Home-made Sponge Filter

[Kilo]

Yesterday, I bought a powerhead. Not gonna use it to connect it to an under-gravel filter, (I don't like those) but use it as a sponge filter... literally. I went to the hardware store today, found a rubber ring, slipped it over the powerhead where the factory strainer slides onto, got a PVC fitting, slipped it over the ring, got an 8 inch or so - 1.5 inch diameter PVC tube, put it into the PVC fitting, sawed long slots in the tube on both sides and put a fine cell car washing sponge over the tube—and the water has gotten quite a bit clearer within 5 hours than just running the Emperor 400 powerfilter alone. It's a trip to look at—like nothing I've ever seen before. A worker at a PS, where I got my Kribensis at, told me how to do it. He even had one in one of the stores saltwater tanks.

I couldn't rig mine like he rigged his. He bought a thinner tube, heated up one end of it, slid it over the powerhead, and he may have glued it, too. I bought the thicker tube, that's why I had to use a rubber ring. My PVC system is all snug and water-tight. No water is gonna get through only by the slots I sawed—first through the sponge of course. When I get a better looking and round black or gray sponge, I'll take a picture of it all and put it in here. The powerhead is now using a guitar shaped, two-tone blue swirl sponge that was made for washing cars and such. But it works. Now I understand why Tim Allen of Home Impovement likes to alter things.

This 46G aquarium is now pumping 700 gallons per hour.

 

[madgap]

Perhaps a picture may help the dence forum readers, such as myself, to put your details together?

 

[Revision17]

Make sure the sponge was designed for aquariums or something. My roommate did the same thing and ended up killing his entire tank minus his pleco (which was sick for about a week, but bounced back). Lemon tetras died the first day, Tiger barbs died the second.

 

[afishdude]

i think its if the sponge sparkles out of the water you cant use it.

 

[Kilo]

Perhaps a picture may help the dence forum readers, such as myself, to put your details together?

I will take a picture of it ASAP—one without the sawed through slots,`cos I can't saw straight yet with the hacksaw. I need to have it done at a shop on a table saw. Don't wanna take a picture of the silly looking car sponge—just doesn't look right in the tank `cos of its shape, but the color looks nice.

 

[madgap]

Don't worry about the slots or indeed the sponge. It is the idea and the work that others may improve upon and thus, between this forum and yourself, we may end up with a brillint filter.

 

[Kilo]

Make sure the sponge was designed for aquariums or something. My roommate did the same thing and ended up killing his entire tank minus his pleco (which was sick for about a week, but bounced back). Lemon tetras died the first day, Tiger barbs died the second.

I dunno whether the car sponge or even the PVCs are toxic or not. They use the PVCs in a tank at this one PS, but they use Hydro III or IV sponges. The Hydro II is what I want, but can't find that model nor the I, III, IV or V anywhere around here. So far, my fish aren't even slowing down the least bit. I know the powerhead however is creating a tremendous amount of tiny bubbles—with or without the sponge. A lot of oxygenation.

Don't worry about the slots or indeed the sponge. It is the idea and the work that others may improve upon and thus, between this forum and yourself, we may end up with a brillint filter.

Okay, I will; but I have to wait awhile. All I've been doing since noon is sneeze my head off.

 

[Tolak]

I've seen guys just attach a dogbone shaped brown car was sponge straight to a powerhead. It works good enough, I like taking a 1 liter bottle with the bottom cut out, attaching the bottle with a little tubing, and putting a round pre-filter sponge in there. Toss it on the bottom of larger bare bottom tanks, and you never have to clean the bottom.

Consider drilling holes instead of cutting slots, this is how I make my sponge filters. I use the large blue pond filters, they last for years.

 

[Kilo]

Above is the set up for a sponge like the one below—either a Hydro II or a Hydro III slipped over the PVC tube and then capped off at the bottom... after I learn to saw nice looking slots or drill nice looking holes in the tube. For now I use the car sponge and keep the cap off. What I did was, I got a knife and slit one end of the car sponge almost all the way through the other end, and slipped the tube through. Between the bottom of the powerhead and that short tube fitting, is a rubber ring. I don't know if you all can see it well or not. It's a duller black compared to the shinier bottom part of the powerhead.

None of this was an idea I came up with—(except for the rubber ring idea). The guy at the PS where I bought my Kribensis yesterday told me how he made his. His way didn't work for me, (the melting and tube-end flaring). This powerhead-sponge idea, where ever it came from, has made my water quite a bit clearer within the first five hours after making it—not to mention the billions of crazy bubbles everywhere.

 

[Tolak]

Sweet! I love home made gear, it's one of the most enjoyable aspects of the hobby for me. I'm glad you posted a pic of the Hydor sponge filter, the way their design practically falls apart when it's bumped is one of the reasons I build my own sponge filters. That, and I'm just plain cheap.

 

[Kilo]

I've seen guys just attach a dogbone shaped brown car was sponge straight to a powerhead. It works good enough, I like taking a 1 liter bottle with the bottom cut out, attaching the bottle with a little tubing, and putting a round pre-filter sponge in there. Toss it on the bottom of larger bare bottom tanks, and you never have to clean the bottom.

Consider drilling holes instead of cutting slots, this is how I make my sponge filters. I use the large blue pond filters, they last for years.

Do you mean we never have to clean the gravel/sand again with this kind'a filtration set-up—or do ya mean something else? `Cos that would be cool to never have to use a gravel-vac again.

 

[Tolak]

I think you missed the bare bottomed tank part. The most I've had to do with this sort of setup was either all a group of corys to the tank, or wipe the bottom of the tank with a paper towel every couple of weeks.

With gravel it does minimize maintenance, but does not totally eliminate vaccing the gravel.