I Kind Of "made" My Own Sponge Filter....

[fry_forever!]

this is such a good simple idea

Yes I know! It's awesome! That's why it seems too good to be true!

 

[Platygirl11]

I'm slowly buying the parts for a sponge filter, and I have a sponge over my filter intake for fry safety until I get a fry tank. Once I get all the parts, the mature sponge will filter the water in the filter, making it quickly cycled. Then I can just pop it in my fry tank pretty much any time once I have fry. I think that it would be best to use your current sponge as media for the filter, as I have heard some stories of fish being stuck between the sponge and the intake. Good luck with the babies!

Thanks for the info, but what do you mean the fry get stuck between the sponge and the intake?

I mean, fry may be able to squeeze past the sponge and get stuck. Not pretty.

 

[fry_forever!]

I'm slowly buying the parts for a sponge filter, and I have a sponge over my filter intake for fry safety until I get a fry tank. Once I get all the parts, the mature sponge will filter the water in the filter, making it quickly cycled. Then I can just pop it in my fry tank pretty much any time once I have fry. I think that it would be best to use your current sponge as media for the filter, as I have heard some stories of fish being stuck between the sponge and the intake. Good luck with the babies!

Thanks for the info, but what do you mean the fry get stuck between the sponge and the intake?

I mean, fry may be able to squeeze past the sponge and get stuck. Not pretty.

Oh... Well, that's unlikely, though my fry aren't the brightest bulbs on the planet!

 

[Platygirl11]

I put a sponge on my filter when I noticed a soon-to-drop female hanging around the filter intake of my HOB. Speaking of not the brightest bulbs

I like the sponge-over-intake because it eventually holds a lot of bacteria. Sponges. When I have all the supplies needed to build a filter I swap out the sponge and make the old one into 1 or 2 filters. I made 1 1/2 filters today! (Need to hook up a pump). I'm going to get a replacement sponge tomorrow. I can post illustrations on how to make this filter:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=85297
If it helps.

 

[Platygirl11]

Click to make bigger. Does that help? Sorry, I'm not good at art things.

 

[fry_forever!]

Click to make bigger. Does that help? Sorry, I'm not good at art things.

Thank you, yes it does. Will have to look at it more after school though!

 

[mooey65]

Thanks for the idea iv placed a old filter sponge on to the inlet of my top filter.
The water it so clear now and am going to have a cycled filter if I need it too

 

[fry_forever!]

Thanks for the idea iv placed a old filter sponge on to the inlet of my top filter.
The water it so clear now and am going to have a cycled filter if I need it too

Yes, I love the idea! It's amazing! Today I'm buying 2 more. One for my 20 gallon, and another for a new 10 gallon fry tank I'm getting.

 

[loraxchick]

the best way is to take an old fish food container and sutff it full of sponge around an airline tube connecdted to an airtone. as long as there's not a lot of room for the airbubbles to "move around" you are all set...i have made several sponge filters this way and all have cycled within a week...one was instant. i am a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE fan of DIY sponge filters...they take 5 min to make and work the NUTS!!!

I'm sorry, but If you did not add cycled material in a tank after making the filter, there is no way it will cycle instantly, or within a week. It takes 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Tanks have 2 different types of bacteria( maybe more, can't remeber). They need to start off with the ammonia ones, and need enough to process it, then you get large amounts of NitrItes, and the bacteria grow for that, make Nitrates. This does not happen over night.

sorry i wasnt more clear-
i always steal media from other cycled filters when making these. of course new sponge wouldnt cycle this quickly!

 

[fry_forever!]

the best way is to take an old fish food container and sutff it full of sponge around an airline tube connecdted to an airtone. as long as there's not a lot of room for the airbubbles to "move around" you are all set...i have made several sponge filters this way and all have cycled within a week...one was instant. i am a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE fan of DIY sponge filters...they take 5 min to make and work the NUTS!!!

I'm sorry, but If you did not add cycled material in a tank after making the filter, there is no way it will cycle instantly, or within a week. It takes 4 weeks, sometimes longer. Tanks have 2 different types of bacteria( maybe more, can't remeber). They need to start off with the ammonia ones, and need enough to process it, then you get large amounts of NitrItes, and the bacteria grow for that, make Nitrates. This does not happen over night.

sorry i wasnt more clear-
i always steal media from other cycled filters when making these. of course new sponge wouldnt cycle this quickly!

Yes, I was sure you knew that. That's why I wasn't saying anything.

 

[mooey65]

Mines getting blocked within two days.

 

[fry_forever!]

Mines getting blocked within two days.

The sponge on your filter intake, or an actual sponge filter? If it's the sponge on your intake, that could be because it's not big enough, or your filter is just clogged. I haven't been having any problems with mine whatsoever.

Good luck.

 

[mooey65]

Mines getting blocked within two days.

The sponge on your filter intake, or an actual sponge filter? If it's the sponge on your intake, that could be because it's not big enough, or your filter is just clogged. I haven't been having any problems with mine whatsoever.

Good luck.

The one on the intake it seems to be fine now. It was all the dead leafs and moss blocking it, Iv removed them now.

 

[fry_forever!]

Mines getting blocked within two days.

The sponge on your filter intake, or an actual sponge filter? If it's the sponge on your intake, that could be because it's not big enough, or your filter is just clogged. I haven't been having any problems with mine whatsoever.

Good luck.

The one on the intake it seems to be fine now. It was all the dead leafs and moss blocking it, Iv removed them now.

Oh okay, yeah, that would make sense. There's a build up of java moss on mine, but the flow isn't reduced, so I just leave it.

Good luck!