AquaC Remora "Filter Box"

[as40]

Anyone have any experience with these?

I've got one, and was wondering about the sponge that covers the hole at the bottom of the filter box where the return water pours back into the tank. Sorry if the description isn't the best. But what I was wondering was this; if the sponge is necessary or not. I notice that once it becomes clogged and dirty (which is entirely too frequently), it seems the water can't get through it very efficiently, and ends up spilling over the top of the box and back into the tank. This creates a ton of microbubbles, which I don't really want. And the sponge isn't the easiest thing to get out of the box without knocking the box off or making a big mess. When I'm cleaning it I don't turn the skimmer off, and it doesn't seem to bother anything. At worst, I imagine with no sponge a fish could swim against the current and up into the box, but it would get bored and probably swim back out in no time.

Any reason anyone can think of why I shouldn't remove the sponge?

 

[as40]

Well, through my little expirement I discovered that the sponge is a necessary evil. Without it, for whatever reason, the water spilling into the return-chamber of the filter box and out the bottom is full of many microbubbles, and when the water flows out the bottom it carries those bubbles with it into the tank (just like when it spills over the top). The sponge seems to capture the bubbles and reduce the number of them. So I guess it is back to using the sponge and just have to rip it out once a week or so to clean it.