I Kind Of "made" My Own Sponge Filter....

[fry_forever!]

Hey guys! I was told by a mod on the forums that if I bought an AC70 filter sponge, poked a hole in it, and put it on my filter intake, it would act like a sponge filter. Is this true?


(Click on pictures to make bigger.)
It seems to be working pretty good!
But, is it too good to be true? Because it was so easy and cheap to make, and it seems to be working so good... (Not sucking up the babies, beneficial bacteria growing, filter not clogging, etc.) Can this actually be happening to me!?
Please answer soon! I would like to fix anything that is wrong quickly, because I have 5 little babies in there!

Thanks in advance for any help!

P.S. This is the site that first got me thinking about this method... (Because I can't find a real sponge filter anywhere!)
http/images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http...t%3D36%26um%3D1

 

[K-Holed]

As long as you have a constant flow of water going through the sponge, it will happily provide a home for the bacteria you need. There've been small sponge filters run from an air pump for years and they work fine, especially in fry tanks.

 

[loraxchick]

the best way is to take an old fish food container and sutff it full of sponge around an airline tube connecdted to an airtone. as long as there's not a lot of room for the airbubbles to "move around" you are all set...i have made several sponge filters this way and all have cycled within a week...one was instant. i am a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE fan of DIY sponge filters...they take 5 min to make and work the NUTS!!!

 

[Mikaila31]

Sponge filters can be made for a few $ if you know a cheap way to do it. Best way would be with a air pump, but since I don't like using airpumps. I buy used UGF powerheads and pipes. They are easy to find around here. I cut the tube to a proper length, drill some holes in it and usually (cuz Im cheap) just wrap filter floss around the pipe and secure it with rubber bands.

 

[kribensis12]

the best way is to take an old fish food container and sutff it full of sponge around an airline tube connecdted to an airtone. as long as there's not a lot of room for the airbubbles to "move around" you are all set...i have made several sponge filters this way and all have cycled within a week...one was instant. i am a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE fan of DIY sponge filters...they take 5 min to make and work the NUTS!!!

I'm sorry, but If you did not add cycled material in a tank after making the filter, there is no way it will cycle instantly, or within a week. It takes 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Tanks have 2 different types of bacteria( maybe more, can't remeber). They need to start off with the ammonia ones, and need enough to process it, then you get large amounts of NitrItes, and the bacteria grow for that, make Nitrates. This does not happen over night.

 

[fry_forever!]

the best way is to take an old fish food container and sutff it full of sponge around an airline tube connecdted to an airtone. as long as there's not a lot of room for the airbubbles to "move around" you are all set...i have made several sponge filters this way and all have cycled within a week...one was instant. i am a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE fan of DIY sponge filters...they take 5 min to make and work the NUTS!!!

I'm sorry, but If you did not add cycled material in a tank after making the filter, there is no way it will cycle instantly, or within a week. It takes 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Tanks have 2 different types of bacteria( maybe more, can't remeber). They need to start off with the ammonia ones, and need enough to process it, then you get large amounts of NitrItes, and the bacteria grow for that, make Nitrates. This does not happen over night.

I know you were talking to the other person, but my tank is cycled. I think there is quite a bit of water flow around the sponge, because the water splashes out of the filter right where the sponge is basically. So you think this will be fine for a fry tank? Would I ever have to replace/change the sponge?
Thanks!
P.S. I still have filter cartridges in the filter, I just have a sponge on the outside as well.

 

[fry_forever!]

Do I have to ever replace the sponge on the filter intake? Like seriously guys, this will actually work? Because it seems too good to be true!

 

[Platygirl11]

I'm slowly buying the parts for a sponge filter, and I have a sponge over my filter intake for fry safety until I get a fry tank. Once I get all the parts, the mature sponge will filter the water in the filter, making it quickly cycled. Then I can just pop it in my fry tank pretty much any time once I have fry. I think that it would be best to use your current sponge as media for the filter, as I have heard some stories of fish being stuck between the sponge and the intake. Good luck with the babies!

 

[kribensis12]

Sponge filters are great for fry tanks. They are that easy to make. I bought one a couple years ago, and its still as good as new. Just squeeze it out every 6 months or so.

 

[fry_forever!]

Sponge filters are great for fry tanks. They are that easy to make. I bought one a couple years ago, and its still as good as new. Just squeeze it out every 6 months or so.

