Do sponge filters really need to be cleaned, if other mechanical filters are used???

[Magnum Man]

so, I don't mean " never" cleaned, but I have several sponge filters in tanks with hang on back filters, many of these have bio film eaters, some including shrimp... some of these, I've not cleaned the sponge material in a year, as the shrimp keep them looking like new... am I missing something nasty??? if my mechanical filter removes most of the solids, and the shrimp/ pleco, or other biofilm eater keeps the sponge looking new???

 

[anewbie]

They need to be occasionally cleaned because the pores will fill up with debris blocking them and reducing effectiveness of filtration (bilogical and mechanical). If you just want them as 'air stones' that is fine though some will claim the debris in them contribute to nitrate (not sure if this is true or false).

I don't clean mine very often due to laziness (decaying leaves and similar will make them pretty filthy quickly); but most get clean at least once a year.

I have a huge sponge as a prefilter on my fx6 intake and that one gets clean the minute it shows signs of restricting flow - usually 3 to 6 months.

 

[sharkweek178]

I use an HOB and a sponge filter. The only thing I clean every week is the sponge cover I have on the HOB intake. That thing gets pretty filthy. Which means the rest of the filtration has to do less work.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I started out using the ATI sponges and eventually ended up using all Poret Cubefilters.

I cleaned the ATIs weekly and I clean the Porets monthly. The proper way to clean them is not to sqqueeze them as this cause the internal structure to break down. The Poret is a sturdier foam and you can choose the porosity which is best for the specfic application.

I huse a bucket of tank water and hold the Porets bny the tile is is attached to and rotate it hard. I will also tap it on the sides of the bucket or the bottom to help loosen the gunk trapped inside. Sponges are both bio and mechanical filters. The bio-film will stay there if one doesn't squeeze them but the dirt will come out with a good swishing. One key to knowing how dirty a foam filter might be is by how many buckets you need until the water no longer turns dark brown. The water need not be real clean but it should not also not be a dark brown when the foam is properly cleaned.

Cleaning is harder to do with sponges I cannot hold easily- i.e. the ATI ones. I also have a few Poret Mattenfilters. Some of them have never been cleaned after years. It is easy to know when they need to be cleaned as the water level behind the foam will be lower than that in the tank. What causes that is the foam is clogged to the point where the inflow of the waterthough the foam is not quite as great as the return water flowing over the top. When I see that , I remove and clean them.

The best time to determine this is after I have removed water from the tank and am refilling it. As the water level in the tank gets nearer to the top I know any level difference is due to the foam being clogged rather than it being due to the flow slowing because the water level is lowered and the air power can not lifet it as fast. The return from a Matten is over the top so you can see the rate of the return. As the water level rises during th refily the level hehing should equal the leavel in the tank more and more as the tank level rises. Before the tank has fully refulled the two levels should equal out.

Over the years I have replaced ATI foams as they have degraded. I have no yet had to do that with any of my Poret foam.

The biggest problem with sponge type filtyers is they will bubble no matter how clogged they might be, This is way different from using similar medai in a power filter or canister when we can know they are clogged because the return flow slows to the point where we can see it is slowed. As a result I am more inclined tp clean the sponge filters to be safe.

Ypuf should get a feel for how long it takes for the foam ifilter iin any tank to start to clog up by how dirty the water gets when you do rinse out the foam. This varies woith the fish and plant load in a tank. the more there is the faster it will clog. I know of no way to determing from the bubbles rising how clogged the foam might be, But when the bubbles slow on their own, that is usually a sign that the non foam part of the filter is clogged. The uploft tubes for the Potet use a series of multiple finer holes at the bottom of the uplift tubes which is inside the foam.

I have had a lot of tanks which are filtered soley with sponge type filtration using air power. I have run Mattenfilters with both air and small pumps.