Pre-filter for SunSun 304

Sorry for all of the questions lately!! I'm looking for recommendations for a pre-filter that will fit a SunSun 304. I'm either going to have cichlid sand or crushed coral for my substrate. And my hypothetical setup includes a 72G tank with African Cichlids.


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I make my pre-filters out of sponges made for the Aquaclear 70 HOB filters. They are large and cheap and easy to work with. You can get a 3 pack of them for around $8 at Petsmart and you will have extras for other tanks/filters. The sponges are made for aquarium filters so you know they are safe, as many sponges are not, having anti-bacterial agents embedded into the sponge. Here is what I do....

Rinse the sponge out well. Cut the sponge to the approximate size needed to cover the entire filter intake strainer. Make sure there is some extra to slide above onto the intake tube. Next get the sponge pretty wet with out it dripping everywhere. Put the sponge into the freezer to freeze it. This will make it easy to drill a hole in the sponge with a drill. Use a large drill bit approximately 1/2 - 3/4 the size of the hole needed. This will ensure a snug fit when you slide the sponge on. With your sponge now frozen, drill the hole needed, careful to not go to deep or to close to the sides. Probably want to do this outside or on some newspapers spread out to make cleanup easier, it makes a lot of tiny sponge debris. After you have drilled your hole rinse the sponge well, be sure to remove any extra sponge debris and you should be ready to go. Slide the sponge on the intake, install onto tube and you are ready to start your filter up. You just made a prefilter sponge for $8 and you have 2 extra sponges for other filters/tanks.

These prefilter sponges work well and provide extra space for beneficial bacteria colonization. They don't clog easily either, but if they do get a bit dirty, just rinse out in take water or even under the tap, as the majority of your beneficial bacteria will be inside your filter. Hope this helps.