Sponge filter

[craftmage]

A friend of mine has some breeding bettas. In their tank, he has a small sponge filter where the sponge is on the bottom and the tube comes up from it.

He has the filter installed so that the majority of the tube is out of the water. As the filter sucks up the water, it creates bubbles in the tube, and only 1 or 2 bubbles actually overflow into the tank, drip down the outside of the tube causing a very very small ripple when the bubble hits the water.

Is this actually going to work as filtration? I thought the tube would have to be submerged and allow the bubbles to come out of it. He indicates that it actually filters the water through the sponge, and you don't have to have the entire filter in the water. He said when the baby bettas come, they will have filtration without a lot of current to knock them around.

 

[Bllib]

As long as the sponge part is under water its fine. Although the bubble coming out of the top shouldn't cause that much current that the babies can't swim in it. I have herd and seen many people use the sponge filter with great success in the breeding world. They have the whole filter under water.

 

[Dr Joe]

A friend of mine has some breeding bettas. In their tank, he has a small sponge filter where the sponge is on the bottom and the tube comes up from it.

He has the filter installed so that the majority of the tube is out of the water. As the filter sucks up the water, it creates bubbles in the tube, and only 1 or 2 bubbles actually overflow into the tank, drip down the outside of the tube causing a very very small ripple when the bubble hits the water.

Is this actually going to work as filtration? I thought the tube would have to be submerged and allow the bubbles to come out of it. He indicates that it actually filters the water through the sponge, and you don't have to have the entire filter in the water. He said when the baby bettas come, they will have filtration without a lot of current to knock them around.

Your correct, it is an air lift system and is most effective when air flows up thru the upright pipe while under water drawing water thru the sponge and out thru the tube. you can isolate the top of the pipe with a larger piece of PVC to reduce turbulance so it doesn't break up the bubble nest.

Dr Joe

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