Cleaning filter sponge

I have an internal filter and I'm wondering how often I should remove and clean the filter sponge?Some say two weeks, others say four.

What is best?

I know that I should only rinse it in water removed from the tank, and not under the tap.

 

There really isn't a set time since each tank is different. A heavier stocked tank will need the media cleaned more often than a tank with just a few fish. As long as the water is flowing freely through the sponge it is still doing its job. If the water starts backing up you will know your sponge is clogged and needs attention.

If you find it gets clogged quickly you may need to clean it with each weekly water change but if not you may be able to go much longer between cleanings. Over time you will know whether it needs to be cleaned and how often by how the water is flowing through it.

 

There really isn't a set time since each tank is different. A heavier stocked tank will need the media cleaned more often than a tank with just a few fish. As long as the water is flowing freely through the sponge it is still doing its job. If the water starts backing up you will know your sponge is clogged and needs attention.

If you find it gets clogged quickly you may need to clean it with each weekly water change but if not you may be able to go much longer between cleanings. Over time you will know whether it needs to be cleaned and how often by how the water is flowing through it.

I know this may be a silly question, so please do excuse my ignorance (I'm new as you've read from my previous posts).. When cleaning the sponge from the filter, do I literally just take out the filter from the tank, remove the sponge from it and dip it in the old tank water, scraping off the debris? I don't like, squeeze it or anything like that?
In my head, as stupid as it can be at times, I seem to think I'll be getting rid of all the beneficial bacteria.

 

I know this may be a silly question, so please do excuse my ignorance (I'm new as you've read from my previous posts).. When cleaning the sponge from the filter, do I literally just take out the filter from the tank, remove the sponge from it and dip it in the old tank water, scraping off the debris? I don't like, squeeze it or anything like that?
In my head, as stupid as it can be at times, I seem to think I'll be getting rid of all the beneficial bacteria.

Bacteria holds on pretty tight so squeezing it in used tank water isn't going to be removing much of it. The little bit that is removed will be replaced fairly quick. This is one of the reasons it is not a good idea to clean all of our media at the same time. I run more than one filter on most of my tanks. Such as both a HOB and a sponge filter. I clean the media in the HOB one week and the sponge on the sponge filter the next week. If I am going to clean decor I don't do it the same week I clean filter media.

Bacteria grows on all the surfaces in our tanks so removing a small amount of it isn't going to disrupt an established cycle.

 

Bacteria holds on pretty tight so squeezing it in used tank water isn't going to be removing much of it. The little bit that is removed will be replaced fairly quick. This is one of the reasons it is not a good idea to clean all of our media at the same time. I run more than one filter on most of my tanks. Such as both a HOB and a sponge filter. I clean the media in the HOB one week and the sponge on the sponge filter the next week. If I am going to clean decor I don't do it the same week I clean filter media.

Bacteria grows on all the surfaces in our tanks so removing a small amount of it isn't going to disrupt an established cycle.

Yeah I’ve just been watching some YouTube videos about it so I’m a lot more comfortable when I come to do it.
Unless the flow through the spray bar lessens, should I wait until the cycle has completed and maybe wait a month after before cleaning the sponge?

I was also thinking, if my fishless cycle in the smaller tank I have will take longer to cycle, would it not be better to just put my other filter in my main tank also? That way I can do what you do and clean one filter at a time?

 

Yeah I’ve just been watching some YouTube videos about it so I’m a lot more comfortable when I come to do it.
Unless the flow through the spray bar lessens, should I wait until the cycle has completed and maybe wait a month after before cleaning the sponge?

I was also thinking, if my fishless cycle in the smaller tank I have will take longer to cycle, would it not be better to just put my other filter in my main tank also? That way I can do what you do and clean one filter at a time?

I really can't put a time line on when a sponge needs to be cleaned. It really depends on several factors. When fishless cycling it usually doesn't need to be cleaned until after fish are in the tank and it starts pulling out their waste. A tank with more fish normally has to be cleaned more often than one with just a couple of fish in it.

If you are fishless cycling a tank along with the one you are doing a fish in cycle in it might be best to just run both filters on the tank you are doing the fish in cycle in. That way you can just pull the QT filter out of the cycled tank and it will already have the necessary bacteria growing on it.

