Pre Filter??

[krislewis3]

Im setting up a new 90 gallon tank, and Im thinking of adding a sponge filter to my existing ehime 2217 cannister filter. My purpose for this is to provide the tank with bb while im cleaning the cannister filter, which can take some time. Im thinking of connecting the sponge filter to my cannisters intake tube, thus providing me with pre-filter, but im concerned about its ability to provide bb for the tank if its not hooked up to air. Any advice would be appreciated. Kris

[Second Hand Pat]

Kris, when you hook the sponge to air that aids in pulling water into the sponge and feeding your BB. Hooking the sponge to the inlet of your canister filter should serve the same purpose. The fish should be fine while you service your canister. Note that you should rinse the sponge every day since you are using it as a prefilter.
Pat

[strawberryblonde]

Hi Kris,

How about buying 2 sponge filters? Add one to your canister intake as a pre-filter and use one with an air stone as a standard bio filter.

You can rinse the pre-filter daily in tap water and it will keep your canister filter from getting full of rotting food and feces. Which means you won't have to clean the canister filter as often - bonus! =)

The standard sponge filter will provide a nice backup filter in case you need to take your canister filter offline for more than an hour or two.

[krislewis3]

I think I will take your suggestions and use one sponge on the intake, to be cleaned daily in tap water, and one in the tank to back up my cannister (or course that one will be rinsed in tank water). Thank you both for the advise...Kris

[stalefish83]

Just out of curiosity, would it be just as good to rinse a pre-filter in tank water? I finally got sponges on my canister inlets and I've just been rinsing them in the the bucket that I siphon into when I do my daily water change. Is there a reason why you wouldn't want a BB colony on the inlet sponge, or is it that it just isn't necessary? Don't mean to hi-jack... thanks!

EDIT: Maybe just "swishing" the sponge around in the water isn't enough to dislodge everything you'd want to get out, so having running water moving over and through the sponge ensures it gets cleaned thoroughly?

[Altum Nut]

Jason, there is no need for a pre-filter to contain BB and it's only purpose is to not allow any food partials or debris from getting into canister filter or hang-on filter where you want the live BB. Just rinsing under tap water is fine.

...Ralph

[rickztahone]

Jason, there is no need for a pre-filter to contain BB and it's only purpose is to not allow any food partials or debris from getting into canister filter or hang-on filter where you want the live BB. Just rinsing under tap water is fine.

...Ralph

+1. With tank water cleaning, it builds up after a while. It is better to simply rinse it under tap.

[stalefish83]

Right on, thanks!

[DiscusBR]

I use this product and I like it:

http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/aquarium-filters/ati-filter-max-1.html

[nc0gnet0]

+1. With tank water cleaning, it builds up after a while. It is better to simply rinse it under tap.

I prefer to rinse mine in tank water and also take advantage of the additional bio filtration. Then again I am using Hydro 4 & 5's as prefilters........

[stalefish83]

Do you turn off your filters when you remove the pre-filter so if stuff gets dislodged as your taking it off the tank it doesn't get sucked in? It's a royal p i t a to get my canister's going again so I just try to be extra careful when removing them and try to get them back on as quickly as possible.

[navarro1950]

Would this method be ok to use on a quarantine tank as well?

[rickztahone]

Do you turn off your filters when you remove the pre-filter so if stuff gets dislodged as your taking it off the tank it doesn't get sucked in? It's a royal p i t a to get my canister's going again so I just try to be extra careful when removing them and try to get them back on as quickly as possible.

Here's the thing for me, when I do water changes, the water always has gone down below the filter intakes. This would mean that I have to turn off the filters. What type of filters do you have?

[strawberryblonde]

Same for me, I do 90% water changes, so there's no way I can leave my filters running during a water change. I just wait till the water level is below the pre-filters, then gently remove them, drop them in a bucket (cuz those suckers hold a ton of water and drip everywhere!) - then trip my way to my sink and rinse, wring and rinse some more.

I've never found that my pre-filters drop much stuff in my tank when I remove them, it sticks quite nicely to the nubby sponge surface.

On the subject of canisters that are difficult to prime: I made do with odd bits of equipment when I got started with keeping discus. And there was usually a cussing session with each water change. LOL

I finally decided to make my life as easy as possible and switched to shiny new, much better equipment. Less cussing, more water changing!!

You could think about doing the same. A new canister filter isn't all that expensive in the long run and if it makes your life easier, it's well worth the investment. I know that Marine Land makes self priming canisters. I owned and used one for about a year and it was super simple to operate. I'm sure there are other brands that are self priming too.