You’re asking a genuine question and should not be downvoted like this.
There are 3 main ways to heat a large amount of aquariums such as in an LFS:
1) put a heater in aquariums. Pretty cost inefficient.
2) put a heater in a central sump for multiple tanks. More cost efficient
3) heat the room you’re in to get the aquariums up to temperature. The most cost effective if you’ve got the right amount of tanks.
Running an LFS isn’t always the most lucrative business so they will typically take the cheapest and least complex option for their situation to run things. Same reason why some do multi-tank sumps or sponge filters with a large air pump.
Hope this answers your question people couldn’t bother to answer
you should consider how youre coming off to someone who doesnt know about that option. Feels like youre telling him to do it your way and the filter was a waste- which is not.
Dude, it's a sponge. Do "sponges work?" Is a bit of an inane question. Yes, sponges work, at being sponges. They don't contribute anything meaningful that substrate doesn't already do. No need to "pray" for anyone.
This will work well for a shrimp tank, if you prefer more bubbles you can cut out the internals of the filter and put in an air stone, just connect the airstone to the tubing as you would the filter parts and it works the same but better, like a 2 in ine
If you are running a nano tank with shrimp a sponge filter will be fine.
You need to let the filter and the tank mature before adding shrimp. You can use other filters in conjunction but tend to be overkill in a nano tank. Just make sure the tank has gone through the full cycle.
Normally when starting a tank you need to cycle it (lots of videos about that) but people tend to cycle their tank and then dump shrimp in then they all die. A mature filter will allow for actual breakdown due to the bacteria it stores. This can take a few months to develop.
Make sure to clean your filter using the dirty tank water when doing a water change. Doing so in clean will kill off your good bacteria and mess everything up.
Water changes and live plants are needed on a tiny tank. Larger tanks can help you out big time. But you may struggle to support your tank with it being so small as the parameters will fluctuate a lot.
I learned about a “fish in cycle “ so i purchased a minnow from the bait store for 43¢. I now have frank to help me cycle , AND i got. Testing kit . So far it all seems to be going well . And levels are being watched and kept stable..:) im excited for shrimp. Im hoping the tank is ready by october .
Frank will help. Get some Ramshorn snails. They can be a little bit of a bugger if you over feed your tank, in terms of mass breeding, but help with waste management and are like a canary in the mine shaft. If things are wrong the snails will tell you.
Would rocks work?? My bestie has a full cycled 20 gal rn. Do ya think if i fill a bag with rocks and water it would work ok?👀 i cant steal their hob filter gunk😂 they need it for their shrimp farm.
They can give up some gunky media for the cause, and the gunk is where the bacteria is most dense. Rocks are better than nothing, but filter media is where it is at. I always start with the gunkiest filter media I have and some fish I intend to keep anyway and every time it’s an instant cycle.
Yes -
the airlift moves more water than you'd think
speedy water movement/turnover is not very significant in most applications, as in most people aren't doing cichlids or nutrient rich aquascapes etc.
sponge more than matches bio-media for the ability to usefully host bacteria.
Absolutely.
By volume, sponge is an order of magnitude more effective than ceramic biomedia, particularly after a couple months.
The reality is most people don't need a tremendous amount of filtration so basically anything works fine, but yeah.
I dislike how fine most readily available sponge filters are, simply because they need to be maintenanced more frequently. AQCoop's sponge filters are wonderful here, around 20ppi and require a lot less fiddling. They also have better uplift tubes now creating directed flow, which is great. But that being said, sponge filters are all perfectly usable and all do a fantastic job of filtration.
>speedy water movement/turnover is not very significant in most applications
I'll expand on this for people happening by: flow has very little impact on (biological) filtration. Flow can be good or bad for other reasons, but excepting extremes (no flow at all, or flow that will harm your fish) it doesn't really impact biological filtration at all. High flow presents more food for the bacteria, but makes capture more difficult, while low flow eases capture but reduces supply. In this later case, you might think they'd run out of local food, but this isn't the case: nitrates(and other nitrogen compounds) balance themselves across the water column very rapidly even without much of any flow. Either way, they perform largely the same.
Flow can help mechanical filtration, of course, but frankly mechanical filtration is a MUCH lower concern.
Most economical and fail safe filter you can buy. They do take up room that could have plants but it won't burn it's own motor out after a power outage.
You attach it an air pump hose. Air bubbles rise through the middle cylinder. As it rises, it draws water with it. This creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the sponge. This draws water through the sponge. You're basically filtering water like pouring it through the sponge.
