Nice job on this! I use sponge filters in all my tanks in the fish room and wouldn't use anything else once you have a decent number of tanks. They may not look the best, but they work. : -)
@ada205mi
6 жыл бұрын
Somehow I missed this great video! Sponge filters are amazing. I'm a massive Apistogramma fan and have loads of tanks with just pairs or trios with a few small dither fish in... you can not beat sponge filters for this type of setup. They are cheap, easy to always have one on standby running in the back of a bigger tank, and best of all easy to maintain. I simply rinse the sponges in the last bucket of syphoned tank water when doing my weekly water changes and tank maintenance. Been doing it this way for over 30 years! Btw, hello from England!
@CatLadyBre
6 жыл бұрын
I'd just like to say that I'm very thankful for your channel. It's so hard to find reliable information on fish keeping and I feel like I've learned so much from your channel and like channels, and it's very empowering to actually be taking in reliable information and know that I'm doing right by my fish.
@mackenzieferguson4599
7 жыл бұрын
I've had a rough couple of weeks, and the sentence "As we've discussed in the past, they poop lincoln logs" just made it better. Thanks for that! :)
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Mackenzie Ferguson So glad!
@johnlogan1022
7 жыл бұрын
I run two power filters (hang on back or canister) on all of my tanks and each filter has a sponge over the intake tube to pre-filter the water before it gets into the filter itself. I rinse out the sponges when I do water changes and very, very rarely do anything with the filter media that is inside the filters. The sponges serve as mechanical filters and allow the media inside the filters to hold the beneficial bacteria to filter the water biologically. My power filters last a very long time this way, my water is always crystal clear and I never have to worry about fry or shrimp getting sucked up into the filters. One of my tanks has a lot of java moss and duckweed in it and I do not have to worry about it getting sucked up into the filters either.
@kriswTmom
7 жыл бұрын
Over the past few months, I've replaced all the hang on the back filters with sponge filters (except the goldfish tank which I've modified the hang on back to filter a bit better). Great video as usual! Thanks
@ronaldcalcagno9674
6 жыл бұрын
Listen I have one ,two ,three,four sponge filters in my 125 gallon aquarium a circulator and two HOB filters . My tank is thriving with very healthy rather large tropical fish like Angels, pink Gouramis, silver dollars and Severums to name a few. I do though rinse. All my sponges once a week. I love the way there sponge filters areleeping my aquarium super bio efficient . Thank you Ronnie
@renekjorgenson-massad7497
7 жыл бұрын
1. wonderful Tee shirt. thank you. 2 I love the Poret by swiss tropicals! They are from my state (Minnesota) and you just cannot find a better product/supplier. The poret foam has a higher surface area than any other foam of comparable size. Moreover, the poret foam holds up a lot longer. You can even tell in your video. the poret is holding shape whilst the other looks pretty rough! I have found that the poret foam can be more expensive than others but with the added surface area and longevity, makes them worth it. Again, thank you for all your support and videos!
@aquariumtech2329
7 жыл бұрын
Great advice as always. Love the t-shirt!
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
thanks!
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Proud Kafir it's pennsylvania....and has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with basic human rights
@aquariumtech2329
7 жыл бұрын
There are plenty of places to discus politics. Let's just focus on keeping awesome fish tanks and being a positive community here. I had no intention of starting a political conversation. I just like the shirt :)
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Aquarium Tech high-five
@rahuls8764
7 жыл бұрын
my apologies
@Dan-ju3bq
7 жыл бұрын
Rachel give Joey a ring he needs advice and help with his arowana your experience with gar and other large species will be a great help !!
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Dan G I am absolutely confident in joey's abilities and experience but have offered my support
@Dan-ju3bq
7 жыл бұрын
Rachel O'leary that's great! Glad that as a community we can try to help everyone!
@Amber-qe4oo
7 жыл бұрын
Dan G when I saw his video I instantly thought of her as well. She is the fish pimp after all.
