Sponge Filters
- Thread starter H]-[H
- Start date
Keeping it on 24/7 would be best but Im not trying to cut the lifespan of the pump in half just to run it 24/7. I run it a on timer and the differences are probably negligible.
I love the idea of a HMF filter but my biggest struggle point is how do you minimize debris in the tank itself. I will need to upgrade my 180g to a 400g and originally wanted to do hmf style. However when you look at the latest big tanks folks are going bare/tile and then using something like an ultima that keeps all debris out of the tank and requires no vacuuming the tank. I had bare bottom on my 180g and the bottom looked horrible. Not something you want in a show tank.
Humm. I'm not fully understanding you. You say you are not trying to cut the lifespan of the pump. So is it the lifespan of the sponge you are trying to save? How would one measure the differences and account those differences as "negligible"? Maybe I am not understanding the intent of putting the pump on a timer.
Well, thanks for your point of view. I would like to point out, and perhaps someone with more experience can correct me, if you don't keep a constant flow of water over the sponge filter, then the good bacteria begins to die-off. (I don't know the time frame for that, so it's a guess on my part). My understanding is that the good bacteria is what makes the sponge work properly. However, if the sponge is not running at 100% of the time, then I believe you are not getting 100% of the sponge's biological filtration capability because the bacteria isn't likely to be able to do its job when not running.
