I’ll just leave this here
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...efully-underappreciated-sponge-filter.357979/
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...efully-underappreciated-sponge-filter.357979/
Sponge Filters
- Thread starter H]-[H
- Start date
Most hobbyist's with mutliple tanks run sponge filter because they are cheap and effective. I have a fishroom with a central airpump (Alita-80) and run sponge filters and mattenfilters on all my tanks. No canisters, no sumps, just air driven filtration. Water changes and sponge filters and you can keep anything. Hell I have friends in their 60's and 70's who use air pumps and floss filters and box filters and they are master breeders and fish keepers. Some of it is skill, some of it is experience.
Also, use the reticulated foam. If buying the hydro sponges, use the pro series. The larger pore size helps with messy larger fish. Also if you use powerheads combined with sponges, it is great for sucking up just about everything. You can rinse them out weekly when you do water changes and you can't beat them for mechanical and biological.
I don't use air pumps at all, my are either attached to the intakes power heads, or water pumps, or placed inside the outer pump cover casings, the way pond filter use them.
like the casing, with the pump inside above (this casing helps keep out the larger objects before they get to the sponge.
But I also have media bio bags in sumps, and socks along with the sponges.
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[/URL]![H]-[H](/forums/data/avatars/s/44/44128.jpg?1463640742){kind=avatar}
Why do you place the sponges behind matten filter sheets? Do you have pictures of this setup?
Having sponge behind matten media (just like inside my casings) help keep larger pieces (leaves etc) from clogging up the sponge quickly. If you are not there to squeeze them out, gunk can really slow flow down, and in severe cases choke and strangle the intake of a water pump out enough, to cause it to burn out.
Centrifugal water pumps are Ok to throttle back on the outlet, but not meant to be throttled at the intake.
Centrifugal water pumps are Ok to throttle back on the outlet, but not meant to be throttled at the intake.
I have ran up to 110gal tanks before on just sponges alone. Currently i dont have any sponge only tanks, but i do always have a good half dozen or so cycled and ready to throw into an empty tank incase i get in a pinch and need another tank for either healing fish or a rescue/surrender situation. They are the perfect backup plan for stuff like that. In less then 10 minutes i can fill a tank with water from an existing tank and flop a sponge and heater into it and im good to go.
In the pic below, those two sponges you see have like 8ft of extra air hose so i can just throw them into the tank in the second pic, and i dont need to even mess with moving the air pump. I just slide the corner tank about 6 feet to the far end of the running tank. Super convienient in a pinch.
In the pic below, those two sponges you see have like 8ft of extra air hose so i can just throw them into the tank in the second pic, and i dont need to even mess with moving the air pump. I just slide the corner tank about 6 feet to the far end of the running tank. Super convienient in a pinch.