@Amber-qe4oo
7 жыл бұрын
Blessed one When confronted with something one has not dealt with before even experts can use second opinions. No one was saying he isn't super experienced, but the advice and opinions of other professionals can never be a bad thing.
@OttawaOldFart
7 жыл бұрын
Thank you for that I was always wondering about them. I have a 29 gallon and if my hang on the back fails and it will eventually I will replace with a sponge filter. Again thank you.
@lisac5287
7 жыл бұрын
Great info on sponge filters. I'm using sponge filters in my summer ponds and in smaller tanks. We have canisters filters and hob filters on two 75 gallon tanks. My favorites are sponge filters, aqua clear hob filters (with a sponge intake) and the eheim canister.
@HeRo-qd6tk
4 ай бұрын
Hi Rachel, i hope you are well. It is funny because with experience, i came back to sponge filters. From super expensive Oase canisters et HOB. I mostly keep nanos and shrimps so sponge filters work great for me. Take care
@aquahogs
5 жыл бұрын
My fav is a fluval fx6 plumbed into a 36inch turbo twist UV light. Works great on my big fancy goldfish.
@davidjohnston1971
7 жыл бұрын
I love sponges for filtration. I've used many variants of the air lift styles. They all seem to have their good points. I do prefer the block type, open cell. I've also modified blocks for use in HOTs and canister filters, both for mechanical as well as biological filtration.
@twunderaquatics1770
5 жыл бұрын
My favorite is a matten filter. Provides grazing area for baby shrimp. Have mostly sponge filters in shrimp tanks but canisters for the ones with fish.
@murraybrown5844
7 жыл бұрын
I just discovered mattenfilters when my guppy club had a meeting. A club member showed us how to make them. I'm seriously considering changing as many box filters to mattenfilters. Making a ton from scratch is a bit expensive (in Canada atleast) but considering what I spend on filter floss, and replacing box filters when they break its worth it. Also, like you mentioned in your video, you haven't cleaned your mattenfilter in 2 years. That's the biggest bonus for me atleast!
@Beregar79
7 жыл бұрын
You can get large filter pads from Aliexpress or similar source very cheap (i.e. 45x45x5 cm filter pad costs only something like 5€ without any shipping fees). If I ever get rich and can afford a house I'm going to build aquarium room with a largeish 300x50x60 aquarium as a centerpiece. That's definitely going to have a large mattenfilter in one end. They are super useful in a larger aquarium where the space they use up is not such a huge issue. Just add a few glass holders and you can just slide off the filter pad when it needs cleaning without disturbing the substrate.
@murraybrown5844
7 жыл бұрын
We found a supplier in Toronto where I live that its reasonably priced. I think it will eventually happen. We'll see.
@conniemaglioli1452
6 жыл бұрын
Could I ask where?
@brianbernard8172
7 жыл бұрын
getting into the hobby of fish keeping again and i love your vids.because of you and all to other fish keepers inspire me to not give up so thank you.thank you .
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
hurray and welcome back!
@RogiervanVlissingen
6 жыл бұрын
Agreed, I have fallen in love with sponge filters, either by themselves, but also as pre-filters to canisters. And in one case I followed that with an FSB post-filter for brilliant results.
@carlagianchino8688
7 жыл бұрын
Love your t-shirt & the blue betta in the background. Sponge filtration is awesome. Thanks for all your vids Rachel
@kurtjohnson667
7 жыл бұрын
I have changed four of my tanks to corner matten filters with the 55 using the same setup as your 150 with an eheim canister filter. Great shirt by the way. Cheers.
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Kurt Johnson thanks!
@morphman32
6 жыл бұрын
Hello Rachel, I do like sponge filters, but, I have nano tanks and I prefer outside hang on filter. They're so efficient and easy to maintain. Thanks for yet another informative and interesting video.
@RickyKenerlyCichlids
7 жыл бұрын
Presently my favorite filters are matten and sponge filters! I got tired of all the issues I have faced with canister filtration and my sump filter. Your video on your matten filter inspired me to try that type of filtration out and I am very happy with it!
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
glad to hear it!
