The Woefully Underappreciated Sponge Filter

Morledzep

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 26, 2007
1,789
4
0
where my cichla are
WHen stacking Sponge filters do i put the air line all the way to the bottom sponge's bulls eye or do i add it to the top one with the lift tube to it.

i tried, but failed to get the air line tubing cut to the proper length to get the air stone into the bottom section, so i just put the air stone in the top section and went on my way. it would probably be better if you could get it to the bottom section.
 

Ogre One

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 22, 2011
212
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in your computer
i tried, but failed to get the air line tubing cut to the proper length to get the air stone into the bottom section, so i just put the air stone in the top section and went on my way. it would probably be better if you could get it to the bottom section.
Well it kinda made sense for it to be at the bottom more of a flow that way. right now i have it at the top but ill change it and report back what difference i notice
 

JamieM

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 27, 2011
5
0
0
Newcastle England.
Hi folks, I just registered there a couple of days ago and I have been surfing through the site and I spotted this thread.
I am a big believer in that the sponge filter is 'woefully under appreciated'. I have a 48'x18'x28' ex-marine tank and a 2'er. When I set up the 90 gallon tank and was waiting for it to cycle, I took the sponge filter from my 2'er (an Eheim 2010 internal) and squeezed all the gunge and put it into my large cannister filter. Every three days I would do this just putting it into the tank near the outlet pipe so as it would be sucked into the filter. Water changes from the small tank was also put into it. Within 13 days the tank was fully cycled. I believe that the sponges holds a lot more BB's than people think. I know that they are there more for mechanical fitration but the benefits that my new 90 got from just this sponge greatly decreased the time it took to cycle this new 90 gallon tank of mine. I think that 13 days from scratch is very quick.
I had some of the goldfish in this little tank until it was getting really high Nats. I had to do a major WC every second day before the 90 was cycled and ready for them.
The BB's that was in just this sponge filter must have been huge to deal with the Bio load of my goldfish. So I do believe that the sponge filter are 'very under appreciated'
Just my 2 Bob's worth.......:)
 

aclockworkorange

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2010
9,584
42
90
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Rose City
Just an update from me, I'm going to convert my 125 to a mattenfilter design. I'm going to wedge these sponges behind the 3D background where it will pull water through wall of sponges like this:

 

EBJazz

Feeder Fish
Jul 13, 2011
1
0
0
Utah
Just joined - like the thread on sponge filters.

Got more than 30 tanks - lots of sponge filters, but not all tanks. Still use fancy ones for the show tanks.
 

aclockworkorange

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2010
9,584
42
90
37
Rose City
Just joined - like the thread on sponge filters.

Got more than 30 tanks - lots of sponge filters, but not all tanks. Still use fancy ones for the show tanks.

I've been getting pretty damn good at hiding them. There's a sponge filter behind the wood on the left:

 

bradleyagregg

Candiru
MFK Member
Jan 26, 2010
483
7
48
pittsburgh
this is my favorite sticky on mfk. i went out of state for work last sunday and got a call from my mother on monday who was feeding my fish and told me my hob filter on my heavily stocked 55 gallon wasnt working. i have a sponge filter in the tank so i wasnt too worried. i returned home after 8 days to find everyone alive and the water relatively clean and parameters well within a healthy range. If i did not have the sponge it would have been lots of dead fish and 55 gallons of nasty water. Gotta love "the woefully underappreciated sponge filter"!
 

Morledzep

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 26, 2007
1,789
4
0
where my cichla are
this is my favorite sticky on mfk. i went out of state for work last sunday and got a call from my mother on monday who was feeding my fish and told me my hob filter on my heavily stocked 55 gallon wasnt working. i have a sponge filter in the tank so i wasnt too worried. i returned home after 8 days to find everyone alive and the water relatively clean and parameters well within a healthy range. If i did not have the sponge it would have been lots of dead fish and 55 gallons of nasty water. Gotta love "the woefully underappreciated sponge filter"!

EXACTLY the reason i keep sponge filters in all of my tanks. they can't be beat in an emergency.
 

JamieM

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 27, 2011
5
0
0
Newcastle England.
I have a few tanks and out of all of them my little baby 2' tank (I think about 15 buk gallons) has a Eheim 2010 internal sponge filter. It turns over 110 uk gallons an hour at its maximum rate and the water clarity is second to none. The fish don't swim in the tank they.....FLY. Absolutely crystal clear. Mind you there is a little hurricane in the tank and you can see the fish swim against it when you watch them.
The filter I have does say 110 uk g's an hour but once you get the media in the filter it is not as much as the manufacturors say.
In my other tank in the dining room it holds about 75 gallons of water and I have a 1000 L/ph internal along with 2x2000 L/ph external cannisters filters called Sun Sun.
I myself believe that the sponge filter carries a lot of BB's that is great for Bio. I once had a tank that was WOEFULLY....... overstocked and I never had an ammonia reading at all the BB's in the sponge filter dealt with it perfectly, it was just the Nitrates that I had to deal with every second day tops until I up graded the tank.
So sponge filters are woefully unappreciated I think also :)......
 
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