stonedaquarium Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 hi guys im planning on setting up another tank and debating as to which of the two types of sponge filters i would be using.... one is the single and the other is the dual sponge.... i presently have two tanks using the dual sponge filters... what i noticed is after 2 months the pressure or the amount of air coming out seems to have decreased and i need to constantly clean out the foam sponges of the dual sponge filters... would the single type be a more hassle free but equally efficient sponge filter? JosephKex and MableBile 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 Dual is better because of the nozzle. Efficient wise, both are not efficient. Sponge filter needs to be clean once every 2 to 4 weeks. After you clean, sometime it will go into mini cycling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 do you not use sponge filters Shrimpy Daddy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 do you not use sponge filters Shrimpy Daddy? Yes, years ago when I first started shrimp keeping. I used them for driving air and also to connect to external filter input. Gave up on them after using for a couple of months. They are good at trapping uneaten food at the surface (the sponge is too fine), which shrimp love to pick on. However, the decaying of the food will cause it to clog and algae to grow. Therefore, it is not suitable for anyone who is looking at low maintenance. Based on it's construction, I also suspect it does not provide as much surface area as those coarse/ medium coarse sponge for nitrifying bacteria. If you use a coarse sponge for a couple of months, you will see biofilm stretched across the bigger hole. Whereas for this sort of sponge, there is no room for them to build up this film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 Hmmmm I use them because it seems like everyone with shrimp does. But.. I hate them. They are ugly and hard to clean and I feel like when I take them out to clean them it dirties the water and I get a death or two.. What are other peoples opinions on them? I am in the process of setting up new tanks. The one Im working on now has a canister filter the other will all have HOB. I was going to put a sponge filter in them all just for the beneficial bacteria but maybe not? Would love to hear opinions on this matter. Of course I just ordered 4 new sponge filters so if I dont use them... its a waste of money lol. 35ppt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadO Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 On my larger tanks (over 10 gallons) I use Eheim canister filters. On my 10 gallon tanks, I use Swiss Tropicals Tower Block Filter in the 4x4x8 size. It's way overkill, but I like that it gives the convenience of a sponge, but rolls the water across the top for circulation like an HMF. Not a cheap filter to start with, but they last a long time, and with the stainless steel base, it really works well for me. I'm starting to reduce my tank count and go with fewer, bigger tanks, but when I have a 10 gal, these are what I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpie Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 Interesting topic - do you feel the same about the hmf filters? I use the hmf in my 10 gal tanks and in my 20 gal I use hmf corner filter, Eheim 2213 canister and a 4x4x8 tower on the opposite side. Probably overkill, but GreenPepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 In my experience. 4.25 30PPI Cube Sponge filter from Angelfishplus is the best. Swisstopicals is good as well but more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted August 30, 2015 Report Share Posted August 30, 2015 They are ugly and hard to clean and I feel like when I take them out to clean them it dirties the water and I get a death or two.. Of course I just ordered 4 new sponge filters so if I dont use them... its a waste of money lol. LOL!!! Ugly. Yes, it is aesthetically unpleasing. Which one of the key reason I ditch it within 2 months. After that I switch to all ADA glassware. They are gorgeous, but... They are so hard to maintain sparkling clean (I wish I have Revive Vita at that time). Years later, changed all my tanks from full ADA set to Elos tank with sump. Finally, my maintenance effort is so low and yet my tank looks clean and neat even I don't clean them for a month. ^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedaquarium Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 great inputs guys... thanks.... would love to go the route of using a canister but it could be a bit on the expensive side especially having multiple tanks... what about using UGFS instead of sponge filters would that be a better alternative... i agree that leaving sponge filters in for long periods of time gets clogged up and cleaning it would possibly cause a mini cycle... so with that being said... would having like 2 sponge filters inside the tank be ok...? so you can alternately clean both filters without causing a mini cycle...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpy Daddy Posted August 31, 2015 Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 If canister is too costly, use HOB. HOB is my second most favorite filter. stonedaquarium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted August 31, 2015 Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 great inputs guys... thanks.... would love to go the route of using a canister but it could be a bit on the expensive side especially having multiple tanks... what about using UGFS instead of sponge filters would that be a better alternative... i agree that leaving sponge filters in for long periods of time gets clogged up and cleaning it would possibly cause a mini cycle... so with that being said... would having like 2 sponge filters inside the tank be ok...? so you can alternately clean both filters without causing a mini cycle...? No, I never clean my sponge filter, until re-build the tank couple years later. What sponge filter you get is the key. High5's 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedaquarium Posted August 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 No, I never clean my sponge filter, until re-build the tank couple years later. What sponge filter you get is the key. james, what type of sponge filter do you think is the key? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesHe Posted August 31, 2015 Report Share Posted August 31, 2015 james, what type of sponge filter do you think is the key? I answered on #8 post My BKK tank, only use one sponge filter stonedaquarium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 Hmmmm I use them because it seems like everyone with shrimp does. But.. I hate them. They are ugly and hard to clean and I feel like when I take them out to clean them it dirties the water and I get a death or two.. What are other peoples opinions on them? I am in the process of setting up new tanks. The one Im working on now has a canister filter the other will all have HOB. I was going to put a sponge filter in them all just for the beneficial bacteria but maybe not? Would love to hear opinions on this matter. Of course I just ordered 4 new sponge filters so if I dont use them... its a waste of money lol. The sponge filters are also handy for temporary tanks, cycling new tanks, etc., so it is always good to have one on hand. I know what you mean about the water being dirty after you actually clean the sponge. I squeeze it in a separate container (with as much water needed to make it look clean) then put it right back in the tank. Perhaps running it for a moment with the air going in yet another volume of water, before putting it back in tank, would flush out a bit more ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedaquarium Posted September 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I answered on #8 post My BKK tank, only use one sponge filter 2015-01-28-19.53.jpg thanks for the pic james... will get me some sponge filters that look like that... cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpmaster Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 When you pick the dual, make sure to get the big ones (with 2 suckers, not 1). Stays better in place and has a lot more capacity. Price is about the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedaquarium Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 just a quick update guys... i added a new sponge filter in my tank and cleaned my current dual sponge filters... and now the waiting game remains as to which of the two would get clogged up first... but by the looks of things seems like the bigger bulkier one seems to have a greater surface area and a stronger air flow compared to the dual sponge type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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