HOB vs sponge filtration in 55 gallon tanks with fry

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Mythic Figment

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 27, 2012
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Florida
Okay, so I have 2 55 setups. One currently holds 5 German blue rams, about 6 ghost shrimp and 1 Siamese algae eater. It will eventually have the same stock with the additions of 6 Denison barbs and 10-15 neons. I may rehome the SAE though as he doesn't seem to be doing much in the way of algae control. i still have to scrub the glass a lot. Now the tank currently has the Walmart Aqua Tech 30-60 it originally came with. It's done an okay job so far, but I am not super satisfied with it. So I have decided to up my filtration as soon as I can. Now 2 of my rams are a breeding pair. They used to be housed with 4 juvenile severums of about 3-4" each. I thought that the severums were picking off the fry when they got to the free-swimming stage, but I am still losing quite a few once they reach the that stage and the severums have been out of the tank for the last 2 weeks. I am thinking I am losing them to the HOB filter. The parents lay their eggs on the opposite end of the tank from the filter and don't seem to lose too many wrigglers up until the fry take off on their own. The other tank houses the 4 juvenile severums, ranging in size from 3-4", that may pair up in the tank before I get them moved to a larger 75 or 90 gallon tank and I would also not want to lose their fry if I do get a pair.

So my question comes down to what kind of filtration I should use in the tank? It will eventually house all the fish I listed above in the ram tank, so I am not entirely sure what to do. I don't use carbon in any of my tank filters and the 55 I have my rams in just has filter floss polishing the water and that is it. The 55 in my severum tank has carbon filters, but I cut out the carbon so it basically is just floss. I check the filters and floss every couple of weeks and remove any big debris or give one of the floss pads a rinse if it is getting slimy. I thought about getting Marineland Emperor 400 filters for both my 55s. But then I saw that 80 gallon sponge filters were way cheaper. I know they don't move water as well, so I thought I might get 2 sponge filters rated for 80 gallons and be good.

Any thoughts on which path is better for both the health of my fish and the safety of the fry? Either 1 Emperor 400 filter for each tank or 2 sponge filters rated for 80 gallon tanks for each tank? Any other suggestions would also be appreciated.


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Sponge is best on ay fry tank. Hob will only suck up fry unless covered with prefilter of some kinda (I used filter sponges) .
 
doomiedee said:
Sponge is best on ay fry tank. Hob will only suck up fry unless covered with prefilter of some kinda (I used filter sponges) .
Click to expand...

Pre filters look like a good trade off. Do pre filter sponges come in a one size fits all kind of size or do I need to find something for my specific filter brand or size?

If I can't find pre filters for my tanks, do you think that 2 sponge filter rated for 80 gallon tanks in a 90 gallon tank with just 2 adult severum and there fry will be okay?

Do you think that the same 2 sponge filters in a 55 will be enough for a tank with 5 German blue rams (and fry), some ghost shrimp, 10 neons and 6 Denison barbs?


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Fry can also feed off the sponge filter.
 
I just used aquaclear filter sponges as a prefilter. There cheap and can be used for pretty much any filters intake. All I had to do was cut it to the size I need and cut a slit to slide the intake into.

The two sponges could work or you could do one rated for like a 125-150 with a stronger air pump.
I got a 80 gal sponge with a 150 gallon air pump and a 50 gal sponge with a 80 gal pump in my 75 . It seems to do the job but I'm doing 2 w.c a week.
 
doomiedee said:
I just used aquaclear filter sponges as a prefilter. There cheap and can be used for pretty much any filters intake. All I had to do was cut it to the size I need and cut a slit to slide the intake into.

The two sponges could work or you could do one rated for like a 125-150 with a stronger air pump.
I got a 80 gal sponge with a 150 gallon air pump and a 50 gal sponge with a 80 gal pump in my 75 . It seems to do the job but I'm doing 2 w.c a week.
Click to expand...

I do weekly changes on my 55s and my HOBs don't seem to pick up much in the way of debris. I thoroughly siphon the gravel every time though, so really I think my HOBs are just being used for water movement and a little bit of bacteria colonization.

I will definitely look into the Aquaclear pre filter idea. If I could combine HOB with a good sponge for bacteria colonies, it would be a definite win. I also have a 20 gallon I will be setting up for fry once I get the fish currently living there out. I will remove the HOB filter from it and use one of the 40-50 gallon rated sponge filters there.


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Just make sure your prefilter sponge is correctly fitted, you can lose a lot of fry to the filter if something isn't fully secure.
 
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