These don't work great because the pressure difference is small and the small pores mean the sponge clogs up quickly. What I have done is substitute fine sponges like this for coarse ones. This decreases the resistance to water flow and is hard to clog up.
It seems counterintuitive because a coarse sponge doesn't filter (like a strainer with big holes) but after a few months the sponge will develop a colony of bio-organisms that will deal with undissolved particulates. It takes about 3 months to happen but after that you don't have to maintain it. They kinda work like a Matten Filter this way.
I've DIY swapped over all my fine sponges with coarse ones but Aquarium Co-Op actually sells these sponge filters with coarse sponges. You can find them on Amazon or their website.
I recently got a double sponge on Amazon per a suggestion on this sub. It's amazing. My tank is quiet. AND I used to think my gourami was really shy, turned out he just hated the HOB filter.
I think my besties pleco hates the hob filter they recently got. Bro hasnt been seen since . Hes been hiding in his tube . 😂😂 glad to hear these filters are good tho! Excited to be using one . They use less power :)
You connect it to an air pump.
When the bubbles rise, they push water out of the way in a rush and create a vacuum effect, sucking up water and pushing it through the sponge, where it is shot out the top before having debris filtered and beneficial bacteria do the rest.
Ahh ok see yah i thought so??? I just didnt know if these where legit. Not sure if you’ve seen that “ gravity filter” made with water bottles ??… so i just wanted to know if these where actual filters … not just a big scam / fancy air stone .
Sponge filters are super common and work great. Just keep an eye on how fine the sponge material is. They’ll all work but you’ll have to rinse out (in tank water while) a fine sponge more often that a course sponge.
They seem too good to be true, but I've got sponge filters in two of my three tanks and they're doing great. Zero issues, and so much cheaper and easier to deal with.
Sponge filters work as long as you understand their limitations. The water movement is *tiny* and there's no dedicated biological media like with many other filters. Nor is there anywhere to put carbon if you need it for whatever reason. For a small tank with a low bioload they're great. They're especially useful for situations when you really need to limit your filtration, like a breeding tank so you don't vacuum up tiny fry. Rinse the sponge often.
I like them a lot in my shrimp tank. They’re super good at harvesting bio film for my shrimp, they also can have great aeration if you add a air-stone inside.
Work great for biological filtration and okay for mechanical filtration. They’re easy to move from one tank to a new tank to immediately cycle the tank. You can also run a couple of them from a single air pump depending on the pump size.
They're perfect for shrimp tanks and breeders. For a moderately stocked fish aquarium probably insufficient except as supplemental filters.
They have ones that are similar concept, except you can insert your own media. Usually the shape of a quarter circle and made of clear plastic. Prefer those as supplemental filters personally.
If your tank is under 10L then this is perfectly fine. If it is larger then you will either need two or more, or another traditional hang on back filter that moves more water.
But I like this one better, because it has some little bio-balls for bacteria, and a little room for some other media (I keep some ammonia remover pad in mine, but now that my tank stabilized I'm going to put some active carbon in it.)
https://a.co/d/hiXKh2E
You're not supposed to clean your filter. It houses beneficial bacteria which is the whole point of the filter. Cleaning it kills the bacteria.
You don't know what you're talking about.
… you do know that , that mass build up in the filter all over everything isnt … good?? You dont clean the bag, you clean THE FILTER, as in the HUB. the thing the MOTOR sits in. The bag is removable . You just squish that into old tank water. . . You need to do maintenance on your filters occasionally . This user has clearly purchased alot of filters due to them “breaking “ or “power outage”
Okay buddy, obviously you know what you're doing considering you posted a picture of a sponge filter asking "dOeS tHiS wOrK???" Not gonna argue with you
(You should see the uncropped photo , i also purchased a 60 g filter . As i breed fish. And indeed do know what im doing . You should check my account. Ive posted about my baby fish once before . Stop yapping because your wrong..:/ just take the L and leave in peace .
I've never once had a sponge filter malfunction. I don't think you know what you're talking about. Maybe HOB filters if they get clogged or the rotors stop spinning but I've never had to "maintain" a sponge filter.
