About Sponge filters

[akudewan]

I got a sponge filter running for my 20 gal tank. So, friendly bacteria accumulate in the filter, right? Do I have to keep this filter running 24x7 ? or can I switch it off? And what if there's a power failure?

Here's a pic of my filter:

 

[newbie hob]

As far as i know, YES you do have to keep the filter runing to keep the good bacteria well fed, if you do get a power fail, it all depends on two factors one is the time down and two is your stock.

 

[The-Wolf]

filters should be run 24/7

if they are not for more than 4 hrs (general consensus) then the bacteria start to die off.

 

[akudewan]

Hmm...The only thing that happens when the filter is running is that water circulates through the sponge, and ofcourse, more poop gets collected in the sponge. Apparently, this is necessary to keep the bacteria alive.

However, these bacteria also live under the gravel. There is no constant circulation under gravel, but there's lots of poop.

So is it really necessary to keep the filter running? I mean, there's lots of poop in the sponge to last a few days

I dont have a problem keeping my filter running. Just curious

 

[Morrgan]

With a filter like that, where the actual filter material is in open water, power failures are not a problem as long as there's enough oxygen in the tank itself. It's different for box and canister filters.

So in theory, you could turn the filter off without worrying about bacteria dying, but it just won't do any (decent amount of) filtering during that time and the bacteria levels will never get as high as with a filter that's on all the time.

 

[akudewan]

I see. Thanks Morrgan. Btw, I have another question. How often should I clean the sponge? And I clean it with aquarium water only, right?

 

[Phantom Thief]

Clean it whenever it gets clogged up. I personally do mine every fortnight, but most people do it monthly i think. And yes, tank water is preferred, but dechlorinated water will do as well. As long as the water has no chlorine and thus won't kill the beneficial bacteria in the filter, it's ok.

P.T.

 

[akudewan]

hehe. The filter wont really get clogged up. Even if the sponge is saturated, how would I know I do a WC every week, so once a monthof filter cleaning seems OK.

 

[BobK]

If you turn off your filter the amount of oxygen in the water will decrease. With decreased oxygen your tank will not be able to sustain the current amount of life. Something has to give. My guess is bacteria definitely will start to die off.

Was there a reason you don't want to run your filter 24/7?

 

[akudewan]

No reason as such, just curious. I am running it 24/7 since a month now

 

[Inchworm]

Hi akudewan

It is necessary to keep the filter running to keep oxygenated water flowing over the bacteria. In the event of a power failure, you can manage to keep them going by swishing it around in the water, from time to time, (sponge filter) or pouring water through it if it is another kind.

While sponge filters are good for holding colonies of beneficial bacteria, they do little to clean particles out of the water and do tend to clog up if the load is heavy. Just pull it out of the tank, every few weeks and drop the whole thing into the bucket of water you have removed from the tank during a cleaning and water change. Squeeze it a few times and it will be in good shape to put back. You don't even have to disconnect it from the airline.