Sponge filter daily cleaning?

[x2h]

I just set up a 20 gallon breeding tank (bare bottom). I bought a sponge filter and hooked it up with an air pump. I took out the canister filter from my established planted 75 gallon tank where my discus pair is, and rinsed the filter foams in a bucket of tank water. When I soaked and washed the sponge filter in that "dirty" water, and put the sponge back to the 20 gallon, and started the cycling. I put some community fish in there to produce ammonia for me. I feed them like crazy.

At the beginning the NH3 = 2 ppm but NO2 and NO3 = 0 ppm. As the days go by I can see that NH3 are going down while NO2 is going up, then both NH3 and NO2 is 0 ppm while NO3 = 2 ppm. Cycling is finished in about a week. I can see there's a lot of junk on the sponge filter.

Yesterday I put the breeding pair in. They are doing fine in there. As I monitor the water chemistry, the NH3 and NO2 stays at 0 ppm, NO3 is slightly increasing. So all is good.

I plan to do daily 50% WC, vacuuming the bottom each time.

My question is, what should I do with the sponge filter? Do I need to wash/clean it daily? I am afraid that if I do, I will lose the nitrifying bacteria. What would you guys recommend?

[Larry Bugg]

It doesn't need to be cleaned daily. Once every week or two will be fine. Remember to clean it in tank water like you already did. The bacteria will do fine during the cleaning as long as it it done in tank water.

[Stag]

Xiang, I agree with Bugboy. Just give it a shake maybe a squeez on some sperated tank water once a week.

If you have an big icecream bucket or something... maybe even a bag you can put that arround the filter as you pull it out so a lot of the Junk does not dump back into the tank.

[x2h]

ok thanks guys. i use those 4 qt or 5 qt paint buckets from Home Depot to contain tank water for washing filter pads. I also use these buckets to transfer discus from tank to tank (acclimation in between), no nets anymore! Thanks again!