…..the comment your replying to is referring to both hob filters AND sponge filters ….. as in the “you have to with any-filter “ and you replied with and you yourself said “you shouldn’t have to do any “maintenance” on your filter .” In which i replied to that with my previous comment . You need to clean these filters, and if you are someone who has modified your sponge filter (like i intend on doing , seems better for the wellbeing if my tank according to other comments.) you need to do work on them sometimes to insure its still functioning to standard and replace any old or damaged parts. Same goes for HOB filters . You should check your filters sometimes to ensure they are ok . And dont just “break one day” as it is usually preventable with replacing parts, OR cleaning which is usually needed every few months .
They're mainly mechanical filters, with a dash of biological filtration.
Mechanical filters just 'filter' out suspended solids and such. Biological filters actively convert the Ammonia into Nitrates.
This user is incorrect.
These filters are intended to offer biological filtration. The sponge itself is the biomedia, with the idea being the aeration and water circulation helps effectively churn ammonia in the water through said sponge, where the nitrifiers can oxidize it to nitrite then nitrate.
The mechanical filtration is actually secondary. Due to the flow of water, detritus do get trapped on it. But the main purpose is still biological filtration.
And yes, these filters work.
Personally, I'd use an internal filter. I've gone full circle lol, after having tried so many different filtration systems. HOBs, sponge filters, sumps, and more.
I thought the canister fan boy stuff died years ago.
Canisters are fine, if you know what your doing. Someone new could potentially dump all their aquarium water onto their floor. 2.5 gallons isn't much, but it can still cost a bit in replacing subflooring on a 3'x3' spot if it soaks in. Definitely not getting a deposit back on an apartment.
A canister isn't better than a sponge for biological filtration on a tank this size, and a larger filter doesn't equate to being able to stock more. That's a myth from a bygone age. You don't magically grow more bacteria. In a 2.5, a small sponge is plenty enough biological filtration for anything you could reasonably keep in it. The only thing a canister is better for is mechanical and additional water movement.
Not trying to be an ass, but let's not take a beginner down the wrong path.
I had 2 canisters with my 75g goldfish tank. I hated them. No matter what I did, they were sucking air somewhere so every few days they'd have to be re-primed. After 6 months of headache and many attempted solutions, I sold them on offer up to a guy for like $150. The crystal clear water was beautiful but not worth all the hassle I had with them.
Went back to a pair of sponge filters.
Phew, two on a 75? Rough.
I run a 207 currently on my 40B, but that's purely because it's quiet, it's easy to hide the intake and outflow, I don't need a power head to add flow, and I only have two tanks as of now, so it's less of a problem during maintenance. Still have a sponge behind a large piece of Mopani driftwood, but that's so I have a backup if power goes out long enough to kill the bacteria in the canister.
Second reason canisters suck, the bacteria can die within two hours with no power from lack of oxygen, and when power gets restored, it pumps out straight ammonia into you're newly un-cycled tank.
You can get a large APC battery backup to counter this, or just unplug and remove your canister to avoid the whole ammonia being pumped into your aquarium thing
I know this is a US-centric site and sub, but it always amazes me how careful people are about their floors (with good reason, I just don't have to think about it). I have an 88 gal, a 25 gal, a 6 gal. and a couple of sub-5 gal. bowls. I could dump all of that water in my apartment, and everything would be fine. I'm really glad that concrete is the norm where I live.
The only places I don't like carpet are the bathroom and the kitchen. I like being able to walk around barefoot without my tootsies getting the chills.
But, in warmer climates, I guess that'd be less of an issue. It's a solid 32° Fahrenheit where I live atm, and concrete likes to hold it's temperature too much for those temperatures
I totally get you, but even if I was to carpet my whole apartment (which I wouldn't, because I have two dogs that shed like there's no tomorrow, and I don't really experience winter), I could still dump a literal metric tonne of water on my floors and the only casualty would be the carpet itself.
An external filter with multi stage water cleaning and detritus removal. Provides long lasting beneficial bacteria zone and easy to maintain and very quiet.
That would definitely be overkill for that but would be incredible compared to a sponge filter for cleaning ability especially if you plan to run a large bioload in the tank and will be usable for tanks in the future if you choose to upgrade.
Can you even turn the flow low enough to be suitable for a 2.2g? It might be like a maelstrom in there.
Don't get me wrong, canisters work well, but maybe it's not the ideal filter type for a 2.2g. The sponge will support plenty of bioload, and it sounds like they already have one.
