Aquarium, Pond Sponge Filtration | How Sponge Filters Work
Nov 5, 2021 13:37:55 GMT -5
devonjohnsgard likes this
Post by Carl on Nov 5, 2021 13:37:55 GMT -5
AAP has updated this industry leading and experience based article on the subject of Sponge Filter use in aquariums.
This article has led the way in making these types of filter popular again, but recently has been pushed aside by copycat articles utilizing this information just enough to avoid DMCA copyright violation and having to attribute to their source.
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/sponge_filtration.html
Here are some excerpts:
*Flow:
Although mechanical filtration is not the main strength of a sponge filter, it can still remove copious amounts of debris from the water column when properly connected using the optimum grade of sponge material for the bio load.
If not properly connected, you will see little, if any, mechanical filtration and even biological filtration will suffer.
As well (as already noted earlier in this article), using low grade sponge material WILL RESULT in poor mechanical filtration. Unfortunately this low quality sponge material makes up 100% of the sponge filters coming out of China sold commonly via discounters.
In fact these Chinese sponges sold under a a variety of brands (often via Amazon, but by Aquarium Co-op too) are using the wrong sponge material for the job, often too coarse, but sometimes too fine as well.
Even with the AAP Hydro Sponges, using a PRO reticulated sponge in a smaller aquarium with low flow rates, and fine particulates in the water column will NOT achieve optimum results.
Ditto using the regular AAP Hydro Sponge in a high flow rate, high bio capacity with large water column particulates will NOT achieve optimum results as per mechanical filtration.
Sometimes a combination of both types will achieve your best results which is where some of the popular Chinese knock offs fail as they are sold either as coarse or fine (& of much poorer quality too).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is unfortunate of late is so much is based on marketing such as YouTube videos, so you get people believing anything they see in these videos without question, such as that a more coarse material is generally the better choice when in fact in depth tests show that this is not necessarily true and in fact the AAP/ATI standard sponge is often a better choice even in larger aquariums, or better yet a combination or AAP Combo Sponge filter which utilizes the best of both.
The bottom line is there is a reason for the patent and why send money to China (even if marketed by an American retailer) when you do not need to since the best is made in the USA?
If you want a better sponge, more options and to support USA made sponge filters over Chinese made, this is the only place you should be shopping:
AAP USA Made Hydro Sponge Filters; Complete with Combos and more
This article has led the way in making these types of filter popular again, but recently has been pushed aside by copycat articles utilizing this information just enough to avoid DMCA copyright violation and having to attribute to their source.
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/sponge_filtration.html
Here are some excerpts:
*Flow:
Although mechanical filtration is not the main strength of a sponge filter, it can still remove copious amounts of debris from the water column when properly connected using the optimum grade of sponge material for the bio load.
If not properly connected, you will see little, if any, mechanical filtration and even biological filtration will suffer.
As well (as already noted earlier in this article), using low grade sponge material WILL RESULT in poor mechanical filtration. Unfortunately this low quality sponge material makes up 100% of the sponge filters coming out of China sold commonly via discounters.
In fact these Chinese sponges sold under a a variety of brands (often via Amazon, but by Aquarium Co-op too) are using the wrong sponge material for the job, often too coarse, but sometimes too fine as well.
Even with the AAP Hydro Sponges, using a PRO reticulated sponge in a smaller aquarium with low flow rates, and fine particulates in the water column will NOT achieve optimum results.
Ditto using the regular AAP Hydro Sponge in a high flow rate, high bio capacity with large water column particulates will NOT achieve optimum results as per mechanical filtration.
Sometimes a combination of both types will achieve your best results which is where some of the popular Chinese knock offs fail as they are sold either as coarse or fine (& of much poorer quality too).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is unfortunate of late is so much is based on marketing such as YouTube videos, so you get people believing anything they see in these videos without question, such as that a more coarse material is generally the better choice when in fact in depth tests show that this is not necessarily true and in fact the AAP/ATI standard sponge is often a better choice even in larger aquariums, or better yet a combination or AAP Combo Sponge filter which utilizes the best of both.
The bottom line is there is a reason for the patent and why send money to China (even if marketed by an American retailer) when you do not need to since the best is made in the USA?
If you want a better sponge, more options and to support USA made sponge filters over Chinese made, this is the only place you should be shopping:
AAP USA Made Hydro Sponge Filters; Complete with Combos and more
