just recently decided to ditch carbon all together in my AC 70 and 110, and use two sponges and biomax at the top. I kept reading about how good sponge is for beneficial bacteria so I'm doubling up and got some more sponge to put around the intake as pre filter. Anyway, how do you clean the sponges inside the filter without removing the bacteria? I know to squeeze them around and slosh them back and forth in a bucket of tank water and NEVER tap water…but how well does the bacteria hold onto the sponge? When i squeeze and slosh it around in the bucket, am i shaking off good bacteria along with the gunk that builds up? I want to make sure I'm not destroying my BB colonies every time i clean my sponges! thanks everyone!
 
I have been cleaning sponge filters the way describe above, for decades, and try to rinse sponges in water change water at least every other day.
Although some beneficial bacteria may be squeezed out, all will not.
One of the benefits of fluidized media, is that old, less robust bacteria are sloughed off by the constant agitation of media.
Squeezing out a sponge regularly, would basically have a similar effect, allowing a more robust to remain.
 
duanes said:
I have been cleaning sponge filters the way describe above, for decades, and try to rinse sponges in water change water at least every other day.
Although some beneficial bacteria may be squeezed out, all will not.
One of the benefits of fluidized media, is that old, less robust bacteria are sloughed off by the constant agitation of media.
Squeezing out a sponge regularly, would basically have a similar effect, allowing a more robust to remain.
Click to expand...

Very cool i didnt even think of that, so by regularly cleaning the sponges in that way id be building a much more robust colony of bacteria. Survival of the fittest!


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MonsterCichlids75 said:
Very cool i didnt even think of that, so by regularly cleaning the sponges in that way id be building a much more robust colony of bacteria. Survival of the fittest!


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Click to expand...

Personally I have enough bio media in my canister, the sponges are purely mechanical, I just was then under the tap, then when I refill the tank with primed water I soak then for 2-3 mins then put them back into the canister.

I have a power had circulating the primed water through my tank

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I rinse ALL my media under tap water in the bathtub. You are not going to do any significant damage to your bacteria colonies by rinsing in regular tap. I've never had a spike, or recycle on any tanks.
 
It really depends whether sponge is your only main bio filter. If so, you should just rinse it with tank water during every water change.
 
MonsterCichlids75 said:
hey everyone,
this may sound like a dumb question but its something I've wanted to clarify for a while. I just recently decided to ditch carbon all together in my AC 70 and 110, and use two sponges and biomax at the top. I kept reading about how good sponge is for beneficial bacteria so I'm doubling up and got some more sponge to put around the intake as pre filter. Anyway, how do you clean the sponges inside the filter without removing the bacteria? I know to squeeze them around and slosh them back and forth in a bucket of tank water and NEVER tap water…but how well does the bacteria hold onto the sponge? When i squeeze and slosh it around in the bucket, am i shaking off good bacteria along with the gunk that builds up? I want to make sure I'm not destroying my BB colonies every time i clean my sponges! thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
The main reason you use soap when hand washing and bathing is because soap physically help lifts microbes/germs off the skin. Washing without soap is completely ineffective in removing microbes, their "adhesion" to surfaces is quite strong. Therefore, don't be concern about squeezing and wringing out sponges during cleaning. In regards to using water from the tap, the chlorine level in (most?)municipal water isn't at a concentration that will kill microbes on contact like that of water from public swmming pools, so go ahead and rinse out that sponge under the faucet.
 
xraycer said:
The main reason you use soap when hand washing and bathing is because soap physically help lifts microbes/germs off the skin. Washing without soap is completely ineffective in removing microbes, their "adhesion" to surfaces is quite strong. Therefore, don't be concern about squeezing and wringing out sponges during cleaning. In regards to using water from the tap, the chlorine level in (most?)municipal water isn't at a concentration that will kill microbes on contact like that of water from public swmming pools, so go ahead and rinse out that sponge under the faucet.
Click to expand...
+1
 
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