Sponge Filtration for Aquariums and Ponds; Why Sponge Filters Should Not Be Overlooked As Filters for your Aquarium Or for your Pond

Sponge filtration is an often overlooked type of filtration for freshwater aquarium or ponds and even marine aquariums . Many persons look past their simplicity as ineffective, but therein lies their quality. I have used them for my aquarium maintenance for 27 plus years with excellent results. Here then is a list of their attributes:

[1] Simple to use, most run on very basic air pumps or powerheads. One of the best beginner aquarist filters due simplicity and cost. But sponge filters are also popular with breeders and research facilities, as they are very efficient yet simple filters.

[2] Excellent biological filtration, they are very porous and can maintain very large aerobic bacterial colonies in proportion to the space they occupy. Please note that not all materials used for sponge filters are equal, there are patents because of this! The Hydro Sponge Filter holds several patents for sponge filters for this very reason!

[3] Mechanical filtration, although they are not the best mechanical filters, they still do a good job for their small size and make excellent secondary or primary filters when used in combination with other filters such as HOB, canister, or internal filters.

[4] Very few “dead” areas trapping pockets of noxious bacteria, unlike undergravel filters and even wet/dry filters (which in my experience are over rated).

[5] Simple to clean, simply remove the sponge and squeeze or rinse in old aquarium water or dechlorinated tap water. The advantage here is the aquarist is less likely to ignore cleaning the filter (unlike many complex filters), which can lead to organic build up, increasing nitrates and lowering KH and ph.

[6] Sponge filters are great in marine aquariums in a couple of different ways; one way is in a sump (sometimes sideways) with a small power head pump (such as a Via Aqua 480); the other (usually in a reef application) was inside the aquarium with either an air pump or power head. The beauty of either application is they are simple to rinse out with used aquarium water, which in the reef application was especially useful in that I could dispose of allot of debris before it cycled and produced Nitrates. They are an excellent compliment to “live rock” filtered reef aquariums.

[7] Probably the best choice of filtration for breeding tanks, hospital tanks, and even discus aquariums, due to the fact that they do not “suck” in baby or weak fish or attract noxious bacteria.

[8] For cichlid breeding they excell, as they are not easily disturbed by cichlids tendency to dig.

[9] Inexpensive

[10] Now available in larger sizes for aquariums over 60 gallons.

[11] Sponge filters can even be used in ponds. With the “Hydro Pond Filter”, simply attach a power head pump (such as a Via Aqua 2600), then run your return line wherever you like (waterfall, ECT). Or the Hydro Pond II can be run off a simple air pump. These filters can work on ponds up to 1500 gallons (or more with additional units).

[12] There also are sponge filters that are used as a “Pre-Filter” for intakes of canister, wet/dry, power filters and more. They offer increased bio-filtration to your existing system, as well as protection from baby fish, plants, or anemones from being sucked into the intake of your existing filter.

These pre-filter sponges are especially useful for HOB (power filters) as they increase the bio capacity (far more than bio wheels in experiments I have done) and retain the aerobic bio filtering bacteria during filter media changes. With out these Sponge pre-filters, HOB filters are poor to fair bio filters, with them they are excellent.

[13] Sponge filters are great for planted aquariums, they do not interfere with root structures and maintain a biological balance that ideal for planted aquariums.