Loofah as course filter?

[Andyroo]

Is there any reason why one should not use loofah in the tank, specifically in or as the filter?
My neighbour's got a prolific vine and I can get her unsalable duds, and in abundance.

 

[kno4te]

Is there any reason why one should not use loofah in the tank, specifically in or as the filter?
My neighbour's got a prolific vine and I can get her unsalable duds, and in abundance.

Could use it. Depends if the plastic is too open to let debris thru. If not then it could work.

 

[esoxlucius]

A proper loofah is not plastic, it is natural, and bio degradable over time. That's why the guy who used them in his sump eventually witnessed them deteriorate to such an extent that they messed his tank up real bad.

You can get very realistic synthetic loofahs which are made of plastic, typically nylon, and these would be fine as bio media I suppose but the gaps are that big in them I wouldn't say you'd get any joy using them as mechanical filtration.

 

[Andyroo]

It's the natural/wild (looks like a cucumber until it's dried & cleaned) from a >5year old vine in a 50' tree in the middle cattle pasture.
There's some question as to how quickly it breaks down, and what sort of fibre or flock breaks down into. For me, so long as it's still loofah shaped in mid-January then all's well, but sooner could be problematic. So far (2weeks) it's still tough as the day it went in.

 

[deeda]

Luffa is a plant and therefore biodegradable so I wouldn't use it for filtration purposes.

 

[kno4te]

Could use it. Depends if the plastic is too open to let debris thru. If not then it could work.

Lol....I was thinking pot scrubbies when I read loofah!!!! Forget what I said.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Yup, you could use the plastic "pot scrubbie" ones, the natural tree-form ones should not be used because they will break down in your water over time.
If it's only for a couple weeks at a time before replacement you might be fine, but personally I wouldn't risk it, I haven't seen any sort of scientific explanation of what compounds they contain or break down into. But to me, more organic material decomposing in the water column is always generally a bad thing.

 

[krichardson]

Lol....I was thinking pot scrubbies when I read loofah!!!! Forget what I said.

I'm guessing the scrubbbies would be a better choice.Someone used to sell them on here a few years ago.

 

[pops]

I would not use it, part of the benefits of the mechanical filter like sponges or scrubbies is they are also bio filters, if you have to replace it every 2 or 3 weeks this will never establish, this is why you never rince your filters in tap water but in old tank water, I always used the water I was draining during water changes, treated water or roe water works also, or if on a well thats fine also.

 

[fishhead0103666]

Here’s a link to a thread where someone used a loofa for a few years.

Sump problem *don't use Luffas*

So... Don't use luffas as a alternative to bioballs! Sure they have held up for a few years but they are deteriorating and getting into the tank. I first noticed some white specs in the water, tested my parameters and everything was fine, but as time went on the problem worsened, eventually...

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