Yes, I know sponge filters are great, but that's not what I have. I have an Aquaclear 70 filter sponge over my Aquaclear 30 intake. (Look at pictures on top of page.) Apparently it will act like a sponge filter. (And it seems to be working. Water parameters are good, and the babies aren't getting sucked up.) I still have the filter media inside the filter, I just have a filter sponge on the intake as well. And my question is, do I have to replace the sponge on the intake ever?

This is the best I can do, because they don't sell sponge filters in my area, and I don't want to make one and can not make one for several reasons that I will not even begin to mention.

Thanks for all the help!

I'm slowly buying the parts for a sponge filter, and I have a sponge over my filter intake for fry safety until I get a fry tank. Once I get all the parts, the mature sponge will filter the water in the filter, making it quickly cycled. Then I can just pop it in my fry tank pretty much any time once I have fry. I think that it would be best to use your current sponge as media for the filter, as I have heard some stories of fish being stuck between the sponge and the intake. Good luck with the babies!

Thanks for the info, but what do you mean the fry get stuck between the sponge and the intake?

 

[loraxchick]

your new sponge filter is exactly that. instead of using air for suction you are using the mechanics of a filter (it is drawing water thru the media just like the suction created by rising airbubbles do in a "conventional" sponge filter)...just like using a power head to make one.
they can cycle instantly when using mature media. i have had one that i made out of an old fish food container and airline tubing that cycled instantly in a betta tank. and two others in a betta tank and a commnity tank that took less than a week to cycle.
but you have to use mature media. it will cycle faster in an established tank if you use new media (as compared to setting one up in a brand new tank, then the cycle will take longer).
your sponge filter might need a bit more maintainence than the type i made (with old container) because you are getting much better suction using the intake of your filter, and so much more gunk will get caught in there..."conventional" sponge filters dont achieve anywhere near that suction(even with good flow) so pick up very little debris...id squeeze out/rinse all of your filter sponges (including inside ones) ONLY when you notice reduced flow...if using a conventional fish food pot sponge filter like i have made, i have only cleaned it once in 5 months, and i dont think it even needed to be clean, just being proactive and doing maintanence.
if ANYONE wants advice on how to make a cheap sponge filter (VERY cheap if you already have even one airpump an old container(not necessarily from fish food either) some airline tubing and filter sponge or floss) do not hesitate to ask.
i am going to make a few for a friend...would anyone be interested in a dedicated thread to that sort of thing? i think it would help a lot of folks (esp if you find yourself in an emergency tank situation where you have to rig something FAST).
just a thought
cheers

 

[OldMan47]

The sponge protector on the inlet of your filter will act just like any other sponge filter. You are moving water through it using the power filter's pump and it will need occasional cleaning to prevent it plugging completely just like any other filter. I have one of those that has been running on my Heterandria formosa tank for about a year now that is almost dirty enough that it actually needs cleaning. Up until now I have been removing the worst of the crud build up by using my gravel vac on it during water changes. I have recommended that approach to save fry a couple of times but I am sure the mods have done the same from time to time. I did not invent the idea, I just liked it. This is a picture of mine in place.

 

[Tolak]

This is actually an old discus breeding trick. Originally it was used to keep the tank as spotless as possible, the sponge pre-filter catches any debris, the original filter media in the filter itself is then purely biological. Discus breeders will remove & clean the pre-filter at least weekly, if not more often.

Let it run on the filter long enough and it does become a bio filter, which can then be used as an emergency filter in a pinch. Building one of these using the sponge for media is quick & easy; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=85297

Aqua Clear sponges last a long time. I've had them running in filters over 7 years, and they are still good. Quality open cell sponge appears to be really durable, I have sponge filters I've built that are over 5 years old that show no signs of wear or deterioration whatsoever.

You can for all practical purposes build a sponge or box filter out of junk that is lying around the house, many things often discarded. I like the idea of a DIY filter topic, many of my filters are home made.

 

[fry_forever!]

Thank you very much, everyone! I will keep using the sponge on my filter intake from now on, because the idea of building a sponge filter confuses me so badly. (I'm like, disabled at following even simple instructions! )

My fry love their new tank set-up, and I hope many other fry over the years will love it just as much.

Thank you!

 

[bagu]

this is such a good simple idea