Help me with sponge filter size

petluvr

petluvr

AC Members
Jun 5, 2008
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Podunk, Va.
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Larry
I am wanting to put a sponge filter into my twenty long, current stock is a breeding group of RCS as well as breeding endlers. I have never used a sponge filter before and need help deciding what will be sufficient. I will be getting the supplies from Kensfish and have been looking at the folowing products. The Hydro sponge #3 listed here
http://www.kensfish.com/aticompletefilters.html
Along with the Fusion 400 listed here
http://www.kensfish.com/fusionairpumps.html
Will this work, any ideas if not as to what will?
 
I think it should work fine, I love sponge filters personally. Shrimp love them too, I see them searching around in it all the time. A great idea is to have a sponge filter set up with a power filter and whenever you get a new tank you can move the sponge filter around to seed the new tank.
 
you could pry get away with the hydro sponge 2

if you wanted to, get a verry small power head and hook that up to the sponge filter, with all the surface area, i dont see any shrimps, or fry getting sucked up.


also, if going with a 20long, i would get two and put one on each side of the tank, they dont move a lot of water, so more would help prevent too much waste building up on the substrate.
 
I agree with rocker about having 2. I think having a powerful-enough air pump or powerhead is the most important thing after the size of the sponge. If you notice that there is too much air going through, just add a 2-way or 3-way valve and bleed some of the air into an air stone. I had both my sponge filters running in my 20g long with 1 air pump that way, still was plenty powerful (one for a 40 or 60g tank, I believe, can't remember which one I used on that for sure). The equipment you linked looks to be just fine.
 
Either the 400 or 500 should be fine, but you would just need a valve to split the 1 outlet airline from the 400 into two or three (three if you need to bleed some extra air out if the pump is too fast) like these. I would use the airline control kit so you have some options or the universal plastic 3-way control valve.
 
I run the Hydro 3 in my 20 Longs.

Be aware that you might have to cut the lift tube a little bit.
And you should also get the air difusers that Ken sells for the sponge filters.
I got my difusers locally, but I am pretty sure he has them too. Its like an airstone that fits on the bottom of the bulls-eye in the filter.

On mine, I removed the lift tube all together, and stuffed a power head in there. It works pretty good, but tends to plug up pretty quick, They also have a sponge filter made for using a powerhead, it has a more coarse foam.
 
i prefer the pro series of hydro sponges, they are much coarser and occlude less. The 3 is fine, one should be fine (that is what I use in my 20 longs as well). You do need to trim the lift tube and putting the air diffusor in is a great idea, makes a huge difference.
 
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