# dumb sponge filter question



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

This prolly sounds dumb but how dose a sponge filter work?


----------



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

Nm I found answer.


----------



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

acually I still dont understand.. can somome show a better picture of how it works? Air from pump goes through tube.. then through the sponge? thats it?


----------



## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

The air doesn't go though the sponge. The air moves water from the tube which draws water though the sponge.


----------



## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

contiunued from Rex.
And the sponge provides a place for nitrifying bacteria to colonize.
the flow of water thru the sponge brings oxygen and ammonia and nitrite thru the colony of bacteria which feeds the bacteria and turns the ammonia to nitrite and the nitrite to nitrate.


----------



## gibmaker (Jan 3, 2007)

Air travels up the tube and forces water out of the tube from the air movement, which inturn draws water through the sponge. It would kind of be like placing a vacuum cleaning tube in the middle of the sponge forcing water to be sucked in through the sponge. Hope that very poor discription helps.


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Sorry to bump such a old thread, but how do you clean sponge filters? Do you just take off the psonge and squeeze it out in aquarium water? Or do you just buy a totally new one?(then I would have to buy a bunch xD)


----------



## tropism (Jul 21, 2006)

Depending on what you mean by "take off the sponge", yes. If the clear tube that the air bubbles flow through is connected to another hard plastic piece in the sponge, just remove the clear tube. Leave the hard plastic part in the sponge... then repeatedly squeeze the sponge in aquarium water. (never use tap water unless you don't mind re-cycling the tank)

You shouldn't have to replace the sponge until it starts falling apart. If you do have to replace one though, it would probably be good to have another one (or some other established filter) running in the tank for a couple weeks along with the new one so you minimize the chances of the tank cycling again.


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

tropism said:


> Depending on what you mean by "take off the sponge", yes. If the clear tube that the air bubbles flow through is connected to another hard plastic piece in the sponge, just remove the clear tube. Leave the hard plastic part in the sponge... then repeatedly squeeze the sponge in aquarium water. (never use tap water unless you don't mind re-cycling the tank)
> 
> You shouldn't have to replace the sponge until it starts falling apart. If you do have to replace one though, it would probably be good to have another one (or some other established filter) running in the tank for a couple weeks along with the new one so you minimize the chances of the tank cycling again.


Ah, ok, didn't know how the sponges connected... So I'll just order 1 sponge for each tank xD I'll also order a replacement sponge pack or 2. How long do you think a sponge will last? I'll just throw in the replacement sponges before I think they'll start to degrade.

Thanks for the help!


----------



## tkos (Oct 30, 2006)

I have been using my sponges for 5 years now with no issues.


----------



## tropism (Jul 21, 2006)

They should last for quite a while, but I'm not sure exactly how long. I can say that it is definitely on the order of years. I'm using one right now that's about 2 years old, and I'd _guess_ that it still has a few more years in it.

As for how they connect, there are a couple different styles... the two main ones that I know of are like the Jungle Labs Dirt Magnets and the Elite BioFoam sponge filter. (Incidentally, the BigAl's webpage for the Dirt Magnet Jr. says it's for use on aquariums up to 5 gallons, but the package says up to 10 gallons). In any event, when you get the sponge filters it should be fairly easy to tell what parts can or can't be removed -- if it's not easy to remove, leave it in.  It's not actually necessary to remove anything, it just makes it a little easier to clean if you remove the uplift tube & airline tubing IMO.

Don't squeeze out the sponges in the first month for sure... after that it's up to you (and your tanks) how often to do it. I only clean mine every couple of months or so. Sponge filters like to be at least a little dirty (like all sponges used for biological filtration), so you *don't* have to worry about squeezing it in tank water, dumping that out, getting more tank water, squeezing, etc, until the water is clear. A few squeezes in some tank water should be enough.


----------



## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Alright, thanks for the heads up! I'm gonna order the elite single sponge filter from kensfish for a 10 gallon shirmp tank. Any idea if that's enough? Wood in his shirmp rack tanks have those, but milalic has the double ones. I'm also tempted to get that 5 star dolphin(planning to set up 2 tanks, 1 rcs and one crs) pump, but wood said flow is no good, but milalic didn't seem to complain.


----------