 

I really can't put a time line on when a sponge needs to be cleaned. It really depends on several factors. When fishless cycling it usually doesn't need to be cleaned until after fish are in the tank and it starts pulling out their waste. A tank with more fish normally has to be cleaned more often than one with just a couple of fish in it.

If you are fishless cycling a tank along with the one you are doing a fish in cycle in it might be best to just run both filters on the tank you are doing the fish in cycle in. That way you can just pull the QT filter out of the cycled tank and it will already have the necessary bacteria growing on it.

Is there a good tank placement for a 2nd filter? I have danio’s and neons.

My main filter is at the back of the tank and spray bar on the water surface to agitate and aerate the tank.

I’ve put the smaller filter about 5 inches in front of this with the spray bar about 2 inches down into the water.

 

All I can tell you is how I have mine set up. I run 2 HOB (hang on back) filters and 2 dual sponge filters on my 55 gallon tank. The 2 HOB filters are situated equal distances apart across the back of the tank. The heater is situated between the 2 filters. I have one dual sponge filter situated in each of the 2 back corners. They are hidden behind plants. By having so many different filters and types of media I can rotate the cleaning of the media so that I never clean all of them at the same time.

I have never run any kind of filter with a spray bar so don't know exactly how they work. I have found that my neon tetras don't enjoy a strong current and if I understand the concept of a spray bar there isn't a very strong current in your tank. Adding a sponge filter to a back corner shouldn't add a lot of current. You want a filter strong enough to keep the water clean but not so strong it blows your fish around.

Keep in mind, you can never over filter a tank. You can have too much water movement but never to much filtration.

 

I’ve set mine up like this, I’ve watched my fish and they seem happy! I’ll keep monitoring it but they seem fine

 

I know this may be a silly question, so please do excuse my ignorance (I'm new as you've read from my previous posts).. When cleaning the sponge from the filter, do I literally just take out the filter from the tank, remove the sponge from it and dip it in the old tank water

I was just about to ask the same thing. I've just been taking the sponge out and swilling it in the bucket. A couple of weeks after I first installed it I had to bang it a couple of times to get some of the crud out of the inside as the flow had slowed right down. I had no idea whether I was meant to. I also could feel that it was full of a gravelly substance and had no idea whether it was meant to be in there or not but assumed it wouldn't be powerful enough to suck up the sand from the bottom

 

I was just about to ask the same thing. I've just been taking the sponge out and swilling it in the bucket. A couple of weeks after I first installed it I had to bang it a couple of times to get some of the crud out of the inside as the flow had slowed right down. I had no idea whether I was meant to. I also could feel that it was full of a gravelly substance and had no idea whether it was meant to be in there or not but assumed it wouldn't be powerful enough to suck up the sand from the bottom

I've since learned that it's a good idea to only clean your filter when flow rate starts to decline. Others may not agree. So I'm testing it for myself to see what happens. But when I do clean it it'll literally be gently scraping off the debris gently rather than squeezing all the brown sludge off as BB is a part of this sludge. Or so I've read. I'm learning, sometimes it's about testing things yourself and drawing from your own experience, as well as the experience of others. At the end of the day, every tank will be different because each will have its own eco system, bio load etc etc, so may variables. What works for some may not work at all for others. So test as many pieces of advice and see what works for your tank.

 

I've since learned that it's a good idea to only clean your filter when flow rate starts to decline. Others may not agree. So I'm testing it for myself to see what happens. But when I do clean it it'll literally be gently scraping off the debris gently rather than squeezing all the brown sludge off as BB is a part of this sludge. Or so I've read. I'm learning, sometimes it's about testing things yourself and drawing from your own experience, as well as the experience of others. At the end of the day, every tank will be different because each will have its own eco system, bio load etc etc, so may variables. What works for some may not work at all for others. So test as many pieces of advice and see what works for your tank.

This is so true. In this hobby one size does not fit all. That is the reason nothing is set in stone. What works in one tank doesn't necessarily mean it will work the same in another one. We can guide and try to pass on what we have learned but in the end we each have to find what works best for our tank.