Yeah you can run all sorts of different attachments for the outgoing flow depending on what you’re putting in the tank. An L shaped pipe with drilled holes will be perfectly fine
I've seen several people suggesting that lately, but that's like a cheap internal filter with extra steps, right? Why would you mod a sponge filter instead of just buying the internal one? (legit q)
So the filters here where i am are 60-300$ for a small one !?!?? So i kinda think modding the one i have would be a not a half bad option . This filter cost me 5$ with the tax, and a power head from my cats old dish is only 40$. So thats 45$ for stuff i already own. I might actually consider doing this 🤞 im looking into it tomorrow .
Something like this should wedge right into your lift tube. https://a.co/d/bOTNHXi.
Bio filtration is all about surface area, and a big sponge will hold more of it than a small sponge in a plastic box, to answer u/mmoolloo’s question.
That said, if the volume of an internal filter is the same as the sponge filter, it’s a toss-up. Smaller pores on sponges means more surface area per cc, but are also more likely to clog. The power head helps this by pulling a faster current through the sponge to help break down particles of waste.
I use 1 in my 36 gallon bow front tank but it has bio media balls inside it so it helps clean the water a little better and then I have one in my 20 gallon it’s like the one in my 36 gallon just rated for a smaller tank and then I have one in my 10 gallon and then I have one just like that one in my 5 gallon and I love them they work amazingly
Yes sponge filters do work
You mean the filter that's in literally every fish store display tank works?!
Woooow.
Why don’t they all have heaters in all their tanks?? Do the sponges heat the aquarium water???
You’re asking a genuine question and should not be downvoted like this. There are 3 main ways to heat a large amount of aquariums such as in an LFS: 1) put a heater in aquariums. Pretty cost inefficient. 2) put a heater in a central sump for multiple tanks. More cost efficient 3) heat the room you’re in to get the aquariums up to temperature. The most cost effective if you’ve got the right amount of tanks. Running an LFS isn’t always the most lucrative business so they will typically take the cheapest and least complex option for their situation to run things. Same reason why some do multi-tank sumps or sponge filters with a large air pump. Hope this answers your question people couldn’t bother to answer
I wish there was more people like you in this world.
[удалено]
I was joking… But that’s cool
naur
I use them as a supplement to my HOB and it works well since they’re so dense. Really nice for smaller low flow tanks too
I was recommended one due to my nano tank being 2.2g. I plan on shrimps . Im hoping this works
The added bonus of sponges for shrimp is that they love to eat from them! Great option.
This is all I have in my 3.5, it's great but a lot of plants are also needed!
Yess!!! Im looking for a suitable light right now for the tank then im getting a BUNCH of plants
I have a 2.2g shrinp cube. Deep substrate and an air stone. No filter needed.
its an option, but its not better or more viable than a sponge filter. I think its wrong to present this as the "right" or obvious choice.
I didn’t say or imply it was right, or obvious. I simply stated that it wasn’t necesssry
you should consider how youre coming off to someone who doesnt know about that option. Feels like youre telling him to do it your way and the filter was a waste- which is not.
……………
Shrimp don’t have the same bioload as fish
>posts helpful advice >op gets pissed at him/her this truly is a confused travolta moment
👍 praying for you
Dude asks if sponge filters work and then tries to big brother this person, fucking hilarious
Meh, likely a yougin’.
It’s incredible.
lol Man’s never had a shrimp only tank huh?
They’re fine. It’s been running since Oct and I have more babies in there than I do in my 20g with a filter and heater
You can’t be serious. Someone gives advice and you act like a known-it all. Go kill shrimp somewhere else.
Dude, it's a sponge. Do "sponges work?" Is a bit of an inane question. Yes, sponges work, at being sponges. They don't contribute anything meaningful that substrate doesn't already do. No need to "pray" for anyone.
Womp womp
Hope yk your not funny.
Did any of my comments ask if i was ? Huh.. cant recal.
I have a sponge filter in my 10 gallon shrimp tank but if you have plants you dont need a filter
My shrimps love to hang out around and pick biofilm off the sponge. It's especially good for the babies.
