maylee Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I'm currently using a sponge filter as the only filter in 5 gallon tank. I'm wondering if it would be a bad idea to change it to a new one. Right now I'm using one that is in this style http://i.imgur.com/o9TcoR3.jpg I've been thinking of changing it for one that looks like this http://i.imgur.com/jEA8i0n.jpg Reason being is I think it might be quieter and maybe work better because it has two sponges. But I realize I'd lose the beneficial bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Just run both at the same time for a while (maybe a month) before you remove the old one. And then keep it so you'll have something for a hospital/quarantine tank on short notice. WDIK, Duque, nicpapa and 5 others 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty703 Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I just got one of those double sponge ones. I have it in my tank along with the older sponge filter. Just leave it in there for a while it won't do any harm and the shrimps will pick over it. Once you're other one has been seeded enough (as chibikaie mentioned, then you can take the old one out) I usually keep my sponges in a cycled tank all the time, so I can start up any new tank with ease. Once the sponge is out of water the bacteria die off, so keeping in water, keeps them alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 personally, i like the first style better, simple design, and a more porous sponge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Maylee, I'll be honest with ya. I have 60+ tanks set up and almost every one of them has a double sponge filter. I love them for multiple reasons, BUT they can be a pain in the a$$ because almost every week I have some popping off the glass and rising to the surface. I think what I am going to do soon is silicone a clip or the filter itself upright on a piece of ceramic tile, and place that in the tank. Then that challenge will be over. As far as seeding your filter, you can also take a small bucket of water, set up your double sponge in it, and squeeze out the mulm from your current sponge into the bucket. Squeeze the sponges on the double filter in the water to get them good and "dirty." Let it run for a day, and that will allow the bacteria to impregnate the double sponges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 I'm kind of surprised you never made the switch to Hamburg mattenfilters. Of course, if you already OWN 60+ sponge filters, no reason to buy new filters for every tank. The Swisstropical cube filters have a ceramic tile siliconed onto the bottom, which is perfect. I'm never going back to the stick-on suction cups! I imagine as a worst case scenario, you could even use anything heavy and inert to weigh down the filter. (I use chipped mugs and bowls all the time as makeshift caves.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maylee Posted March 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Thanks for your input everyone. I guess I'll stick with the current sponge filter then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 29, 2015 Report Share Posted March 29, 2015 I've thought about mattenfilters, but they just take up too much space for me. I'm kind of surprised you never made the switch to Hamburg mattenfilters. Of course, if you already OWN 60+ sponge filters, no reason to buy new filters for every tank.The Swisstropical cube filters have a ceramic tile siliconed onto the bottom, which is perfect. I'm never going back to the stick-on suction cups! I imagine as a worst case scenario, you could even use anything heavy and inert to weigh down the filter. (I use chipped mugs and bowls all the time as makeshift caves.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctaylor3737 Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 I'm kind of surprised you never made the switch to Hamburg mattenfilters. Of course, if you already OWN 60+ sponge filters, no reason to buy new filters for every tank. The Swisstropical cube filters have a ceramic tile siliconed onto the bottom, which is perfect. I'm never going back to the stick-on suction cups! I imagine as a worst case scenario, you could even use anything heavy and inert to weigh down the filter. (I use chipped mugs and bowls all the time as makeshift caves.) Take up space and the poret foam is overpriced Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triton Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 i love the mattenfilter... but $25 per tank is a bit steep when you are doing 20 tanks lol Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Shrimp Depot Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 I have mattenfilters on all 9 tanks. What I lose in space I gain in grazing area for the shrimp. The shrimplets are all over the foam from soon after hatching. Perhaps the best thing about them is siphoning the tank without worry about shrimplets or shrimp getting caught in the siphon. The grazing feature is such a benefit IMO that I've started converting tanks to two sponges - one on each side. I use a $5 sun sun water pump rather than air driven - so I pump from behind one matten across the tank and in behind the second. I'm about to do an experiment (when the foam arrives) in which I'm going to blend riccia and paint over the surface of a matten and leave it horizontal under bright light for a month to see if I can get a rich growth of riccia on it, and then place as a backdrop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Shrimp Depot Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Naw, thought about it again - the best thing about the Mattenfilters is they are maintenance free. chibikaie and Soothing Shrimp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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