Can someone show how to squeeze a sponge?

[DiscusBR]

Ok, here is something hard to figure out for a beginner that has sponge filters in the tank. In several threads, people say that you cannot squeeze sponges hard when cleaning them (always avoiding exposure to tap water, of course), otherwise you also eliminate the beneficial bacteria from the sponge. I have absolutely no clue how hard or how softly you have to squeed the sponges. Would someone be able to explain or, even better, show with a video how to clean sponges without affecting their performance in biological filtration?

[William Palumbo]

When I clean my sponges, and for me it's a VERY rare occasion...I squeeze them good and hard, and there is no problem, and most of my sponges are several years old. Before the whole squeezing under tap water VS. aquarium water starts...I rinse mine under both, and see no difference, with one way or the other. It's a sponge...it's meant to be squeezed!...Bill

[DiscusBR]

When I clean my sponges, and for me it's a VERY rare occasion...I squeeze them good and hard, and there is no problem, and most of my sponges are several years old. Before the whole squeezing under tap water VS. aquarium water starts...I rinse mine under both, and see no difference, with one way or the other. It's a sponge...it's meant to be squeezed!...Bill

But Bill, wouldn´t the chlorine of tap water kill the bacteria? The sponges themselves can last forever even if you squeeze them hard, but aren´t they supposed to function as biological filters rather than only mechanical ones?

[ericatdallas]

I think the reason Bill sees little difference is that most people who use sponge filters have other filtration working.. (i.e. HOB, canister, other sponge filters, etc). With extra filters and regular wc's, you don't need that much bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrate. Also, keep in mind that a rinse under cold tap isn't going to kill all the bacteria. I don't know how many will survive, but I'm willing to guess unless you soak it in hot tap water, you're probably going to have significant percentages survive.

[Harriett]

Re: Can someone show how to squeeze a sponge?
When I clean my sponges, and for me it's a VERY rare occasion...I squeeze them good and hard, and there is no problem, and most of my sponges are several years old. Before the whole squeezing under tap water VS. aquarium water starts...I rinse mine under both, and see no difference, with one way or the other. It's a sponge...it's meant to be squeezed!...Bill


AGREED, my dear friend!
Best regards,
Harriett

[Harriett]

Re: Can someone show how to squeeze a sponge?
I think the reason Bill sees little difference is that most people who use sponge filters have other filtration working.. (i.e. HOB, canister, other sponge filters, etc). With extra filters and regular wc's, you don't need that much bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrate. Also, keep in mind that a rinse under cold tap isn't going to kill all the bacteria. I don't know how many will survive, but I'm willing to guess unless you soak it in hot tap water, you're probably going to have significant percentages survive.



I think that's right.
I would only use tap in a well aged established sponge, not a new set up--that's important.
Best regards, Eric.
Harriett

[Darrell Ward]

I've done both, and really see no difference. To be fair, I have well water, so I never deal with chlorine, and I don't clean them until they start looking dirty, even though I probably should. Generally, when I clean sponges, I do it in a bucket of tank water at the tank during a water change, because it's just convenient, and I don't have to carry a dirty, drippy sponge to a sink. I dunk the sponge, and squeeze it dry several times until it's clean. You can wring it out as much as you like without tearing it. I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do it, although I wouldn't use hot water. It might not only kill the bacteria, it might damage the sponge after a while.

[strawberryblonde]

I toss mine into a bucket of dirty tank water while I'm doing my WC and then shake it around well to loosen any food bits and give it a squeeze or two. At that point I lift it out and gently squeeze out excess water so it doesn't drip on me and stuff it back into the tank.

I clean one sponge every 4 weeks. So it means that they are getting a bath every 2 months since they are rotated. So far I haven't noticed any problems with nitrates from not squeezing enough out, and no problems with ammonia or nitrite spikes from killing off beneficial bacteria. It's just what works for me.

[DiscusBR]

Thank you all for the information. I feel more confident now :)

[ericatdallas]

Wow, I clean my sponge filters every 2-3 days. I must be way over-cleaning ... they are pretty dirty because they quickly cloud up two buckets of water (I rinse twice).

I also rinse my HOB filter media once a day. I clean my Fluval canister every 3 weeks though and I felt guilty for not doing it once a week.

Are these grow-out tanks that you guys only clean the sponge filter every few weeks? I don't mess with my DT tank too much since it's lightly stocked, never sees BH mix, and has plants.

[Hsunami]

mine 2 sponge filters are in a grow out tank. Feed 5 times a day from Flakes and blackworm. Usually i clean my sponge filter once a week just squeeze it in the tank itself and i just keep the siphon near it and suck up whatever comes up. Its always pretty clean.

When do my daily WC at night i'll just run the siphon over the sponges to get off any food that is stuck to it. THen wait a week or two before i give it a good squeeze. It never really gets super dirty.

[Bill63SG]

I think the reason Bill sees little difference is that most people who use sponge filters have other filtration working.. (i.e. HOB, canister, other sponge filters, etc). With extra filters and regular wc's, you don't need that much bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrate.

I was just talking to Bill about this last week,and for all the tanks he has running,he only has a HOB on two.All the rest are just sponge's.

[Jhhnn]

I've done both, and really see no difference. To be fair, I have well water, so I never deal with chlorine, and I don't clean them until they start looking dirty, even though I probably should. Generally, when I clean sponges, I do it in a bucket of tank water at the tank during a water change, because it's just convenient, and I don't have to carry a dirty, drippy sponge to a sink. I dunk the sponge, and squeeze it dry several times until it's clean. You can wring it out as much as you like without tearing it. I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do it, although I wouldn't use hot water. It might not only kill the bacteria, it might damage the sponge after a while.

Pretty much my technique. I strip the sponge off the holder, rub the surface underwater, then squeeze it out several times vigorously underwater & finally squeeze dry above the surface. Once a sponge has a bacterial colony, it's embedded so deeply in the sponge that it can't be squeezed out in tank water. I suspect you may be right about using chlorinated tap water, because the low concentration of chlorine depends on long exposure time for the sterilizing effect. I haven't tried it, however, other than with prefilters for canisters, where biological filtration isn't really the goal. The prefilters get cleaned often, the air driven sponges not so much, maybe once a month, but I do change a lot of water on a near daily basis.

The bucket method works & is easy. I also let the stuff settle out in the bucket in the winter, pour off most of the water, feed the gook to the houseplants. In summer, I do some of that, but pour the water on the garden in any event. I may yet create a grey water system for watering the yard. Seems a waste to send nutrients down the drain, water the yard with virgin water... pay twice when I could pay just once, use the water twice...

[Skip]

you can use one hand or two..

[Jhhnn]

you can use one hand or two..

Two hands! When I bother with it, I want it to last, and I think it's impossible to strip the bacteria from an established sponge using tank water...

[Bill63SG]

I use one hand.When you us two,I think it's called "The Stranger".

[AngryBird]

I also beat the sponge against the sink walls and I dont think I am beating the bacteria lol :)