Cycling with a new sponge filter question

[Chickadee56 76]

I'm trying to decide what kind of filter to put in my 5 gallon tank. I'm considering a sponge filter but have no experience with them. (I have Fluval AquaClears in my other two tanks). I need to set up this tank quickly and want to use media from my other tanks to cycle it. How would you do this with a sponge filter? Or can't you?

 

[Tomsfish34 33]

You just need an air pump for the sponge filter.
For small fish/ fry sponge filters are best IMO.
The smallest Aquaclear might be a bit much in a 5g and would still need some form of sponge or screen to keep from sucking up fry.
I think the 20 is smallest they sell but the fluval spec tanks have a smaller Aquaclear which is more appropriately sized.
I am a big fan of Aquaclear and sponges and that besides a sump here or there is how my whole fish room ran.
Every tank 10g or bigger had both and most had multiple of both.

 

[bgarthe76 93]

I use an AC 20 and a sponge filter in my 5g tank and it’s perfect. Baffle the outflow on the HOB and voila…..no big water current.

 

[Chickadee56 76]

Just got back. I ended up getting another AC 20. Easier to just have all the same parts. I just wanted to know how a tank with a sponge filter could be cycled right away since there are no baskets to transfer media from another tank?

 

[Jennet55 113]

I've just switched over to sponge filters, I ran them alongside my normal filters for a month, and have only just today taken out my others. Will watch how things go on.

 

[TwoTankAmin64]

I am too late to the party. I could have told you how to jump start the cycle in a sponge or even get it cycled enough to be safe for fish over night. The method works with any media one might use.

You just need to turn down the flow rate on any Aquaclear to between 1/3 and 1/2 its normal flow rate. So, for the 20 which is rated at 100 gph max., one can slow it to between 33 and 50 gph at the lowest setting offered.

If I were not and old man and much less ambitious, I could start up a bio-farm again and offer cycled filters. But I would likely only want to do Poret cubefilters, Between the cost of them, the cost to get them cycled and then to ship, usually insulated, and most people would balk at the cost.