Under Gravel or Sponge?
- Thread starter Beatking
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Here's a very good list of pros and cons to using UG filters. https://tropical-fish-keeping.com/tropical-fish-keeping-pros-and-cons-of-undergravel-filters.html
From a personal point of view, having used them for my marine tanks before the wet/dry filtering system came to hobby, they served a purpose but were a pain to maintain since the "stuff" you want out of your tank is under the filter plates so not easily accessible. As for my freshwater tanks, I stopped using them after I did a service call on a Discus tank with one and found, literally, a pint of tubifex worms growing under the plate. No amount of gravel cleaning alone would have kept that tank clean. After that, I switched back to outside filters and either sponge filters or box filters.
Hope this helps.
From a personal point of view, having used them for my marine tanks before the wet/dry filtering system came to hobby, they served a purpose but were a pain to maintain since the "stuff" you want out of your tank is under the filter plates so not easily accessible. As for my freshwater tanks, I stopped using them after I did a service call on a Discus tank with one and found, literally, a pint of tubifex worms growing under the plate. No amount of gravel cleaning alone would have kept that tank clean. After that, I switched back to outside filters and either sponge filters or box filters.
Hope this helps.
Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
Glad to help.
Just remember to squeeze out the sponge filter every so often to prevent it from getting overly clogged. Start doing that about 3-4 weeks after the tank finishes cycling/ after you add fish.) Don't go crazy with cleaning it because a good portion of your bacteria bed will be in there. You just don't want the water coming out to be totally black from the detritus.
Once a month ( unless your tank is overcrowded) should be enough of a regular routine. ( Your first squeeze out will let you know if it can go longer or it needs to be done more frequently. ) 
