Cheap and efficient filter solution

[tazcrash69]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Sorry guys, all the Planted Tank hosted pictures disappeared, I looked at my harddrive and couldn't find it right away. I'll keep looking and re-post them if I find it.

Basically it was just a powerhead, turned upside down, with a sponge stuck to the inlet. I used one of these sponges, cut them into quarters (like a cake), cut a slit in the center and stuck them on the powerhead, using an inlet strainer to stabilize that thing.

The AC30 powerhead and the sponge is still the only filtration on my 36 gal tank, and while I have been considering to replace it with a canister filter to get some equipment out of the tank (filter and heater and CO2) it works extremely well. All I do is pull the sponge out every 4 weeks or so and give it a good squeeze in a bucket.

Sorry nano

[Nano Nano]

I guess I'm missing the point of turning it upside down? Is it really that hard to change if it's right side up?

Also, any reason you don't use a sponge like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...earch&keepsr=1 instead of cutting the others down?

[Wasserpest]

Good questions...

Originally Posted by Nano Nano

I guess I'm missing the point of turning it upside down? Is it really that hard to change if it's right side up?

Nope, not really hard. But there is a couple of advantages of the upside down position

1) You can just lay the pump on its head, flat, without the need for suction cups or rim hangers or whatever you would need to maintain its position.
2) I like flow on/from the bottom. With the sponge sticking underneath, you'd end up with the outflow somewhere in the middle or upper part of the tank.
3) With the pump sitting on the bottom, it is easy to hide with plants, rocks and such. Of course, can't block the outflow too much.
4) Really the main reason, getting the sponge clean without having to pull the whole thing out. I have one in the back corner of my 36gal corner tank, and it is fairly easy (with long arms) to pull the sponge up and stick it back on. If the sponge was underneath, I would have to pull the whole pump out, since it is hidden behind rocks and plants.

But, yeah, it works both ways.

Originally Posted by Nano Nano

Also, any reason you don't use a sponge like this: http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...earch&keepsr=1 instead of cutting the others down?

Yep, couple of reasons... the sponge I use is much bigger than that one, even cut in quarters it still has more volume than the one you linked to. For the same price, or a little less... I get four pieces rather than one.

When you cut them in quarters, you end up with sponges that fit perfectly in tank corners.

Also, the sponges I used have slightly finer pores, so they hold things back a little better than the 501 sponge.

But again, it would work as well.

[Wasserpest]

Yeah! Thanks Kyle!!

Pictures are back!

[milkdud]

I use MaxiJet 900's with Bigals black filter sponges. The sponge is fine pore BTW.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...owerhead230gph

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...sponge3x5x1512

My method:
Preheat oven to 350.
I cut a chunk off the big sponge.
Put the chunk in a plastic bag.
Fill with water until the water just covers the sponge.
Freeze it.
Drill a appropriate sized (yet smaller than strainer so it stays on) hole with a wood spade-shaped bit.
Let it thaw or run hot water over it.
Turn off oven because you realize that this recipe was not for food.
Enjoy.

[Wasserpest]

Haha, nice recipe Milkdud. I never tried the freezing method (I guess the oven keeps you warm while handling the frozen sponge) I always use a sharp knife to cut sponges into pieces or holes into them.

I have this sort of filter working in two of my tanks... in the 36gal since I set it up in 2005 (Aquaclear 30 with sponge) and in my ignored 55gal in the garage (Aquaclear 50 with sponge). Every 3 to 4 weeks I turn off the pump, pull out the sponge, give it a good wringing and flushing, and back it goes.

Most recently, I have not been happy with the water circulation provided by my XP3's. So I am secretly trying to replace one of them (have two on my 100gal) with one of these internal sponge filters.

The pump will be a LoudOne(tm) 1200, with 3 quarters of a big sponge stuck on top of it. I'll post a picture soon. The pump provides WAY more circulation than the canister, with less wattage. Its impeller smashes up CO2 bubbles into fine, instantly dissolving mist. Placed in a back corner the visual impact will be small. The filter volume is a bit smaller than the canister, will need to see how that works out.

Intriguing for me is the better efficiency, and security of having in-tank filtration. Simple = beautiful?

[Wasserpest]

Glad you like it!

I was going to rig something up for my 100gal tank, but then I noticed all the stuff I had inline in my XP3 (CO2, tapwater in, drainage out) and figured I'll better keep it. Plus, an XP full of sponges is some serious filtration volume, nothing to sneeze at.

I want to rig up something like this combined with a DIY surface skimmer. Just some coarse sponges, and CO2 misting. If it works I will remove the external inline reactor from the XP, while it works well, the elbows and turns and twists reduce the flow a little bit.

We'll see how it works out...

[macclellan]

I have a planted 20g long with lots of lace rockwork. I want to switch over to a sponge filter, as I'm adding some snowball shrimp soon. Wassy, I like your design here, no shredded shrimp, gets rid of XP1 inlet and spraybar (which is just huge and unsightly) and I can say goodbye to my foresaken bubble ladder, and all filter and 'reactor' stuff hidden behind rockwork (except co2 tube and power cord, but both are black on black background). Also, given all the rockwork, the XP1 does really poorly at clearing the substrate; having a powerhead-filter on the bottom will do much better.

