Where can I buy gereric polyether 10-20ppi foam/filter sponge in sheets or blocks?

Turbosaurus

AC Members
Dec 26, 2008
705
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18
Yonkers, NY
I am tired of getting ripped off when buying fish supplies, between my three big tanks, with two eheims, my prefilters, my fluval and my sun sun, I have to replace A LOT of foam/filter sponge and I am tired of getting ripped of for $5-6 a piece for these little tiny peaces of foam. Im looking for a supplier where I can buy large sheets or blocks and cut them to size.

There is a product called gutter stuff that runs $1.49 per foot for 5" sq blocks- but it contains some sort of chemical germicide so that won't work, but the fact is this is 1/10 the price of the foam inserts marketed by aquaclear or fluval etc.

I don't want to use dollar store sponges, they are too dense and would need to be cleaned constantly, I need open pore less dense material (Ie 10-20 ppi/pores per inch).
 
Foam sponge media should only need to be replaced every couple of years.
At worst it gets really gunked up, but you can rinse it, then bleach it to kill the bacteria and rinse the heck out of it to remove the dead bacteria.

For AquaClear sponges, generics are available from Big Al's online. Currently they only show two sizes. Big Al's Sponges-Large and Big Al's Sponges-Small.
Do a search for filter media for aquariums on Amazon.com and you may find what you are looking for.
 
have you tried to get quotes from
newenglandfoam.com
steplaw.com
rempac.com
 
Poret foam isn't cheap, but it will last for years so you'll get your money's worth in the long run. I use the penguin powerhead reverse-flow replacement sponges for prefilters on all my hob and canister filter intakes. The sponge is coarse enough that it doesn't clog too quickly, though it does reduce the flow rate somewhat between weekly cleanings. On the other hand it's easy to clean, and they also work nicely in the aquaclear quickfilter housings.
 
For the coarse fiber filter materials, find your local janitorial supply shop. The pads used for stripping or buffing floors is usually inexpensive compared to filter materials. For some filters, you can use a #4 can, cut to a sharp edge, to cookie cut circles.
 
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