What Size Air Pump For Sponge Filter

Home· Freshwater Aquarium Blog· Sponge Filters: The Easiest Fish Tank Filter Ever

Sponge filters are one of the most popular filters used in fish stores, fish rooms, and convenance tanks because they're so reliable and easy to use. But beginners often have many questions on how they work, how to set one up, and how to go on them clean. Cheque out our step-past-pace instructions to help you get started with your first sponge filter.

Sponge filter setup installation

Sponge filter setup diagram

What is a Sponge Filter?

This most basic of all filters requires at least iii components: a sponge filter (which sits inside the tank), air pump (which sits outside the tank), and airline tubing to connect them. The air pump pushes air through the tubing into the hollow cavity within the sponge filter. Bubbles rise from the within of the sponge, thus cartoon water through the sponge walls. This water suction procedure mechanically collects debris from the aquarium and gives benign bacteria place to abound.

Sponge filters are a long-fourth dimension favorite of both beginner and veteran fish keepers since they're cheap, easy to clean, and hard to break since they have very few mechanical parts. Because of the constant bubbling, information technology provides adept h2o circulation and surface agitation, white being gentle enough to avoid sucking up fish fry, shrimp, and other ho-hum-moving creatures. Plus, during power outages, the benign leaner on the sponge stays in the oxygenated tank h2o (which gives information technology a longer hazard of surviving), and y'all tin even purchase a battery pack backup that works with our USB air pump in case of emergencies.

For more information on filtration options, read our article on fish tank filters and which 1 y'all should get.

Do I Need an Air Stone for Sponge Filters?

An air rock is a small weighted accessory that diffuses the air from your air pump into smaller bubbling in the water. Nosotros recommend adding an air stone to the inside of the sponge filter to lessen the bubbling racket and make the filtration more efficient. The air rock creates a steady stream of tiny bubbling (instead of large, intermittent bubbles) that produces constant lift in the sponge filter – much like a continuously running escalator (versus an elevator that starts and stops all the time).

How to Set a Sponge Filter

Have apart the sponge filter and remove the plastic strainer from the within of the foam.

Aquarium Co-Op sponge filter components

Remove the bullseye from the pinnacle of the strainer, and put the air rock at the bottom of the strainer. Connect the air rock to the nipple or center of the bullseye using a pocket-sized length of airline tubing. If the sponge filter is very pocket-size, you lot can just connect the air stone directly to the bullseye.
Snap the bullseye onto the acme of the strainer, put the strainer back inside the foam, and then connect the strainer to the weighted base of the sponge filter.
Slip the lift tube over one terminate of the airline tubing ringlet and connect the airline tubing to the nipple on the top of the bullseye. Then snap the elevator tube onto the bullseye.
Place the sponge filter into the aquarium and clasp out whatsoever bubbles from the foam if information technology's floating.
Place the air pump in its final location exterior of the tank, and and so cutting the airline tubing roll (attached to the sponge filter) to the proper length and then that information technology's long enough to attain the air pump. Connect the newly cutting air tubing from the sponge filter to the air pump.
If the air pump is located below the top of the aquarium, you need to add a check valve to forestall water from flowing into the airline tubing whenever the air pump is turned off or the power is out. Cut the airline tubing (between the sponge filter and air pump) a few inches exterior of the aquarium, then attach the cheque valve in between and then that the finish of the check valve with the flapper (looks similar a colored or horizontal bar normally) is facing the air pump. (If you lot install it backwards, no air volition flow when you plow on the air pump, then merely flip information technology around.)

How to connect an air pump

Create a baste loop with the power cable of the air pump (to ensure moisture will not brand contact with the plug), and and then plug in the air pump. Within a few seconds, you should come across bubbles coming from your sponge filter.

Why Are Bubbling Coming out of the Side of the Sponge?

At that place are several reasons why this could be happening, then endeavor checking the following:

Did yous shorten or remove the lift tube? A shorter elevator tube does not have as much suction pulling bubbles upwardly the middle column, and then some air may escape.
Is the air rock kleptomaniacal within the sponge filter? To brand information technology hang straighter, yous may need to shorten the tubing attaching the air rock to the bullseye.
Is the air pressure from the air pump as well strong? If a bunch of air is forced into the sponge filter, excess bubbles may leak out the sides.

Which Sponge Filter Practise Yous Recommend?

Sponge filters are a pretty basic slice of equipment, so in that location's not a lot of difference betwixt brands. However, after a decade of using tons of sponge filters, we made our ain with all the improvements and features that we've always wanted. We designed the base and lift tube with a green color to blend in with planted tanks and easily hide dark-green algae growth, whereas the cream sponge is blackness to best conceal fish waste matter and detritus that gets sucked in.

The sponge is made with a coarse foam of 20 ppi medium porosity to easily collect particulate from the water without bottleneck up too quickly. The surface area is ideal for shrimp and fish to graze on and clean. Plus, the fibroid sponge doesn't trap as much air, assuasive it to get nice water menstruum and sink immediately. (Fine sponges ofttimes have problems with floating, which can cause lack of oxygen in your aquarium and potentially loss of life.)

All of the sponge filters we sell are hollow inside and tall enough so that you tin install an air rock inside for more efficient filtration and quieter bubbles. As well, if yous remove the lift tube, y'all tin can connect another sponge filter on pinnacle (without its base) to increase filtration chapters. These sponges tin can be customized in multiple configurations, since three of the sponge sizes (all except for the nano sponge) can be mix and matched together. The reward of stacking multiple sponges (versus running them separately) is that they can run off a single air pump line. So, if y'all ever need to prepare up a infirmary tank, simply remove ane sponge from the stack and it's already seeded with beneficial bacteria to assist the quarantined fish.

How to Make clean a Sponge Filter

Yes, a sponge filter helps to make clean your aquarium, but it'due south essentially like a trash can that collects waste and needs to be emptied out every in one case in a while. Nosotros recommend cleaning your sponge filter in one case a month or whenever you run into a decrease in bubbles (which is caused by the foam getting chock-full up with detritus).

When taking the sponge filter apart, disconnect the bullseye from the strainer (i.e., have off the whole top office of the filter) so y'all tin easily remove the foam part for cleaning.
Use a plastic bag to scoop the foam out of the h2o so that the detritus won't spread and make a big mess in the aquarium.
Clasp and wring out the foam several times in onetime tank h2o.
Reassemble the sponge filter and put it dorsum in the tank.
If there are lots of particles floating in the water, simply look an hr or and then for the sponge filter to clean it up.

Sponge filters are easy to use, budget-friendly, and very reliable compared to other filter types. If you oasis't tried one even so, cheque out our line of sponge filters and allow us know what you think!