@BlatentlyFakeName
4 жыл бұрын
I have 2 jumbo sponge filters (rated for 600L each) in my pond alongside the canister. It makes a difference during spawning season when you get a lot of proteins in the water and the bubbles help break up the foam.
@dropstitchknittr
5 жыл бұрын
So informative - thank you - after being told by a shop that sponge filters aren't good (and not believing it )I'm glad to see some good info on them.
@roachant
7 жыл бұрын
Why isn't this channel more popular?! Great info as always 😊
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Roach Ant thanks!
@jess3625
6 жыл бұрын
Digging your hair! The color looks great on you. I also love sponge filters. I’m in the process of converting all of my tanks over.
@Magic_Weaver
7 жыл бұрын
So since I added the twin sponge filter the one you had the shrimp on in the video to my 33 Gallon tank which also has a large internal filter..things have only improved ive noticed the fish are a lot more active and comfortable ..and since I already had an air pump running in there it cost me practically nothing to order and start running in the tank I am so glad I did it
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Angelina Phayu Cheshire awesome
@shaker7804
6 жыл бұрын
I am going to try waterfall filter and sponge filter for a 4 ft holding frontosas. Still learning. Thanks Rachel
@billsfish2522
7 жыл бұрын
I have 2 tanks both with HOB filters and air stones. In my 55 I use a Whisper 60, it's been going for about 30 years and my tank is healthy and clear. The other is our 10 gallon quarantine tank running a Marina slim 15.
@sir4movies
7 жыл бұрын
I love your vids and your smile makes me happy and smile :) I wish I had known about this filtration before setting up my aquarium, because I bought a mattenfilter for 35€ and the ouput was too strong for my betta so i had to place another sponge infront of the output to slow it down. Well now I know what I am going to use if I ever re-do my tank or start another one :D Have a great day!
@Lylaznphatboi
7 жыл бұрын
Depends on what I'm trying to filter. For the most part, I like using hang on back filters with prefilter sponges and filling the filter case with biomedia. I feel like I can get more water through the sponge this way and still have a lot of media for bacteria to grow on.
@janedagger
6 жыл бұрын
I've been hooked on Swisstropicals' sponge filters since starting back up with aquaria. They're so efficient, so perfect and so awesome. And the looks don't bother me by any means. And those from swisstrops... are the bomb. THank you Rachel.
@janedagger
6 жыл бұрын
Oh, and I NEVER watercool my PC either. I am totally air cool. LOL! sorry couldn't resist.
@ricardomendez3977
6 жыл бұрын
I have the cube filters on 20 gallon tanks . One is a kribnesis tank and the other is a planted tank. The large size one takes up a good amount of space and the medium one is just the right size to me for a 20. I have had the Krib tank for over a year and have not cleaned the filter yet.
@varanidguy
7 жыл бұрын
I have become a huge fan of the tried and true Aquaclear HoB filters. I use a foam pre-filter on them (the Aquaclear 30 on my 10g has a rigged up one, the Aquaclear 70 on my 40 breeder has the Filter Max III). I then use coarse foam, then medium foam mat, then polyfill for polishing. The 70, since it has so much more room, is able to have the big ole block of foam it comes with. The 30 has a thinner sheet of the same coarseness (is that a word?) followed by the same formula. It works flawlessly and keeps the water pristine. I also use air powered "bio reactor" filters that I build myself, for a little additional mechanical, bio filtration, and oxygenation. Combine that with driftwood and plenty of live plants, and the tanks are virtually bullet proof.
@burnttoastspacegirlfriend8769
7 жыл бұрын
"We're all always setting up new aquariums" *STOP KNOWING ME!*
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Ruthlyss Targaryen LOL
@renerenatorivera9062
6 жыл бұрын
I have an ATI. Recently , one of my corys got stuck in on e the sponge grooves. I had to manually free him. I moved the filter away from the glass so it won't happen again.
