Sponges?

tarheels910 said:
How often do you clean it and what is your process?
Click to expand...

Well, when I am on track of things I clean the sponge during every water change (I have cut back to one water change every month, rather than two weeks).

Tools:
Two 1.5G buckets (size doesn't really matter, but these are the buckets I use for water changes)
Plastic cup

Steps:
1. Use the plastic cup to pour a bit of old tank water into a bucket.
2. Take out the filter sponge and place it in bucket with the old tank water.
(its important that you take out the sponge before the water change)
3. In the second bucket take out of the amount of water you want change for your water change.
4. Rise the sponge with the old water that is in the second bucket.
5. Place the sponge back in the filter.
6. Replace old water taken from the tank and add your new water to the tank.

Hope that helps. I am sure others do it differently.
 
FeatherDuster said:
Well, when I am on track of things I clean the sponge during every water change (I have cut back to one water change every month, rather than two weeks).

Tools:
Two 1.5G buckets (size doesn't really matter, but these are the buckets I use for water changes)
Plastic cup

Steps:
1. Use the plastic cup to pour a bit of old tank water into a bucket.
2. Take out the filter sponge and place it in bucket with the old tank water.
(its important that you take out the sponge before the water change)
3. In the second bucket take out of the amount of water you want change for your water change.
4. Rise the sponge with the old water that is in the second bucket.
5. Place the sponge back in the filter.
6. Replace old water taken from the tank and add your new water to the tank.

Hope that helps. I am sure others do it differently.
Click to expand...

Doesnt seem too hard. So how do sponges raise the nitrites in the tank? Do organisms get caught in them and die or something?
 
tarheels910 said:
Doesnt seem too hard. So how do sponges raise the nitrites in the tank? Do organisms get caught in them and die or something?
Click to expand...

Since the sponge is meant to catch waste you constantly have nitrites from all the ammonia that is being converted. Less waste= less nitrites or no nitrites because your bacteria can convert that certain amount fast enough to show no nitrites
 
So I can keep the sponges and not have nitrite problems? I dont plan on stocking this tank with more than a clown, a goby, a shrimp, and a few snails and hermits. So should I still clean them off during water changes?

So is there a positive to having the sponges?

Thanks for your help FeatherDuster.
 
tarheels910 said:
So I can keep the sponges and not have nitrite problems? I dont plan on stocking this tank with more than a clown, a goby, a shrimp, and a few snails and hermits. So should I still clean them off during water changes?

So is there a positive to having the sponges?

Thanks for your help FeatherDuster.
Click to expand...

Yup, as long as you avoid buildup in the sponge you shouldn't experience nitrate problems. Anything that gathers waste is what people could consider a "nitrite trap", it can even be live sand, live rock,. etc... if you don't take care of your tank properly. So its a very general term and it doesn't necessarily mean the item is bad.

Its up to you to determine how often you want to clean your sponge. Just know if you start to see any water parameter problems then it might be time to change or clean the sponge.

Pros to sponges:
Catch large particles.
Allow beneficial bacteria to develop.
Can be used to jump start other tanks in case of an emergency.

Cons:
Can be a problem if not taken care of properly.
 
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