RegisterHomeMemberlistSearchUsergroupsFAQLog inFWMadnessGallery

Share | 
 

 sponge filter

View previous topic View next topic Go down 
AuthorMessage
eltrut420
Member


Male Posts: 113

Age: 35
Location: SE Wisconsin
Favorite Fish: the ones that poop the least

PostSubject: sponge filter   Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:29 pm

i saw somewhere someone buried a sponge filter under the gravel? can i do this and if so whats the advantage
Back to top Go down
dirtydawg10
Global Moderator


Male Posts: 2987

Age: 39
Location: Connecticut
Favorite Fish: Severum

PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:01 pm

The advantage I see is that you can hide the filter and also possibly get some additional surface area on which to grow beneficial bacteria. The problem is I suspect you will be cutting down on the efficiency of the filter by blocking the filter media. So the filter would have to be oversized even more. I'm not sure it's a great idea but if you decide to try it let us know what you find out.
Back to top Go down
eltrut420
Member


Male Posts: 113

Age: 35
Location: SE Wisconsin
Favorite Fish: the ones that poop the least

PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:53 pm

i thought maybe it was common practice to bury the sponge kinda like an undergravel filter
Back to top Go down
saint_felony
The Turtle Whisperer


Posts: 1914


PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:14 pm

I don't do it with sponge filters, but for hatchling aquatic turtle tanks, I use Whisper 10i (the internal kind) half buried down into the gravel, to where the gravel covers up the thin vents, so no small turtle limbs get stuck in.

I've never seriously tested it, but it *seems* like it works better that way when I have it hanging out. It should make for a lot more area for bacteria to grow.

With sponge filters being so low powered I think it would entirely depend on the gravel you had. Something big and chunky (or maybe even something like marbles) may work far better than a very fine gravel.
Back to top Go down
Mostlycichlids
Cichlid Specialist


Male Posts: 4517

Age: 32
Location: New Mexico USA
Favorite Fish: Jaguar Cichlid

PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:43 am

It is not common practice to bury them in my experience. I think they will be just as efficient not buried besides it will be more of a PITA when you want to take em out to clean them.

_________________
"There he goes - one of God's own prototypes -
a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.
Too weird to live, and too rare to die".


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Back to top Go down
http://www.freshwatermadness.com
saint_felony
The Turtle Whisperer


Posts: 1914


PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Sun Nov 08, 2009 10:09 pm

I was thinking about it from a technical standpoint, but yea. I think your right MC.

All I've ever seen sponge filters being used for now a days are in bare bottom tanks for fry.
Back to top Go down
Wyomingite
Fish Wrangler


Male Posts: 1678

Age: 44
Location: Wonderful Windy Wyoming
Humor: "I drank what?" - Socrates
Favorite Fish: I won't choose and ya can't make me!

PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:44 am

dirtydawg10 wrote:
The advantage I see is that you can hide the filter and also possibly get some additional surface area on which to grow beneficial bacteria. The problem is I suspect you will be cutting down on the efficiency of the filter by blocking the filter media. So the filter would have to be oversized even more. I'm not sure it's a great idea but if you decide to try it let us know what you find out.


saint_felony wrote:
...With sponge filters being so low powered I think it would entirely depend on the gravel you had. Something big and chunky (or maybe even something like marbles) may work far better than a very fine gravel.


I played around with this years ago, for the exact reasons dawg mentioned. I always ended up plugging the substrate against the sponge filter as well as the sponge. It was a PITA as MC mentioned. I decided that if I ever wanted to use the substrate as a bio filter, I'd just use a u/g filter.

I always tried it with smaller gravel that clogged easily, it may work better with large pebbles or marbles, but with the gaps between the pebbles or marbles I seriously doubt that there would be a significant benefit. The main purpose of pulling water through a substrate is to maximize/optimize contact between water high in dissolved oxygen with the surface area colonized with nitrifying bacteria. I suspect the extra contact if large chunks were used would be negligible in the overall scheme of things.

WYite

_________________
One can never have too many fish tanks.
Back to top Go down
Celticwraith
FWM Graphic Designer


Male Posts: 557

Age: 44
Location: Ontario, Canada
Humor: Some times!
Favorite Fish: All the ones I have.