@BradClarke
7 жыл бұрын
I recently switched my pair of 7 gallon rimless cube tanks over to the 3x3 30 ppi poret cube filters. The Aqueon QuietFlow AT10 internal filters I was using before were just too strong for the bettas, even when dialed all the way down. The bettas are much happier now. I use Aqueon QuietFlow HOB's on most of my other tanks, with pre-filter sponges over the intakes, and my own media inside plus Seachem Matrix in them.
@kimberlysmith4312
7 жыл бұрын
You are very informative in a very personable way. Thanks for being you. ☺️
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Kimberly Smith thank you!
@teviston7288
7 жыл бұрын
Great timing, my sponge filter just came in from aquarium-CoOp. Love the shirt by the way.
@shaker7804
6 жыл бұрын
Rachel thanks so much for your advice. It is very much appreciated. It is like having an expert friend. Bless ya!
@joi314
7 жыл бұрын
I run my goldfish tank with an eheim canister filter and just bought supplies (like 6 bucks) for a sponge filter for more filtration and In case I have to set up a quarantine tank. They are so useful, I wish I had known about them earlier but they just are not common here in Austria and you can only get some online for small tanks.
@AngieRichmond
7 жыл бұрын
Great video! I've been curious about sponge filtration so this has been super helpful. I think it's time to get a few 😉 Thank you!
@matthewzito6130
7 жыл бұрын
Right now I have external power filters in both my tanks (the kind that hang off the back of the tank). I like that they're out of view and provide gentle filtrations. In the past I've used an under-gravel filter with powerheads at both ends and submersible filters. I used the former for goldfish. It worked well initially, but as the fish grew waste built up faster than the filter could break it down, and I eventually had to remove the whole system and do a 100% water change (Not good, but fortunately goldfish are tough as nails). The latter worked well with goldfish and danios, but my Neon Tetras would get stuck to the intake, and bettas would get blown around like a pastic bag in a wind storm by the current.
@Red_Pilled_Woman
7 жыл бұрын
Big boys poop Lincoln Logs😂 Great video Rachel! I've noted many gurus are replacing HOBs with sponge filters. This firmed it up for me. Thanks!
@MARIUSBAAR
7 жыл бұрын
I love aquaclears but been using sponge filters lately for fry and also added sponge prefilters to the aqua clears for added bonus
@tylergordon696
7 жыл бұрын
I have been, converting all my 40b too matten filters, been very happy with them so far. Would still rather have a sump, bit for easy of use, you can't beat them.
@JoeSmith-ni9ej
7 жыл бұрын
I love sponge filters! I use them in every tank Ive ever owned. Great at adding oxygen, easy maintenance, cheap and doesn't create turbulence that sometimes can be too much for certain species. On top of that no annoyance of needing to remove carbon if you are treating a tank. If I want to add some current or use carbon, I'll generally hook on a HoB as well. I've spent the money on a canister filter and Tbh I'm not impressed. Sure it gets good current and flow but I've had issues and just not impressed for what I've spent.
@brad823
6 жыл бұрын
Good informative video! I use sponge filters in all except the large tanks, like you said, but they are a MUST in the rest. Also to start new tanks, add an existing sponge filter or two from another tank, give it a few days to be ready to go. Thanks for sharing!
@josemontalvo4532
5 жыл бұрын
Excellent Tuesday Tip! Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed watching! Godspeed!
@Militaristics
7 жыл бұрын
I use sponge pre filters on my bio canisters, the old fluvals (round ones) are just packed with crushed up BBQ rocks and I use the ATI sponges adapted to the intake tubes to keep the rock clean. i rinse the pre filters when they change color from blue to whatever. this way the canisters are small fish safe and it cuts down on maintenance on the bio filters. I clean them out every 2-4 years by replacing the BBQ rock
@thetank7359
6 жыл бұрын
Hi Rachel! I love your videos! I have a couple of questions that need your expertise: 1. How do determine that a sponge filter has slowed down, meaning it’s time to clean? 2. Do you have any tips on controlling the splash from the bubbles? Thanks a lot!
