cycling question

[GoingDiscus]

I have looked at tons and tons of pictures of peoples tanks and setups, I see more than most of them only have a bubbler in a sponge in the tank, just wondering how or where the biologicals for filtration are? are there sumps running that I dont see? I havent seen many that had hob filters.
Thanks
Ron

[AirCapital]

the biological filtration is in the spong itself and the air is to draw the water threw it to feed the bacteria. there is no need for a cenral setup or sump with this set up. I beleive people run systems where the tanks are all joined as one to ease the chores of cleanig and mant. and to work with a much larger water footprint than stand alone tanks and with the added water voulume the paramters are easyer to control. but with spoinge filter there is no need for a hob and accually the sponge will blow the socks of a hob being there isnt but bacteria growth going on with such a design just mainly to get the free floating stuff out of the water colum , where a sponge has a huge surface area for bacteria to grow and do its thing. and the are cheap also

[GoingDiscus]

Much thanks for the info, are there any particular ones that are better than others? I have found several that are decent priced and they all look sorta the same.
Thanks again
Ron

[Jhhnn]

ATI sponge filters, from Kensfish, for example, are widely used in the various sizes, either the fine grained or coarse grained pro models.

Some people use the clear chimneys (I don't), and some people use small airstones under the bullseye in the center of the filter to make 'em quieter (I do). I also like to buy an extra step or riser for each filter to make siphoning up the tank a little easier. Some people like the larger sizes, I like to use multiples of the #3 size for several reasons, one of which is that they're easier to get out of the tank for periodic squeezing out in a bucket of tank water. I also like to use the tubing splices near the water line to facilitate that...

Lots of people use canister or hob filters in conjunction w/ sponge filters. I've been using canisters with sponge prefilters so far, being a firm believer in system redundancy... People who use HOB's seem to favor the hagen aquaclears- I have no experience with them...

The fine grained ATI sponges don't want to sink at first, no matter how well they're squeezed out underwater, so I fill the inner chamber with marbles or ball bearings for the first few days...

[GoingDiscus]

Thanks Jhhnn, I will look into kens stuff, Ive ordered some food from there before and had great experience with their shipping, talk about fast they beat road runner hands down lol.
One question tho I saw some that used a powerhead and some that were just airstones, both with the chimneys,
Thanks again
Ron

[waters10]

ATI sponge filters, from Kensfish, for example, are widely used in the various sizes, either the fine grained or coarse grained pro models.

Some people use the clear chimneys (I don't), and some people use small airstones under the bullseye in the center of the filter to make 'em quieter (I do). I also like to buy an extra step or riser for each filter to make siphoning up the tank a little easier. Some people like the larger sizes, I like to use multiples of the #3 size for several reasons, one of which is that they're easier to get out of the tank for periodic squeezing out in a bucket of tank water. I also like to use the tubing splices near the water line to facilitate that...

Lots of people use canister or hob filters in conjunction w/ sponge filters. I've been using canisters with sponge prefilters so far, being a firm believer in system redundancy... People who use HOB's seem to favor the hagen aquaclears- I have no experience with them...

The fine grained ATI sponges don't want to sink at first, no matter how well they're squeezed out underwater, so I fill the inner chamber with marbles or ball bearings for the first few days...
Really great advice.

I'd just add that the fine sponges clogs much faster. And that the clear chimney (I'm assuming that's the clear plastic piece that goes on top), increases the water flow through the sponge. One way to clean your sponges during water changes, is to squeeze the sponge against the glass with your python. Although you still should remove from the tank once in a while for a good squeeze.

Good luck!

[Jhhnn]

Really great advice.

I'd just add that the fine sponges clogs much faster. And that the clear chimney (I'm assuming that's the clear plastic piece that goes on top), increases the water flow through the sponge. One way to clean your sponges during water changes, is to squeeze the sponge against the glass with your python. Although you still should remove from the tank once in a while for a good squeeze.

Good luck!

I think you're probably right wrt water flow rate and chimneys, but they seem to work well enough without 'em. I removed mine because my fish sometimes bolt or flush explosively, like a flock of quail breaking cover, particularly at feeding time. They'd run into the tops of the chimneys and get scraped up, even after i went to some pains to smooth up the ends. I finally took the chimneys off, never looked back.

Discus are like toddlers- I never give 'em anything sharp...

[waters10]

I think you're probably right wrt water flow rate and chimneys, but they seem to work well enough without 'em. I removed mine because my fish sometimes bolt or flush explosively, like a flock of quail breaking cover, particularly at feeding time. They'd run into the tops of the chimneys and get scraped up, even after i went to some pains to smooth up the ends. I finally took the chimneys off, never looked back.

Discus are like toddlers- I never give 'em anything sharp...
Oh, they work without it for sure. But there was an old thread here somewhere that mentioned with some tests, that the longer the chimney is, the more water goes through the sponge. That's not always a good thing, cause it can clog even faster that way.

Regarding sharp edge, in my case, I have some pointy manzanita wood. The chimney is the last of my concerns! :D Lastly, one of my females refuses to spawn on the cones and picked the chimney as her spawn site.

[GoingDiscus]

Much thanks for the input, I got me a couple ordered and plan on using 2 of the size 3`s in the 55 gal. Im working up to getting them into a 150 gal with 8 High Fin Blue Diamonds in the next couple months, and then Im thinking maybe 3 or 4 filters in there and keep the hob as well, I dont guess you can have too much filtration..
Thanks again
ron