PostSubject: Re: sponge filter   Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:09 pm

I'm with MC on this one, it would just be a PITA.

_________________
Back to top Go down
 

sponge filter

View previous topic View next topic Back to top 
Page 1 of 1

 Similar topics

-
» Filter Cleaning
» FS - Shellie Cichlid, Tank, heaters, sponge filter, air pump - MArysville - $35
» DIY sponge filter
» Tutorial make your own sponge filter!
» Sponge Filter question

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Freshwater Madness :: General Freshwater Madness :: General Freshwater-
POTYear
Photobucket
Facebook
Navigation
Portal
Forum
Memberlist
Articles
Fish Profiles
FAQ
Chat
Banner Exchange
Affiliate Links
FWM T-Shirts
Poll
Vote!
Photo 1
0%
 0% [ 0 ]
Photo 2
40%
 40% [ 2 ]
Photo 3
0%
 0% [ 0 ]
Photo 4
0%
 0% [ 0 ]
Photo 5
0%
 0% [ 0 ]
Photo 6
20%
 20% [ 1 ]
Photo 7
0%
 0% [ 0 ]
Photo 8
40%
 40% [ 2 ]
Total Votes : 5
Latest topics
» 90 Gallon in progress
Wed May 16, 2012 6:23 am by dirtydawg10

» This One's for saint_felony
Tue May 15, 2012 11:01 pm by saint_felony

» Some Pics...via Cell Phone
Tue May 15, 2012 5:20 pm by Celticwraith

» black stuff
Mon May 07, 2012 2:45 pm by mjb3z

» More velvet
Sat May 05, 2012 3:14 pm by Black eyed Suzie

» Octi Lunch!
Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:04 am by dirtydawg10

» new and showing tank.. o ya happy easter!
Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:25 am by dirtydawg10

» I have snail babies!
Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:19 am by Black eyed Suzie

» African Dwarf Frogs
Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:26 pm by dirtydawg10

» 54 corner
Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:15 am by Mostlycichlids

» hello!
Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:14 am by Mostlycichlids

» Happy Easter!
Sun Apr 08, 2012 8:01 pm by dirtydawg10

» Other Hobbies
Sun Apr 08, 2012 7:59 pm by dirtydawg10

» Frog
Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:17 pm by Black eyed Suzie

» Hello everyone just Joined
Sat Apr 07, 2012 2:06 pm by Black eyed Suzie

» heat and fans in a cover
Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:51 am by dirtydawg10

» Marimo Ball
Thu Mar 15, 2012 7:12 pm by lethalcustoms00

» South and Central American Cichlids for sale (High Quality)
Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:34 pm by fsirico

» My Pleco problem
Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:59 pm by WaterChangeWarrior

» Fishy Randomness
Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:00 pm by dirtydawg10

» Big Bamboo
Sun Feb 26, 2012 8:37 pm by saint_felony

» Flooded Iwokrama Forest Biotope
Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:57 pm by Mostlycichlids

» My nano tank
Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:50 am by Wyomingite

» MASI
Sun Feb 12, 2012 4:50 pm by BigMOCats

» Puffers...
Sun Feb 12, 2012 10:15 am by Wyomingite

» Tank & mates
Sun Feb 12, 2012 7:09 am by WaterChangeWarrior

» Take me to the river
Wed Feb 08, 2012 10:18 am by dirtydawg10

» What a game!
Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:27 am by steve535

» good intentions
Sun Feb 05, 2012 6:37 am by Celticwraith

» Tropheus moorii Ndole Bay
Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:17 pm by ENOCH121

Who is online?
In total there are 12 users online :: 0 Registered, 0 Hidden and 12 Guests

None

Most users ever online was 96 on Thu May 19, 2011 8:55 pm
Tools for Calculations and Conversions
Calculations and Conversions

* Aquarium Volume Calculator
* Fahrenheit - Centigrade Conversion
* Carbonate Hardness Unit Conversion
* Liquid measurements

Affiliate/Offers

LT - 090909 - 120x60 Flat Ship



Aquatic-Terrors

Photobucket

Discount Aquarium Supplies and Fish Supplies at ThatFishPlace.com

Firefox
Freshwater Madness is best viewed with the Firefox web browser!

 Photobucket
Download Nowl