Rejuvinating filter sponges

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seangee

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I have a double sponge filter which I use as a pre-filter for a canister. They recommend replacing the foam every 3 months. The foam is fairly fine so over time they do clog up. The replacement sponges have been unavailable for some time. Mine are almost 2 years old. I rinse them out weekly but they really were past it now with a significant reduction in flow. So today I dropped them in a bucket of hot water (not boiling) and chucked in some H202 (hydrogen peroxide). Left to soak for half an hour and the sponges are now as good as new - and the water in the bucket is pitch black.

Be aware that this will kill all the bacteria in the sponge so not recommended as a routine cleaning method
 
That sounds like a great idea! I had contacted the people that I got mine from and requested spare sponges and they told me that the filter itself does not cost that much to just buy new filters so what I did is I have twice as many filters as I need and when they need changing I take them off and replace them with one that I have stored in my spare box, I soak the ones that I took off and just squeeze and rinse, squeeze and rinse, over and over until the water is clear and then I put them in the spare box waiting for the next use but I do like the hole peroxide idea. How much peroxide per how much water? The fact of the keeping the good bacteria is already covered because I use two filters and alternate their replacement. In my 10 gallon feeder tanks I only use one but I replace one sponge at a time as to not break the bacteria cycle.
 
I had another idea. You rinse 'n squeeze sponges over and over until 'clean' but if you let them dry they're quite hard (not really clean). I found that after I 'clean' them in the sink, if I run them through the clothes washer (no soap) with an extra rinse cycle, they get really clean, like brand new.
Perhaps all the agitation and the super rinse 'n spin cycle?
(shhh...don't tell my domestic manager as she would most likely give me the look!) ;)
 
How much peroxide per how much water? T
Never measured either. Probably a litre of water, just enough to cover the sponges and then just poured in some H202 - maybe 25-50 mls. Certainly more than I would use for sterilising plants because I did not have to worry about killing them. It bubbled and fizzed like mad so I knew it was enough :)
 
Never measured either. Probably a litre of water, just enough to cover the sponges and then just poured in some H202 - maybe 25-50 mls. Certainly more than I would use for sterilising plants because I did not have to worry about killing them. It bubbled and fizzed like mad so I knew it was enough :)
THANK YOU!
 
I had another idea. You rinse 'n squeeze sponges over and over until 'clean' but if you let them dry they're quite hard (not really clean). I found that after I 'clean' them in the sink, if I run them through the clothes washer (no soap) with an extra rinse cycle, they get really clean, like brand new.
Perhaps all the agitation and the super rinse 'n spin cycle?
(shhh...don't tell my domestic manager as she would most likely give me the look!) ;)
We did that at the quarantine importation place. They had a front loading washing machine to wash the filter sponges from the quarantine room and holding tanks.
 

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