Sponge filter surface area and effeciency?

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batang_mcdo

Polypterus
MFK Member
Apr 24, 2006
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Just wondering, How many fish can a big sponge filter support?
or how much surface area would a big sponge filter have?
I just added another sponge filter into my tank to help my Eheim 2250.

size is about 8 inch x 18 inch. Will this be a big help for Bio filtration? or is sponge not a good bio media?
Also this sponge filter's sponge have big holes, while my smaller spomge filters have finer holes. would smaller holes have more surface area?

Slimeandspongefilter003.jpg
 
It isn't realyl as exact as that, many people make it seem more complicated than it is. It is not surface area=fish. There are other factors that affect stocking. For one you don't even want to come close to maxing out a filter, even if you could calculate exactly how many fish it could handle. Temperature, the food being fed, the quantity of food being fed, other filtration, and more all affect the bioload (fish + food) and the max capacity of the filter or tank.

The best guide, and it is only a guide, is to get filtration that is rated for at least twice the volume of the tank. So a 55 should have at least 110 gallons worth of filtration, a 125 should have at least 250 gallons worth of filtration, etc. Having even more than this is even better.
 
thanks :) Most of my other tanks have sump as filter.
but i have this indoor tank , its a 150 gallon, and I only have an eheim 2250 canister as its main filter. checked the net and the 2250 is designed for upto 250 gallon tank.
my worry is if it can indeed support my bio load, as i have a 20 inch aro, with 3Bichirs in the tank, as the fish are big eaters. I'm a little worried, but i would like to avoid having to add a powerhead, since I'm also trying to save on electricity.
the 2 sponge filters are also connected to my acdc pump.
 
I would have more filtration. I have seen and worked with a number of different Eheims and have never been impressed. The flow is low, the tubing and connections to the tank are low quality, it just isn't worth the money IMO. I prefer Fluval. One Fluval FX5 added to that tank and you will never have to think about whether you have enough filtration ever again. You can get them online for $200-240 shipped.

I also don't like sumps in FW. I know a lot of people do, but they just aren't the best IME. Canisters are the best form of mechanical filtration, which is very important in FW, especially with those kinds of fish. The biological is easy too, just fill up the trays with Seachem Matrix. A sump is more equipment, more maintenance, more chance of failure/flood, just not worth it in most cases IMO.
 
reptileguy2727;5083168;5083168 said:
I would have more filtration. I have seen and worked with a number of different Eheims and have never been impressed. The flow is low, the tubing and connections to the tank are low quality, it just isn't worth the money IMO. I prefer Fluval. One Fluval FX5 added to that tank and you will never have to think about whether you have enough filtration ever again. You can get them online for $200-240 shipped.

I also don't like sumps in FW. I know a lot of people do, but they just aren't the best IME. Canisters are the best form of mechanical filtration, which is very important in FW, especially with those kinds of fish. The biological is easy too, just fill up the trays with Seachem Matrix. A sump is more equipment, more maintenance, more chance of failure/flood, just not worth it in most cases IMO.
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thanks :) I prefer sumps, as Bio filter is more imprtant for me than mech filter, as I usually just siphon off the dirt in the tank during water changes, but I'm more worried about ammonia spikes when i'm feeding my fishes.
 
You will get great biological with a large canister. A good biomedia with all that flow, no worries about ammonia or nitrite. If you are vacuuming out debris then you either have gravel or not enough flow.
 
The 2250's flow is not really strong, also i have a sponge on the intake of my canister so big particles are not sucked it, my canister is.more.for for bio filtration.rather than mechanical hoping the 2 sponge would aldo help
 
Yes i use them. They have to be a good source of bio. I have two in my aro tank and 2 in my ray pond. I also use fx5s. But the sponges work great, i use them to start new tanks as well. They r ugly but effective
 
I guess I should chime in... :D

Yes, they do very well as bio filters. I have witnessed sponge filters alone handle very very large bioloads.
 
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