@RachelOLeary
6 жыл бұрын
The bubble output will be visibly less when they are getting clogged. You will also notice more fine particulates in the water column. As to how to diffuse, with an ati ir similar sponge you can put an airstone on the opposite connection as the airline which will produce smaller bubbles but sponge filters are always a bit noisy
@ambersherry4869
7 жыл бұрын
I got my first sponge filter a few months ago and I love it... I still have my hang on back filter too- I figure it couldnt hurt to have both for a bit seeing as I have a plecko and a black moor :)
@greenerick
3 жыл бұрын
Have Eheim professional 3 but the bonds filter is excellent thinking about turning off the Eheim filter Plus Great video 📹
@JenaTuckerAquariums
7 жыл бұрын
I love sponge filters. I would like to replace all my filters with sponge. I run hob and sponge in alot of my tanks. Thanks for sharing 😊
@molotulo8808
7 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video. I was just discussing with my wife about putting a sponge filter in my 5.5gal. Perfect timeing!
@athenapitiesyou
6 жыл бұрын
This info is so great and just what I needed - I recent'y switched my 10 gallon to sponge filtration~!
@chuckt7636
7 жыл бұрын
I haven't seen it yet but... No one has mentioned the ability to run a fish room on one air pump. I run 26 some odd tanks some with 2 sponge filters, a few air stones... feed "containers" daphnia and snails plus a baby brine hatchery all on one 44 watt pump. With an air loop of course.
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Chuck T I did in my video on fishroom filtration :)
@yvesdaigle3840
7 жыл бұрын
I am a little late to the party but I just noticed you Hit 40k subs grats Rachel.
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Yves Daigle thank you!
@aquawoman6475
7 жыл бұрын
Love the airstone tip! I'm going to have to change mine. Thanks!
@PrimeTimeAquatics
7 жыл бұрын
Try the never clog air stones if you get a chance. A little more money but way worth it in the end!
@amybennett1473
6 жыл бұрын
Love your videos..Getting back into aquariums after a 10 year break..Going to try planted tanks this time:)
@samanthareimerart4627
7 жыл бұрын
Sponge filters changed my life. I love them.
@geoffreycramer9940
4 жыл бұрын
Great tshirt! (I’m up in the Poconos) It’s a great message these days especially.
@timwjack
7 жыл бұрын
I use most types of filters in various tanks, but always try to have a sponge on any intakes (i.e. my hang on back filters, etc) I do not run any canister filters yet, but it is a possibility for me in the future, and I will have a prefilter sponge on it too.I plan to run a Matten filter in my new shrimp tank.
@julianmorgan8454
7 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the video Rachel :) Just to clarify something because firstly its become a bit of an aquarium hobby myth, and secondly its something I only recently discovered the truth of: Poret sponge foam is not "manufactured' as Poret foam. It is BRANDED as Poret foam -EMW Filtertechnik GmbH from whom Swiss Tropicals source their foam, do not manufacture foam, they CONVERT it. Which basically means they cut it up and brand it. Polyether foam is of course superior in so many ways to the polyethylene/polyester foam products pouring out of China, all of which tend to gum up to a state where they're not really cleanable after a while, depending on bioload. Having bought quite a few crappy sponge filters, I wanted to find a good UK source of polyether foam and the above information comes from UK based foam convertors/distributors I'm communicating with - who get their foam from the same place EMW Filtertechnik GmbH get theirs!! I suspect my budget will be far too small for me to source directly, but I do try hard to be eco-friendly and buying something from the USA that's been shipped from Germany only to ship it back to the UK strikes me as pretty absurd. Bottom line is that if EMW Filtertechnik GmbH were a little bit more scrupulously honest they would acknowledge that "Poret" foam is not actually designed and manufactured for aquatic filtration, but simply branded and marketed by them as fit for purpose, which it undeniably is. The fact is that any quality polyether foam of suitable PPI and without additives such as anti-fungals and fire retardants would do the job perfectly well. But as with all marketing hype it takes some digging to see past the smoke and mirrors. I think it would be very good for the hobby to simply refer to this stuff as polyether foam and contrast its longevity and effectiveness with the cheaper rubbish - may well even open some doors for USA manufacturers of quality polyether foams to supply the hobby in the USA and cut out some air miles, and I assume, dramatically reduce costs and therefore retail price. Hope that helps :)
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Julian Morgan eheim uses the same source, fairly certain. I was aware but afaik, swiss tropical is the only source here where you can buy it by the sheet or cut to fit
@aquariumhacksbymarcus5653
7 жыл бұрын
really good info love your videos i use sponge filters to but the best that i have used is from pond masters they hardly never clog even on on a canister!
