View Full Version : Mixing sponge and power filters
yhbae
08-24-2003, 10:59 AM
I plan to set up a breeding tank (which will only have a sponge filter), but I'd like to setup another tank to raise them once they reach to certain size. Obviously, sponge filters will still be beneficial here since fries will still be very small, but will I benefit by adding a lower capacity power filter, such as Aqua Clear 150 (perhaps set to lowest setting)?
I may even try to use a divider to split the tank and use the sponge filter on the side where smaller fries will live, and the power filter on the side where the older fries will live. Does this make sense, or am I smoking drugs? :D
yashinfan
08-24-2003, 11:27 AM
I am currently breeding fry so I'll tell you how my setup works. Since the fish I am breeding are Zebra Danios they start off as absolutely tiny ~3mm fry. After one month they are ~1.5cm and they need to be moved out of my small 10 gallon tank with a sponge filter to my 23 gallon. In that tank I have an undergravel filter so the fry cannot be sucked in anywhere. I had to lower the water level so the power head would not cause as much turbulence. Turbulence of filters is a huge problem. Luckily sponge filters are quiet and calm but good luck finding a power filter that doesn't throw them around!!!
wetmanNY
08-24-2003, 11:35 AM
How about a small cheap h.o.t. filter with a sponge fitted over the intake?
yashinfan
08-24-2003, 12:18 PM
If you're breeding live bearers or other fry that are much larger from the begining you could do as Wetman suggested, my boyfriend did that with the guppies and they were fine. Even putting panty hose or netting over the filter would work.
I do have Platies and I added tonnes of Java moss on my community tank, so I expect some fries to survive and I don't plan to set up a growing tank for them.
I was thinking of trying Gouramies (Pearl Gourami to be exact) so I will have to deal with super small fries, but these will stay in the sponge-filter-only-tank (10g) for a while before moving out to a bigger one.
I was more referring to the second tank that they will eventually move to, which will probably happen when they are larger than 1cm. So, if I use a sponge filter on one side, and a small power filter with some nylon covering the intake tube, would this still be too much turbulence? I really don't want to use UGF (too much trouble) and from what I hear, they don't do a good chemical filteration either...
Would two sponge filters be a better alternative?