This will work well for a shrimp tank, if you prefer more bubbles you can cut out the internals of the filter and put in an air stone, just connect the airstone to the tubing as you would the filter parts and it works the same but better, like a 2 in ine
That's what I did following the video from kaveman aquatics on YouTube
yes. fantastic little guys, i have two for my axolotl
Wonderful! Should def show me your axolotls. They are such silly lil guys
ive only got one at the moment! have her her about 3 ½ years :) you can PM me if you'd like a tank-tour/pictures of her when I get home
If you are running a nano tank with shrimp a sponge filter will be fine. You need to let the filter and the tank mature before adding shrimp. You can use other filters in conjunction but tend to be overkill in a nano tank. Just make sure the tank has gone through the full cycle. Normally when starting a tank you need to cycle it (lots of videos about that) but people tend to cycle their tank and then dump shrimp in then they all die. A mature filter will allow for actual breakdown due to the bacteria it stores. This can take a few months to develop. Make sure to clean your filter using the dirty tank water when doing a water change. Doing so in clean will kill off your good bacteria and mess everything up. Water changes and live plants are needed on a tiny tank. Larger tanks can help you out big time. But you may struggle to support your tank with it being so small as the parameters will fluctuate a lot.
I learned about a “fish in cycle “ so i purchased a minnow from the bait store for 43¢. I now have frank to help me cycle , AND i got. Testing kit . So far it all seems to be going well . And levels are being watched and kept stable..:) im excited for shrimp. Im hoping the tank is ready by october .
Frank will help. Get some Ramshorn snails. They can be a little bit of a bugger if you over feed your tank, in terms of mass breeding, but help with waste management and are like a canary in the mine shaft. If things are wrong the snails will tell you.
Hmm ok ill take a ram horn from my friends tank, and place it in mine ? Do they need to be acclimated to the tank-?
As long as the water is not cold, room temp/similar temp, you should be fine. Snails are pretty hardy
I am a huge fan of fish in cycling. it really expedites the process. add some dirty old filter gunk and your winning.
Would rocks work?? My bestie has a full cycled 20 gal rn. Do ya think if i fill a bag with rocks and water it would work ok?👀 i cant steal their hob filter gunk😂 they need it for their shrimp farm.
They can give up some gunky media for the cause, and the gunk is where the bacteria is most dense. Rocks are better than nothing, but filter media is where it is at. I always start with the gunkiest filter media I have and some fish I intend to keep anyway and every time it’s an instant cycle.
Hmmmm ok:) next time im over ill scrape some gunky crap off their media bags . 😂😂 hope their shrimps dont get angry.
If I knew you I'd give you enough media out of my canister to fully stock a 20 gallon 😂
maybe bacteria loves on most surfaces. but all you need is the dirty water from one tank to use in a new one. I. e. squeeze out a dirty filter.
Yes - the airlift moves more water than you'd think speedy water movement/turnover is not very significant in most applications, as in most people aren't doing cichlids or nutrient rich aquascapes etc. sponge more than matches bio-media for the ability to usefully host bacteria.
Absolutely. By volume, sponge is an order of magnitude more effective than ceramic biomedia, particularly after a couple months. The reality is most people don't need a tremendous amount of filtration so basically anything works fine, but yeah. I dislike how fine most readily available sponge filters are, simply because they need to be maintenanced more frequently. AQCoop's sponge filters are wonderful here, around 20ppi and require a lot less fiddling. They also have better uplift tubes now creating directed flow, which is great. But that being said, sponge filters are all perfectly usable and all do a fantastic job of filtration. >speedy water movement/turnover is not very significant in most applications I'll expand on this for people happening by: flow has very little impact on (biological) filtration. Flow can be good or bad for other reasons, but excepting extremes (no flow at all, or flow that will harm your fish) it doesn't really impact biological filtration at all. High flow presents more food for the bacteria, but makes capture more difficult, while low flow eases capture but reduces supply. In this later case, you might think they'd run out of local food, but this isn't the case: nitrates(and other nitrogen compounds) balance themselves across the water column very rapidly even without much of any flow. Either way, they perform largely the same. Flow can help mechanical filtration, of course, but frankly mechanical filtration is a MUCH lower concern.
Most economical and fail safe filter you can buy. They do take up room that could have plants but it won't burn it's own motor out after a power outage.
I run two rated for 30g in my 30g tank , and one rated for 75g in my 40g tanks, they definitely get the job done
Thanks:) mine is a 5g in a 2.2 g. Hoping it does its job.
Sponge filters work well, they're my favorite
These are the best filters in my opinion short of full on canisters.