I've never used a sponge filter before, so I have some questions and wanted to pass this by ya'alluns (Tennessee-speak for you all) before putting shrimp in:

I've got a Maxi-Jet 400, which is 5w/106gph. Is that not enough flow? It has a directional attachment w/venturi hole for the co2 and is silent upside down. I also have a better inlet strainer than the one pictured.


Is this sponge big enough? It is a 3.5" diameter (with 1" center hole) x 2.125" sponge, I believe it was for a Lustar Hydrosponge and looks like this (minus the base and tube):


I have both of these laying around, which makes it a very cheap filter so it would be great if they were sufficient. I also have some sponge laying around that I could cut if that one ain't big enough.

Lastly, how do you folks get sufficient surface movement with this setup? I do want the shrimp to have some oxygen, after all.

If that powerhead-sponge combo is too wimpy, I have a spare HOB laying around. That would solve the surface movement problem too, it would be one tube in the tank though.

Thanks for all and any help.

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by macclellan

I've got a Maxi-Jet 400, which is 5w/106gph. Is that not enough flow? It has a directional attachment w/venturi hole for the co2 and is silent upside down. I also have a better inlet strainer than the one pictured.

My best guess is that it would be enough flow if it is not too thickly planted. I am using the similar AC20 powerhead for my 36 Corner tank and it is working well... but yours being a longer tank might or might not reach the far end.

Personally I had a bad experience with the MJ400, noisy and vibrating, but could have just been a dud.

Originally Posted by macclellan

Is this sponge big enough? It is a 3.5" diameter (with 1" center hole) x 2.125" sponge, I believe it was for a Lustar Hydrosponge and looks like this (minus the base and tube):

If it is just for a shrimp tank I think most definitely sufficient. Compare to the net filter volume of your Filstar. Two Filstar sponges ~ one Hydrosponge?

Originally Posted by macclellan

Lastly, how do you folks get sufficient surface movement with this setup? I do want the shrimp to have some oxygen, after all.
If that powerhead-sponge combo is too wimpy, I have a spare HOB laying around. That would solve the surface movement problem too, it would be one tube in the tank though.

Not sure on that one, in planted tanks the oxygen comes from plants, and the levels can be pretty high (saturation) without additional surface agitation, especially when you add CO2 and ferts to put your plant growth on steroids. Just don't overdo CO2 and ferts... as some shrimp might be sensitive. But if there is sufficient circulation in your tank I wouldn't worry about O2 too much.

[A Hill]

One of my favorite DIY threads on here.

I'm going to be making a corner HMF for my 55g and plan on having at least one or more pumps moving the water around. I want one to pump water out a tube to the far end of the tank and will have one of those vortex CO2 (diy with 4 bottles maybe) Any pump recommendations?

I'll probably start a new thread when I get around to mapping it all out.

-Andrew

[htn86]

That's a good idea, but I think people use canister filter because it hides better than most filters, at least that was my reason for using a canister. I think having that big sponge sitting there in my planted tank is just unnatural and ugly, thought it might be a good filter.

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by htn86

That's a good idea, but I think people use canister filter because it hides better than most filters, at least that was my reason for using a canister. I think having that big sponge sitting there in my planted tank is just unnatural and ugly, thought it might be a good filter.

That's correct, like I mentioned in the OP, the visual impact could be a disadvantage of this method.

On the other hand, it might be fairly easy to hide the pump and sponge behind something. That's what I did in my 36gal corner tank - it is sitting in the back corner, and rocks in front of it hide it completely. The outflow is routed between rocks towards the front. All you see is the power cable and the CO2 line... probably less visible than two plastic pipes going into the tank.

[Ozymandias]

I must say this is a rather tempting filter idea for me. I'm considering stetting up another tank once i get home during the summer and putting a batta in it.

[LordMaximo]

I like the MarineLnad 660 myself. I feed the Co2 into the air inlet tube for the power head, and I have added a down tube to the outlet to feed the flow to the bottom of the tank. Then the air and Co2 is distributed to the lower section of the tank, thus feeding the tank. There is also another method one could use, and that is the auto current switch that can be plumbed to two sections of the tank and fed from one source. It allows for an alternating pulsation to change the current flow.
Nothing like adding some action for a tidal tank. And who says you can't just take a 3/8" piece of PVC and drill some directional holes into the length and just disperse at a couple levels down the side? Just some food for thought.

Maximo

[macclellan]

Thanks for the tips/reassurance guys. I seeded the filter and set it up this past weekend. So far so good.

Originally Posted by htn86

I think people use canister filter because it hides better than most filters, at least that was my reason for using a canister.

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

On the other hand, it might be fairly easy to hide the pump and sponge behind something.

Yeah, I think it really depends on the tank/plants/hardscape in question. There was just no way of hiding the hugeness of the spraybar from an XP1 in a 20L tank. The sponge filter hides perfectly behind some rocks I have and is 'invisible' except for the power cord.