Sponge Filter Question

[CammieTime]

I have two Hydro sponge filter V's and squeeze them out in tank water regularly. My question is this: does squeezing them out to get the all the gunk out of them reduce their effectiveness at biological filtration? I squeezed them both out three days ago and the next day I had a huge cloudy bacterial bloom the fish hated, which was only fixed with an emergency 100% water change.

[Second Hand Pat]

Hi Cammie, it would be best to remove the sponges from the tank and squeeze them out in a bucket of tank water. Be gentle with them. I think you are seeing all the gunk squeezed from the sponges the next day. You could measure for ammonia to see if you are rough with the sponges.
Pat

[bluelagoon]

If the BB is well established and not just a month or two old.Clean one one day and the other the next.In about six months the BB gets tough,just like dental plaque and shouldn't be able to be rinsed off so easily.They are not the greatest mechanical filters,but the best for biological filtration IOM.

[Filip]

If the BB is well established and not just a month or two old.Clean one one day and the other the next.In about six months the BB gets tough,just like dental plaque and shouldn't be able to be rinsed off so easily.They are not the greatest mechanical filters,but the best for biological filtration IOM.

+1 .

You shouldn't be seen bacterial blooms and cloudy water after rinsing your sponges if your filter is established well and filter material is in proper amount with your bioload.

So you either have a newly seeded material or you don't have enough of it and that makes your BB colony fragile

[CammieTime]

Hi Cammie, it would be best to remove the sponges from the tank and squeeze them out in a bucket of tank water.
Pat

This is what I do, I do not squeeze them out in the tank, I put the tank water in a bucket and squeeze them out in there. They have been in the tank over a month. How often should I squeeze them out, once a week? Do one one week and then do the other the next week?

[Second Hand Pat]

Cammie, try squeezing one once a week and see how dirty it is. As suggested above if the sponge are fairly new the BB colony is still getting established.
Pat

[Filip]

This is what I do, I do not squeeze them out in the tank, I put the tank water in a bucket and squeeze them out in there. They have been in the tank over a month. How often should I squeeze them out, once a week? Do one one week and then do the other the next week?

Yes .This would be a good start scenario for a couple of months untill they mature .

[Willie]

To quote my discus guru (John Nicholson) "what kind of world would this be if you could squeeze bacteria out of a sponge!". ;) ;) ;)

Willie

[Jack L]

I have two Hydro sponge filter V's and squeeze them out in tank water regularly. My question is this: does squeezing them out to get the all the gunk out of them reduce their effectiveness at biological filtration? I squeezed them both out three days ago and the next day I had a huge cloudy bacterial bloom the fish hated, which was only fixed with an emergency 100% water change.

how do you know it was a bacteria bloom?

[Phillydubs]

As already mentioned, this should not happen and is a sign of other issues...

Do you run any other filters?

I would always suggest alternate cleanings/squeezings as well - never all at once

Good quote Willie by way of John - I like that one

[CammieTime]

To quote my discus guru (John Nicholson) "what kind of world would this be if you could squeeze bacteria out of a sponge!". ;) ;) ;)

Willie

That is what I always assumed hence squeezing both filters out during a single WC.