The Woefully Underappreciated Sponge Filter

[ToolMan78]

Be careful about what foam you get for a DIY filter. Some open cell foam (the kind that passes water) is treated with fungicides to prevent mildew in outdoor applications, "EZ-Dri" does for sure. What might work well is acoustic foam. They sell it in big sheets. It's the dark gray stuff they line recording studios with to get rid of sound reflections. It has a 3D surface texture , kinda like egg crate, which would help create more surface area for your filter.
I would say find a foam dealer in your area and ask for open cell or reticulated foam. Ask to make sure it doesn'y contain fungicides or fire retardants.

 

[ToolMan78]

Looked around if I could find anything that was certified safe for fish and found this website. They sell foam made specifically for aquariums in Germany. Their kind of pricey, but if you want to make 100% sure your not using anything that might hurt your fish, might be worth the extra cash.

 

[Gill Blue]

Yours are biggest, I don't think mine was 24". How big a tank was it for?

the sponges go in a 60G sump for a 245G tank.

I just finished measuring to cut it and it's only going to be 23" x 19" x 6"

 

[toffee]

main or pre filter?

 

[Gill Blue]

oops, forgot about the pre-filter. that is a 20 PPI foam block 23" x 4"x 4"

 

[ajohnson09]

More like 3 to 6 weeks tops. I run these for all of my tanks. I have discus and SA Cichlids : ) It all I have used for over 2 years now. They are great.

 

[klumsyninja]

I love that there is a 20 page thread on the benefit of sponge filters, lol. EVERY discus cichlid & breeder Ive seen has rows of tanks all with sponge filters in them. Usually, they ONLY sponge filters running on their entire systems as well. a few have AC HOBs as well but mainly I see sponges used in fishrooms. I would have never questioned their efficiency and am surprised to read that so many do.

 

[alanwcollins]

What's the best air pump?

 

[lp85253]

What's the best air pump?

penn plax x-5 works well for me

 

[Ensorcelled]

yo, how important is the circular clear tube that goes above the sponge filter?

i got two sponge filters but one of them is missing the long clear plastic tube..are they both going to work well

I too would like to know the answer to this question. I just picked up a 20 Gallon Hydor model for my 20G shellie tank and I had to trim the tube quite a bit to where it wasn't sticking out of the water. Also, how much airflow from the airpump is needed for it to be effective? I have an airflow adjuster on my pump and I scaled it back a little because of excessive noise.