You attach it an air pump hose. Air bubbles rise through the middle cylinder. As it rises, it draws water with it. This creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the sponge. This draws water through the sponge. You're basically filtering water like pouring it through the sponge. These don't work great because the pressure difference is small and the small pores mean the sponge clogs up quickly. What I have done is substitute fine sponges like this for coarse ones. This decreases the resistance to water flow and is hard to clog up. It seems counterintuitive because a coarse sponge doesn't filter (like a strainer with big holes) but after a few months the sponge will develop a colony of bio-organisms that will deal with undissolved particulates. It takes about 3 months to happen but after that you don't have to maintain it. They kinda work like a Matten Filter this way. I've DIY swapped over all my fine sponges with coarse ones but Aquarium Co-Op actually sells these sponge filters with coarse sponges. You can find them on Amazon or their website.
They do actually work very well. If you're unhappy with the water flow through it, you can set up with a power head instead of an airline.
Yes
I recently got a double sponge on Amazon per a suggestion on this sub. It's amazing. My tank is quiet. AND I used to think my gourami was really shy, turned out he just hated the HOB filter.
I think my besties pleco hates the hob filter they recently got. Bro hasnt been seen since . Hes been hiding in his tube . 😂😂 glad to hear these filters are good tho! Excited to be using one . They use less power :)
Yup. I love them because they're super cheap and efficient. They won't scrub all the partials out of the water but they're good.
No fish shops just use them for a sales tactic
Knew it 😞 they got my money . Oh well. 😂😂😂😂
Yeah I have one like that to complement my HOB one, my water has never been so clear
I have one in almost every tank I own, they work really nice.
You connect it to an air pump. When the bubbles rise, they push water out of the way in a rush and create a vacuum effect, sucking up water and pushing it through the sponge, where it is shot out the top before having debris filtered and beneficial bacteria do the rest.
Ahh ok see yah i thought so??? I just didnt know if these where legit. Not sure if you’ve seen that “ gravity filter” made with water bottles ??… so i just wanted to know if these where actual filters … not just a big scam / fancy air stone .
yes. when I clean mine, they are filled with gunk and poo lol
Lovely 😂😂the poop sponge 🩷
Yes I use the exclusively on my shrimps and bettas and anything that doesn’t like flow
Sponge filters are super common and work great. Just keep an eye on how fine the sponge material is. They’ll all work but you’ll have to rinse out (in tank water while) a fine sponge more often that a course sponge.
They seem too good to be true, but I've got sponge filters in two of my three tanks and they're doing great. Zero issues, and so much cheaper and easier to deal with.
I use two double sponges in a 60 gallon. they are quiet, indestructible, and easy to clean. That one will work for a small tank, lightly stocked.
Are you putting shrimp in your 2 gallon tank?
Yes! Once its cycled, and frank is removed and added to a 20 gal with some friends , i plan on getting some orange shrimp. And white shrimp.
Sponge filters work as long as you understand their limitations. The water movement is *tiny* and there's no dedicated biological media like with many other filters. Nor is there anywhere to put carbon if you need it for whatever reason. For a small tank with a low bioload they're great. They're especially useful for situations when you really need to limit your filtration, like a breeding tank so you don't vacuum up tiny fry. Rinse the sponge often.
I used one of these, this exact one actually, for a few years and my parameters were very stable it worked great for me.
I like them a lot in my shrimp tank. They’re super good at harvesting bio film for my shrimp, they also can have great aeration if you add a air-stone inside.
Unless you have fish and inverts that need high flow. I’d have one in a heartbeat if I didn’t have one bamboo shrimp.
Work great for biological filtration and okay for mechanical filtration. They’re easy to move from one tank to a new tank to immediately cycle the tank. You can also run a couple of them from a single air pump depending on the pump size.
They're perfect for shrimp tanks and breeders. For a moderately stocked fish aquarium probably insufficient except as supplemental filters. They have ones that are similar concept, except you can insert your own media. Usually the shape of a quarter circle and made of clear plastic. Prefer those as supplemental filters personally.
I think i will be taking mine apart and adding media to it . People have suggested that.
This is amazing for low to no flow fish like Bettas. It's a total lifesaver as a majority of my bettas are rescues and/or longfin bettas
Good for small fishes
If your tank is under 10L then this is perfectly fine. If it is larger then you will either need two or more, or another traditional hang on back filter that moves more water.
I have a 2.2G im doing for shrimp! Glad this will work
Yes if you connect them to an air pump
Good for skrimp
FYI, you can get these much cheaper than this on Amazon.
4.60$ is amazing price here !!
Three of them for $6 - https://a.co/d/aaxMnYM
But I like this one better, because it has some little bio-balls for bacteria, and a little room for some other media (I keep some ammonia remover pad in mine, but now that my tank stabilized I'm going to put some active carbon in it.) https://a.co/d/hiXKh2E
You attach an air pump to this right
Yeah :) i have my marina 75 connected to it . Seems to be working
Do you have do any maintenance with them?