@NatLopezOnYoutube
6 жыл бұрын
I'm gonna buy my first bubble filter next month. Wish me luck!
@sell1fast
6 жыл бұрын
Love the sponge filters bought a bunch of the double sponges on the wish app very affordable
@Expry
7 жыл бұрын
I love using sponge filters along side a HOB or canister for extra mechanical filtration. I was wondering which light fixture and bulbs you use for your planted aquarium? I believe lights are really neat and a core part of the planted aquarium but they don't get a lot of love or discussion. Also, what size tank would you recommend for a swordtail grow out tank?
@MikeMorgan
7 жыл бұрын
First off, LOVE your shirt! #nohate Back when I was a kid, we had "power filters" that were basically a small HOB that had an intake driven by an air pump and an air-stone. Crazy, right? The flow as you can imagine was...less than optimal, more like a drip. But if they were still around today they might have been ok for shrimp tanks, tho these are probably far superior. But I can't look at sponge filters like this without thinking of those chintzy power filters. :)
@dianecope1469
5 жыл бұрын
Love you Rachel!
@rainbowfishtalk4573
3 жыл бұрын
Not fish related but I *love* your shirt! I grew up in central PA. Will be visiting my gay moms there soon, for the first time since pre-covid!
@darius359au
7 жыл бұрын
I've just had to set a new community tank as my old one started to leak ,kept the sponge in aquarium water till i'd set up the new tank ,put the sponge in and basically inst-cycled the new tank - tetra's and cory's anr now enjoying their much bigger home :D
@tattoogirl2227
7 жыл бұрын
Congratulations Rachel, on 40,400 subs!!👍You deserve millions more! Can't wait to watch you get there!! 💙🐟💦
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Tattoo Girl thank you!!
@2hotsniper
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the advice.im buying a sponge one now.would love some plants.
@fraxinus_ash
7 жыл бұрын
I'm in the process of replacing all of my many internal and external filters with sponge filters as I am SO fed up of impellers stalling, filter sponges being crap and getting so clogged in heavily fed tanks that I have to clean them every other day to make sure the filter doesn't stop working. I know songe filters need cleaning but at least they have no moving parts and won't stop functioning entirely unless I really neglect them! Only problem is I have tanks in every room of the house apart from the upstairs bathroom so I'm going to have to have lots of small annoying air pumps or hack some rather large holes through my walls to make a centralised system >_
@fraxinus_ash
7 жыл бұрын
Another bonus is that you can *see* that they are working, or not. A lot of my filters just aren;t obvious if they stall. Thankfully my Malaysian trumpet snails provide an early warning system if something is up as they start climbing the glass. Helpful little chaps :)
@fishrrelaxing9361
6 жыл бұрын
One stop over feeding your tanks, two if you can’t notice a filter isn’t flowing in a few hours you need to evaluate your husbantry habits. More so then all this you need to evaluate how you are stocking your filters. I run all types of filters. If you’re clogging the sponges on a type filter you are also going to clog b type sponge filter in the same manner. Try using more corse sponge and possibly even no fine filter padding. I have to do this on a couple tanks to keeps filters from premature clogging on very very over stocked tanks. Changing to a sponge filter isn’t the solution to your neglect. It will clog all the same likely faster as the flow is slower and as a result not as much water pressure to push through the muck. I like to clean out my impellers every filter cleaning just so I don’t have issues. It’s one small additional step. Also try using a prefilter sponge on intakes.. this will act similar to a sponge filter you can clean weekly or however but also keep your impellers cleaner as well as your media in whatever type of filter you run. Sponges are best suited for economy and sort term which is why fish stores use them. They are not worried about filtration as they are on auto water change systems so water filtration isn’t as big a deal. Swapping to sponge filters isn’t going to be a solution just another problem to address.
