Aquarium Sponge Filter: What Is It and How Is It Useful?
Do you have a aquarium sponge filter to filter out water? It is a very old and traditional method of filtering out water. Though it is old, it is considered a very effective method of getting your aquarium free from the debris, uneaten food, and other garbage.
Today, we will have a look at the parts of this filter, it’s working, its advantages and disadvantages. So, if you are having an aquarium at home and looking for a filter for it then stay on the track and you will get the complete idea about it.
Table of Contents
Parts of a Sponge Filter:
- Foam sponge
- Weighted base: It is the base for the sponge as the foam sponge sits on it. This helps to stop the sponge from floating around in the tank and stays in one place.
- Strainer and bull’s eye: It slides inside the sponge and with its help, you are able to connect airline tubing directly to the filter.
- Lift tube – Water from the tank flows up and back in this tube.
How Does it Work?
Buy the sponge filter from the market. Along with that, you will need to buy a good air pump too. An air pump is used to forcefully draw the water up. Connect the filter with the lift tube and with the air pump.
Bubbles will rise up from the lift tube and water will be force to be drawn from the foam sponge. This will catch the fish debris, decay plants, uneaten food and other garbage from the tank. All this waste will get stuck up in the foam sponge and the water will get filter and enter back in the tank.
It is a very simple yet very effective way of keeping your water tank clean and you will find it as a useful component in American aquarium products.
Advantages
Good Mechanical and Biofilter
Sponge filter acts as a good mechanical and biofilter and will filter out the debris and other waste left by the fish in the tank. If you feel that the tank still remains dirty and the waste is not properly sucked up by the sponge foam then you will need a strong water pump that can pull water with more force.
It’s Safe
If you are worried that your small fishes are going to get suck up by the filter then no need to worry as everything is safe with this filter.
It’s a Filter that is Easily Manageable
The installation process of this filter is very easy and quick. It can be done within a couple of minutes if every part involve in it is ready. Foam sponge, water pump, tube, and everything can be fix very quickly and a filter will be ready in no time.
Also, if you need to get your tank empty and shift the fish in some other tank then you can easily manage the shifting of the filter. There might be situations when you need to shift your fishes from one tank to another either for a temporary period or on a permanent basis. This time this filter will be very helpful as it can be set up quickly.
You can even place multiple filters on top of each other and it will become very much effective.
Gentle Filtration
Your fishes won’t face a strong current in this type of filter as it provides for a gentle filtration. Putting a pre-filter sponge will slow down water flow and this will let your fish live comfortably with the filter.
It is Cheap
It is cheap and you will need to spend less than $20 for it. If you want to save the money then you can go for the DIY route too, it is easy to make such a filter.
Disadvantages
It is Big and Ugly
It’s big and will be visible to anyone who checks out your aquarium. It has a black color mostly and so will be apparently visible from a far distance too. This might disturb the show of your aquarium and can distract people from seeing your beautiful fishes.
No Chemical Filtration
There will be no chemical filtration so if you are looking for a filter that supports chemical filtration then this won’t help you. You will need an activate carbon filter for this purpose.
Fish might Eat it
The foam sponge will collect some left out food in it. Now, in the case when your fish is very hungry (if you have forgotten to provide it food) then it will eat out the foam sponge and that will be dangerous for their health for sure.
If you have a turtle in your water tank and if it gets super hungry then the filter will be like a tasty meal for them. This is a disadvantage for us as it is very bad for the creature’s health.
This situation can be avoid if you are feeding regularly to your fish and turtle. If you are away from home for some days then you can consider having an automatic fish food feeder.
Conclusion:
So here was an overview of the aquarium sponge filter. I hope you got an idea of it and now know how useful it is for your aquarium. There are other advance filters also available, you can consider them as well but if you want to go for the cheapest and effective one then this will be the perfect option. Use this filter and make your water tank clean!
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