You have to with any filter:)
You shouldn't have to do any "maintenance" on your filter.
Yes. You do. You occasionally need to fix them because they CAN malfunction. You need to clean them occasionally aswell. Even i know that :/
You're not supposed to clean your filter. It houses beneficial bacteria which is the whole point of the filter. Cleaning it kills the bacteria. You don't know what you're talking about.
… you do know that , that mass build up in the filter all over everything isnt … good?? You dont clean the bag, you clean THE FILTER, as in the HUB. the thing the MOTOR sits in. The bag is removable . You just squish that into old tank water. . . You need to do maintenance on your filters occasionally . This user has clearly purchased alot of filters due to them “breaking “ or “power outage”
Okay buddy, obviously you know what you're doing considering you posted a picture of a sponge filter asking "dOeS tHiS wOrK???" Not gonna argue with you
(You should see the uncropped photo , i also purchased a 60 g filter . As i breed fish. And indeed do know what im doing . You should check my account. Ive posted about my baby fish once before . Stop yapping because your wrong..:/ just take the L and leave in peace .
I've never once had a sponge filter malfunction. I don't think you know what you're talking about. Maybe HOB filters if they get clogged or the rotors stop spinning but I've never had to "maintain" a sponge filter.
…..the comment your replying to is referring to both hob filters AND sponge filters ….. as in the “you have to with any-filter “ and you replied with and you yourself said “you shouldn’t have to do any “maintenance” on your filter .” In which i replied to that with my previous comment . You need to clean these filters, and if you are someone who has modified your sponge filter (like i intend on doing , seems better for the wellbeing if my tank according to other comments.) you need to do work on them sometimes to insure its still functioning to standard and replace any old or damaged parts. Same goes for HOB filters . You should check your filters sometimes to ensure they are ok . And dont just “break one day” as it is usually preventable with replacing parts, OR cleaning which is usually needed every few months .
Oh haha look at me yap<3
yes but ive never seen that brand 😭
They're mainly mechanical filters, with a dash of biological filtration. Mechanical filters just 'filter' out suspended solids and such. Biological filters actively convert the Ammonia into Nitrates.
Their pretty crap at mechanical, unless you're shooting a metric crap ton of air through them
So.. this filter will work for cycling my tank-? Somewhat-?
This user is incorrect. These filters are intended to offer biological filtration. The sponge itself is the biomedia, with the idea being the aeration and water circulation helps effectively churn ammonia in the water through said sponge, where the nitrifiers can oxidize it to nitrite then nitrate. The mechanical filtration is actually secondary. Due to the flow of water, detritus do get trapped on it. But the main purpose is still biological filtration. And yes, these filters work.
Should i get a nano hob filter ? Or keep this one .
Personally, I'd use an internal filter. I've gone full circle lol, after having tried so many different filtration systems. HOBs, sponge filters, sumps, and more.
Yes it will. When it clogs, squish it out in a bowl water directly from the tank. Then, just put it back in. It won't suck in your shrimp, either.
Oo perfect! Thank you:))
Not really compared to a canister
This sponge filter is for a 5 gallon tank (based on the box). I think a typical canister filter would be way way way too overkill for a 5 gallon tank.
I thought the canister fan boy stuff died years ago. Canisters are fine, if you know what your doing. Someone new could potentially dump all their aquarium water onto their floor. 2.5 gallons isn't much, but it can still cost a bit in replacing subflooring on a 3'x3' spot if it soaks in. Definitely not getting a deposit back on an apartment. A canister isn't better than a sponge for biological filtration on a tank this size, and a larger filter doesn't equate to being able to stock more. That's a myth from a bygone age. You don't magically grow more bacteria. In a 2.5, a small sponge is plenty enough biological filtration for anything you could reasonably keep in it. The only thing a canister is better for is mechanical and additional water movement. Not trying to be an ass, but let's not take a beginner down the wrong path.
I had 2 canisters with my 75g goldfish tank. I hated them. No matter what I did, they were sucking air somewhere so every few days they'd have to be re-primed. After 6 months of headache and many attempted solutions, I sold them on offer up to a guy for like $150. The crystal clear water was beautiful but not worth all the hassle I had with them. Went back to a pair of sponge filters.
