Labenator65000
Aquarium Advice FINatic
At least a new sponge is durable enough to wring it out fairly aggressively without damaging it. Of course (you know this, but) rinse it out in a bucket of water from your tank, rather than from the tap. I really would not worry about wringing out the bacteria. You have the BioMax filter insert in addition to the sponge, right? The BioMax is really designed for bacterial colonization (although, sure the sponge will do so as well), so I really would not worry about even going as far as replacing the sponge if it becomes incurably clogged. The AquaClear user manual recommends alternating replacing filter components as they become unusable for this very reason.
Some out-of-the-box considerations: You might try reducing the amount and/or frequency of feeding. The food should be gone completely in 30 seconds. As well, when I switched from flakes to NLS pellets it made a noticeable different in water quality and filter media longevity. Lately, I have started even only feeding every other day, and I have noticed that my gravel stays cleaner and filter media stays usable longer, and the fish really don't seem to affected by it. You might give it a try. I really don't think you should need to wring out your mechanical filter every week. I really only need to clean my filter media every few weeks. Of course, it may depend on the number of fish, etc.
Some out-of-the-box considerations: You might try reducing the amount and/or frequency of feeding. The food should be gone completely in 30 seconds. As well, when I switched from flakes to NLS pellets it made a noticeable different in water quality and filter media longevity. Lately, I have started even only feeding every other day, and I have noticed that my gravel stays cleaner and filter media stays usable longer, and the fish really don't seem to affected by it. You might give it a try. I really don't think you should need to wring out your mechanical filter every week. I really only need to clean my filter media every few weeks. Of course, it may depend on the number of fish, etc.