@ada205mi
6 жыл бұрын
Ash Totally agree. I keep Discus and on those tanks I've multiple externals but I've also got an Apistogramma addiction so I have 18'' and 24'' tanks all around the house which all run sponge filters like the one in video with twin sponges. They are super cheap, very effective, and best of all way easier to maintain than both internal and external canisters. I've always got 2 or 3 brand news ones on standby and a couple running in the Discus tanks incase of emergency purchases and immediate new tank set up needed!!! We've all been there!!! Cleaning wise, their so easy. I simply pull the sponges of the sleeves when doing weekly water changes and rinse in the bucket of tank water I've just syphoned from tank. Bn doing this for 30 years plus now, literally takes a few seconds!
@AwesomenessJourney
6 жыл бұрын
Did you find a way to quiet the air pumps?
@fishrrelaxing9361
6 жыл бұрын
ada205mi I accomplish the exact same thing with prefilters on my intakes. Most quality sponge filters are 20ppi sponges. I use hydor 20ppi prefilters. They actually sell a kit specifically for this that will even replace the odd ball Strainer intake on fluval intakes. I’ve got them to fit to aquaclears, fluval fx6, Marineland c series, seachemtidals, penplex cascades. On and on.. I’ve yet to find a filter the kit doesn’t have the right adapter to fit other then biowheel filters with that weird square tube. I use some old emperor 400’s much the same way as one would a sponge filter for setting up a quick emergency tank as I can swap over one biowheel the same as moving a sponge filter. I clean these prefilters weekly with tap water as I’m not using them for biological filtration. Mostly to reduce filter cleaning wo driving nitrates up from gunk trapped inside rotting away. I also run a lot of medium and fine sand substrates with digging fish and coupled with 2000gph wavemakers normally used for salt tanks. Not a major issue for standard canister filters using the bottom up filtration flow but on a hob or fluval it will eat up impellers quick so they are also there to reduce sand being sucked into the filters. I would highly recommend the hydor prefilter setup for anyone on any tank. Many prefilters are a little cheap and gimmicky or use too corse foams at 30ppi making them almost worthless. The hydors use the exact same foams they use for their sponges and we all know that they took over api so you are talking the very best sponges on market..
@johnrichardson4583
5 жыл бұрын
Sponge filters are my favorite, I use these as aditions to my external filters on my 200 ltr and 84 lt. I have a questionif I may? My 84 lte cube tank is for Red cherry shrimp nut I have 4 amber tetra in too, should I take out my tetras and put them in my new 22 ltr Nano tank? Love your knowledge, experience and down to earth way of putting things. You area must watch, thank you.
@Mostlyharmless1985
7 жыл бұрын
I use a sump trickle tower for my 55g supplemented with a bog standard no name canister, a custom bio reactor made from pvc pipe, and another bio/chemical reactor in a bypass loop for the return of the sump. It's overkill but I go away for long periods of time and like having redundancy for peace of mind. I have a newly set up guppy tank that I am experimenting with a built in fluidized sand bed filter and under-gravel topped with seashells and plain gravel. For my Betta tank I have a kind of mat filter/in tank sump piled with lava rocks and a bubble lifter. Of all of them I say I'm happiest with the sponge type filter, it just simply works, I don't have to do any maintenance on it. Maybe later this year I'll get in and clean the mat out but it looks like it is on a long track to "clean on tank break down and rebuild."
@nivverfash1
6 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much Rachel.
@mightydegu
7 жыл бұрын
I love sponge filters. Even if I'm using another filter, there's always a sponge filter, too. They're essential, IMO.
