Sponge filter vs hang on back filters

[your bro joshi]

Dear fellow aquarists please advice which kind of filter is good with pros and cons and in overall, sponge filter or hang on back filter?

 

[Yorg]

Dear fellow aquarists please advice which kind of filter is good with pros and cons and in overall, sponge filter or hang on back filter?

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Both are good filters, but a lot depends on the tank size and bioload. Sponge filters work well in smaller tanks with relatively low bioloads. They also make good secondary filtration in larger tanks with a primary power filter. They're really easy to maintain, and they don't produce a lot of water agitation and current (if that's an issue for your particular fishes).

The downside of the sponge filter is that it doesn't provide you with the option of chemical filtration, if you should need it. Also, you have to be very careful when cleaning a sponge filter to ensure that you don't disturb the beneficial bacteria that provide the biological filtration for your tank. In a relatively large tank. a single sponge filter probably won't process enough gph unless you set up multiple sponges or have a power filter in addition.

Hang-on-back filters are more powerful than sponge filters (they use an electric water pump instead of compressed air), and most are designed so that you can run chemical filtration media in addition to the mechanical filtration (usually sponges or filter pads) and the biological filtration (often a bag or cartridge of biomedia). They're pretty easy to maintain, too.

The downside of HOB filters is that the intake tube and outflow chute are very close to each other, which means that some filtered water gets pulled back in through the intake tube. Also, certain brands of HOB are designed so that you have to use the manufacturer's replacement media cartridges, which can get expensive over time (one of the better ones is the Aqua Clear, which has a really large media chamber that you can load with your own media).

Ultimately it depends on your tank size, setup, and bioload. I know people who have tanks in 55g range who use both an HOB on one side and a sponge filter on the other, and they seem satisfied with the arrangement.

 

[your bro joshi]

Thank you for so much information.☺?

 

[BBradbury]

your...

I'd go with a dual sponge filter. They're inexpensive and work as well as the most expensive kind. The real filter is your water change routine. Just remove and replace most of the tank water every few days and you'll have no tank problems.

B

 

[Ironworker161]

Hi joshi, there are pros and cons with both. It depends on your wants and needs..hobs can filter higher volumes of water, allow for chemical filtration and move a higher volume of water around the tank, and tend to be queiter ,however they can be more expensive to operate with the cost of cartridges. Sponge filters on the other hand are cheaper, but require a separate air pump to operate which can be noisy, and they don't move high volumes of water around. So it comes down to the requirements of your fish, the placement of your aquarium (noise) , and possibly the budget. Hope this helps.

 

[your bro joshi]

Yeah thanks alot for information. Also please state when chemical filtration is require? What good it does?

 

[Yorg]

Yeah thanks alot for information. Also please state when chemical filtration is require? What good it does?

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Chemical filtration involves bringing the water in contact with something that changes some part of the water's chemistry. Activated carbon can remove some unwanted chemical compounds from the water (like after medication of the tank). There are chemical media that can lower or remove things like phosphate or silicate from the water; if you have a lot of those substances in your tank you might use a chemical medium to lower them in order to control certain types of algae.

Some people don't use any chemical media at all; others will use it as needed (like the carbon after medication) or run it pretty much all the time. It depends on your setup, water quality, fish, etc. The advantage of the HOB filter is that, in most of them anyway, you can add a chemical medium (like a filter bag of carbon) if needed.