Aquarium sponge filters how do they work?

How does a sponge filter work?.

Air is pumped through a tube via a pump into the sponge filter. Bubbles rise from the inside of the sponge, pushing water through the sponge walls. This process mechanically collects debris from the aquarium and gives beneficial bacteria a place to grow within the sponge itself!.

This is the basics of how an air sponge filter would work. These types of filters have been around for many a year and are used by both novice and experienced fish keeping hobbyists.

Sponge filters that are placed directly within the tank’s water work really well. Especially for smaller tanks and tanks with small fish and or fry. As they can’t harm themselves or get sucked up inside the filter itself.

What do you need for a sponge filter?  

 

These filters are readily available and will in most cases come in a kit!. Under the guise of a sponge filter kit!.

Within the set up you should have a pump with an air inlet tube/pipe. Basically, a tube to connect the pump to the filter!.

The filter and the sponge are usually connected straight out of the pack. In simple terms, it’s just a filter With holes over the barrel end.

Allowing the water to flow back out into the tank.

Sponge Biofiltration

But first, we put the sponge over the barrel end which has the holes. So as the water flows back out it has to go through the sponge itself.

As the water goes out back into the tank’s water the good bacteria is collected in the sponge. This is called biofiltration and is what’s keeping your tank alive and healthy for your fishy friends!.

Does the air sponge filter the water?. Yes as the pump pumps the water through the sponge. It extracts all the bacteria out of the water and then the water is pushed back into the tank!.

How effective are sponge filters?

Sponge filters, on the whole, are very effective but only for smaller tanks. As they are not as powerful as other filters such as mechanical and chemical filters.

But air sponge filters and sponge filters, in general, are easy to set up and easy to clean. Simple in the way they work and there’s little that can go wrong as there are no moving parts!.

What’s more, they are probably the filter of choice for fish keepers with small fish. Shrimp and other smaller creatures.

As the water flow is gentle and the fish won’t be sucked up and lost within the filtration. Sponge filters are also great

for breeding tanks and for the fry themselves.

For the same reasons. You wouldn’t want an overly powerful flow of water buffeting the eggs and fry all over the place.

Sponge filter setup?

Now we have our sponge filter let’s look at how easy they are to set up. We will be taking a setup of a simple air sponge filters as shown in the pic above

As illustrated there are not many parts we have the tube that takes the water from the pump. The pump itself has another tube.

The Barrell which the sponge goes over and where the water comes back out from!.

Fitting The Sponge Filter Together

First, we take the pump’s connection tube. As shown along with the bottom of the water flow tube. Then we connect two tubes together giving us the pump connection along with both tubes as illustrated in pic two below.

Then we grab the barrel and sponge and slide the sponge gently over the barrel. As seen in pic three and four!. After this, we can connect the barrel end to the water pipe pic five and six easy peasy!.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fitting our air sponge filter into our tank

Now we’ve assembled our air sponge filter. we need to fit which I’m sure you’re glad to hear is just as easy.

We will place it on the side of the tank. Inside the tank with the overflow tube near the surface of the water. This will give you the best results for small tanks.

which this air sponge is best designed for. Once you have the desired position use the suction cup which will be provided and stick it in place.

These filters are very light and once in place will remain there a very easy simple solution to our filtration needs.

Sponge filters that work on their own are what’s known as biofiltration filters. There is no chemical filtration or mechanical filtration you can indeed get these that also incorporate sponges within the system.

If you have a bigger tank but for the smaller tanks under 100 litres air sponge filters are a good safe cheap option.

How to make sponge filter bubbles smaller?

Is it possible to make the bubbles even smaller without affecting the power or performance of the filter itself?

Yes, you can do a bit of simple sponge filter DIY.

First, we need a small air stone there’s plenty to choose from and all work in the same way.

Airstone and sponge for smaller bubbles

we get said Airstone and we push it into the sponge. That’s right we just gently push the stone into the sponge and this will control the flow of water.

Not only controlling the flow but giving smaller bubbles good news for those with breeder tanks and also those with micro fish!.

 In conclusion sponge filters 

Sponge filters on their own will give the smaller tanks good biofiltration! and will keep the tank cycled via taking all the wee and poo and other bacteria out and giving somewhere ie the sponge somewhere for all that good bacteria to live.

Looking After Sponge And Filter

As with all filters that house sponges they will need cleaning every eight weeks! But most hobbyists would clean via a water change by cleaning the sponge in the tank’s water, Not tap water with tap water there are chemicals that need to be treated!

I hope you learned something of value from this post! please feel free to look around for more important information here at Tankofish, And leave a comment we would love to hear from you!