Can sponge filters be cleaned?

[kikkan]

My sponge filters stinks like a rotten corpse!
Can i clean them in some way?

And by the way, rinsing with just water, does not solve the problem.
After one houre, the tank stinks again no matter how many times i wash them with water.
Ofcorse, i can get some new, but can i use clorine mixed with water or household ammonia and just rinse the like a madman?

[Bill63SG]

Careful with the bleach,if not the pro-grade foam,it will melt if left in too long.Trust me I know.I've never had the stink problem,but to disinfect,I let mine bubble in a bleach solution for around an hour,rinse and then microwave it for a minute or two.

[Skip]

always use water from tank that is dechlorinated..

rinse with that..

[kikkan]

always use water from tank that is dechlorinated..

rinse with that..

Cant be done mate, water does not solve the stink problem.
Anyway, when you have 97 fry, the amount of food they take down each day, then the sponge filters are just "eye-candy" to be honnest.
only water changes can keep the water stable if you ask me.
im up to 250% water change a day, and its a pain in the *** :(

I belive that feeding some live whiteworms (at times like i do), the worms get in the pores of the sponge, and rotten inside.
Feeding a whole cow a day, does not make the stink any better.
At least the fry is growing mentally fast :)

[Poco]

You can add a second sponge and regularly clean them in tandem. I use sponge filters too and just turn the air a bit down when feeding so the food doesn't get sucked in, giving the fish a chance to eat it first.

[Skip]

sorry.. i thought you were just RINSING>>

[korbi_doc]

When I suspect my sponges R contaminated, put'm in the microwave for 1-3 mins, depending how bad, after rinsing, then follow with good rinse, all done in tank h2o...caution, HOT when U take'm out...good luck

Dottie

[dpete9]

im up to 250% water change a day, and its a pain in the *** :(

Feeding a whole cow a day, does not make the stink any better.
At least the fry is growing mentally fast :)

HA HA that and the dead corpse comment are some funny stuff

[bornlooser]

Kikkan....I don't think you need a sponge filter at all if you are doing 250% water changes a day!!.a dirty filter might do more harm than good...i have around the same number of fry in 115 liters , almost one month, and don't have a sponge..i only do 100 % a day,besides i don't think its a good idea to have a sponge if one is feeding brine shrimps...like in my case.Just what works for me.

[kikkan]

Mine are also in a 112 liter at the moment.
The fry is feeding good on beefheart and i have stoped haching brine shrimps.
maybe ill hach some now and then just to give them somthing else to eat.
The beefheart i use is Stendkers mix, and to be honnest, i think this batch i have are more grinded that its suppose to be.
The consistency of the beefheart mix is more of a paste than beefheart pieces, and it makes the water look like im tapping it from the Kongo river!

[dpete9]

your location says Norway.. isn't Norwegian caught salmon fairly inexpensive there? Just a thought

[kikkan]

your location says Norway.. isn't Norwegian caught salmon fairly inexpensive there? Just a thought

yes, but whats your point?

[dpete9]

switch to seafood based instead of beefheart mix.. If i had a cheap source of salmon dang right i would.

[kikkan]

I have never heard anyone feeding discus with salmon.
your "pulling my leg" right? ;)

[dpete9]

or maybe I was just suggesting you take a break from changing water (sounds like a fulltime job for you) and go get an early lunch, salmon :p

[dpete9]

Seriously though.. NO I AM NOT KIDDING. Go check out the feed section and look for seafood mix or just type in salmon in the search bar above.. MMM MMM good stuff.. and your tank wont smell like a dead cow corpse maybe a dead fish but not a dead cow

[kikkan]

hehe :)

But seriously, can i grind salmon and feed with that?

[dpete9]

hehe :)

But seriously, can i grind salmon and feed with that? YES

[kikkan]

I just had a google, and i can see that salmon is used in different recipes of home made BH mixes.
But i had no clue that i could only use salmon!
Does it mean that i can just feed them salmon as a main food?

[Brent1972]

The beefheart i use is Stendkers mix

I also use Stendkers beefheart , when feeding fry I put it in frozen so it takes longer to break up . The fry still love it .

[Brent1972]

I just had a google, and i can see that salmon is used in different recipes of home made BH mixes.
But i had no clue that i could only use salmon!
Does it mean that i can just feed them salmon as a main food?

Here is a link to Pat's sea food mix http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?97714-Seafood-Mix-Pat-Style&highlight=seafood+mix

[dpete9]

Here is a link to Pat's sea food mix http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?97714-Seafood-Mix-Pat-Style&highlight=seafood+mix LOL you beat me to it! I was trying desperately to find that one. :)

[Brent1972]

LOL you beat me to it! I was trying desperately to find that one. :)

Its very close to the one I make but I use Cod instead of Salmon & less veg .

[dpete9]

Now as a reward for making your life easier please send all of us one case (not too much maybe 10 kg :p ) of Norwegian caught salmon.. You can start by sending me mine.. I'm just one country below you.. ( i think)

[shoveltrash]

+1 microwave sponge filter advise

[Elliots]

Norwegian salmon for my fish. Smoked Norwegian salmon for me! Now to be serious. What do wild Discus eat? Small worms, crustaecians and SMALL FISH! Of course you can feed them salmon!