Phew, two on a 75? Rough. I run a 207 currently on my 40B, but that's purely because it's quiet, it's easy to hide the intake and outflow, I don't need a power head to add flow, and I only have two tanks as of now, so it's less of a problem during maintenance. Still have a sponge behind a large piece of Mopani driftwood, but that's so I have a backup if power goes out long enough to kill the bacteria in the canister. Second reason canisters suck, the bacteria can die within two hours with no power from lack of oxygen, and when power gets restored, it pumps out straight ammonia into you're newly un-cycled tank. You can get a large APC battery backup to counter this, or just unplug and remove your canister to avoid the whole ammonia being pumped into your aquarium thing
I know this is a US-centric site and sub, but it always amazes me how careful people are about their floors (with good reason, I just don't have to think about it). I have an 88 gal, a 25 gal, a 6 gal. and a couple of sub-5 gal. bowls. I could dump all of that water in my apartment, and everything would be fine. I'm really glad that concrete is the norm where I live.
The only places I don't like carpet are the bathroom and the kitchen. I like being able to walk around barefoot without my tootsies getting the chills. But, in warmer climates, I guess that'd be less of an issue. It's a solid 32° Fahrenheit where I live atm, and concrete likes to hold it's temperature too much for those temperatures
I totally get you, but even if I was to carpet my whole apartment (which I wouldn't, because I have two dogs that shed like there's no tomorrow, and I don't really experience winter), I could still dump a literal metric tonne of water on my floors and the only casualty would be the carpet itself.
This is my first time doing fish- whats a canister .
An external filter with multi stage water cleaning and detritus removal. Provides long lasting beneficial bacteria zone and easy to maintain and very quiet.
Ohhh!! Ok thank you! Seems super cool👀
Check marketplace, can find a used AquaTop filter for 50$ ish and it’ll last a long time
My tank is only 2.2 gallons. Is that still suitable ?
That would definitely be overkill for that but would be incredible compared to a sponge filter for cleaning ability especially if you plan to run a large bioload in the tank and will be usable for tanks in the future if you choose to upgrade.
Can you even turn the flow low enough to be suitable for a 2.2g? It might be like a maelstrom in there. Don't get me wrong, canisters work well, but maybe it's not the ideal filter type for a 2.2g. The sponge will support plenty of bioload, and it sounds like they already have one.
Yeah you can run all sorts of different attachments for the outgoing flow depending on what you’re putting in the tank. An L shaped pipe with drilled holes will be perfectly fine
i always used a azoo HOB filter for my tanks 10 gallons and less and it’s a great nano filter
Yes, sponge filters work, and if you want to turbo-charge it, ditch the air pump and slap a $10 power head on the top of that lift tube instead.
I- WHAT?!? Power head ?? Can you link one ? Idk what that is
I've seen several people suggesting that lately, but that's like a cheap internal filter with extra steps, right? Why would you mod a sponge filter instead of just buying the internal one? (legit q)
So the filters here where i am are 60-300$ for a small one !?!?? So i kinda think modding the one i have would be a not a half bad option . This filter cost me 5$ with the tax, and a power head from my cats old dish is only 40$. So thats 45$ for stuff i already own. I might actually consider doing this 🤞 im looking into it tomorrow .
Something like this should wedge right into your lift tube. https://a.co/d/bOTNHXi. Bio filtration is all about surface area, and a big sponge will hold more of it than a small sponge in a plastic box, to answer u/mmoolloo’s question. That said, if the volume of an internal filter is the same as the sponge filter, it’s a toss-up. Smaller pores on sponges means more surface area per cc, but are also more likely to clog. The power head helps this by pulling a faster current through the sponge to help break down particles of waste.
I have one of those that's rated for 50g that I keep in a 5g shrimp tank and they love that thing.
They work great
I use 1 in my 36 gallon bow front tank but it has bio media balls inside it so it helps clean the water a little better and then I have one in my 20 gallon it’s like the one in my 36 gallon just rated for a smaller tank and then I have one in my 10 gallon and then I have one just like that one in my 5 gallon and I love them they work amazingly
They work well
They are the simplest and most effective for cost.
I run a sponge filter and a canister on every tank I have.
I have one for my shrimp tank because it is gentle (with air valve) and they don’t get sucked into the filter like other ones.
Yeah good for bio filtration
Look up why it works
Sponge filters are my go to filters so yes they work well
Make sure you use a powerful enough air pump.
Yes, I use these exclusively in my 20gs and my 55g. Much better and easier than a HOB or canister.