@HendrikOutdoor
6 жыл бұрын
I have a 31 gallon tank that's running on a large internal filter, but as I want to keep some fish that require a slower water flow, I've gone with just a sponge filter in my 5.5 gallon tank. If that works well, I can see a bunch of 5-ish gallon tanks running on sponge filters in my future.. :)
@calijay9805
5 жыл бұрын
I love sponge filters. I run 3 in my 75 gallon. Not sure why Petco doesn’t carry them. But I wish they did.
@DennisEMiller
7 жыл бұрын
Love your t-shirt! ❤️
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Dennis E. Miller thanks! Took my kids to pride over the weekend and couldn't resist it
@DennisEMiller
7 жыл бұрын
❤❤❤
@Ad_Astra_321
7 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much Rachel!!
@FishmanEricRussell
7 жыл бұрын
Love the shirt!
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
+Fishman thanks!
@chriswu1
7 жыл бұрын
I also love sponge filters but my favorite is old school box filters, even though they are a bit more work.
@horsepanther
6 жыл бұрын
Hi Rachel, thank you so much for all your videos. I have a couple questions as a newbie to sponge filters: 1) Is there a good way to determine how big a sponge filter should be for a given tank (+ how many sponge filters if it's big)? and 2) Does it matter how tall the lift tube is/should it be at a certain height compared to your water line? Thanks!
@Satman82
7 жыл бұрын
Great Video!
@ryancsumner
7 жыл бұрын
Wow! This was very informative. I knew my tetra's weren't eating my shrimp -- I guess I need to check the bottom of the canister :-)
@drumj725
6 жыл бұрын
I have a 10 gallon with a hob filter and a sponge filter I do not know if this is overkill or not .
@TheMusiclover500
7 жыл бұрын
I like putting one sponge & 1 HOB in bigger tanks especially since I keep lot of goldfish and they can always use more filtration & more oxygen. I noticed my cherry barbs enjoy hiding under my sponge filter significantly more than the wood & lava rock I purchased them lol. My favorite part of them is not how not fussy they are when doing big water changes
@esauromero1008
7 жыл бұрын
Im pretty new to the hobby and would like to get one of these can you possibly make a video explaining how to set one up and clean it? If you already have a video like this my bad just found your channel
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
sure! welcome :)
@mrchinaski4125
6 жыл бұрын
The makeup looks great
@mastiffpeople4868
7 жыл бұрын
Very helpful info...thanks!
@michaellou7101
7 жыл бұрын
I use spong filters for my goldfish tub tank because I can't use the hob filters on it. The sponge filters work fine even with the goldfish because I use 4 at once and I clean them out twice a week. But if you have many banks then it might not be possible to clean them so often. But I would think you should clean out your filter more often than once a month, given the trapped waste will add ammonia to the tank.
@RachelOLeary
7 жыл бұрын
i don't use substrate, don't overfeed, and do multiple water changes a week. If they are at all compromised before that (they get a "hard" feeling when they are getting occluded), they get cleaned. On average, in my fish room, once a month works out just fine unless its a tankw ith fry that is being fed a ton
@aheimsvensson1573
4 жыл бұрын
I also love spongefilters and they are ideal for fish and shrimps that likes low cirkulation. One huge problem is that all Co2 are gased out and plants are suffering and get yellow and withdraw....
@amycummingsirishdancemom8467
7 жыл бұрын
Omgosh, I'm late to the party on this one, but thank you so much for this. I'm looking for something safe in my 10 gallon ghost shrimp tank. They're always berried with eggs and i want the fry to be safe. I would like my little colony to grow.
@chronicfishkeeping521
7 жыл бұрын
Awsome info as always keep em comin
@eatpant6318
7 жыл бұрын
Rachel I need your advice on a type of freshwater fish that has nice coloring and would be good in a 6 gallon tank i would really appreciate your advice
@spinr2000x
7 жыл бұрын
Thanks Rachel! This was super helpful, but one thing I would still love to know is how big of a sponge filter/ number of filters per size of aquarium. I currently run a 29 gal community tank and I'd love to know in your opinion if sponge filtration vs. A H.O.B Fluval filter that I have running on it. Thanks again for all the fishie info and have a great day!
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