EhfiSubstrat or Sponge?

[Protege]

Hey Fellas,

Need some advice again. I now have 2 Aquaclear 70s running on 37G. I'm thinking of filling 2/3rds of both my Aquaclears with EhfiSubstrat (or any kind of Ceramic type media) sitting on top of 1 sponge. OR would it be better to have 2 sponges and then the ceramic rings instead? Thanks-in-advance.

[Tiffi]

More ceramic rings would be better. They have a much larger surface for bacteria (biological filtration) than the sponges, since they are so porous!

[BrianNY]

Sorry Tiffi but I must debate your answer. The physical characteristics of a sponge make it the most ideal colonization point for nitrifying bacteria. There is simply more surface area in a sponge and it's easier for water to flow through. In addition, they are easier to clean without harm to the colony.

A good tip is to use a sponge prefilter on the intake tube.

[Toirtis]

I have to agree with Brian....I run all my ACs on 3 sponges or 2 plus a layer of biomedia.