# Sponge Filter?



## blurry (May 10, 2010)

Im setting up a nano tank with co2, as a filter should I use a sponge filter or stay away from it? Tank will be plants and shrimps. If not sponge what other filter is good?


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## Tarobot (Jun 27, 2010)

i have read that using a sponge filter/air stone with co2 is counterproductive but probably need a confirmation on this. you are probably better off with a small canister or just a regular HOB that doesnt break water surface as much. if you are dosing liquid excel however i think co2 is fine.


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

If it is just shrimp and plants you could probably get away with an elite mini... they are like a little power head with a venturi for airating the water. I have seen it used to disperse co2 as well.

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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

If you use a HOB filter you will require a pre-filter on it to keep shrimp safe. Last thing you would want is to suck them up into the impeller for a quick death. If you choose to use a sponge filter I would suggest buying it from J&L in Burnaby as they are inexpensive there.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Air bubbles breaking on the water surface would waste a lot of CO2 and you may not be able to get to the level you need. Will this be pressurized? If you're going pressurized you might be able compensate. You can get an Eheim 2211 or a Tom Rapids (this is what I have for my 8 gal ADA) canister instead and attach a sponge prefilter.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

What size tank is it exactly? Might help with the suggestions a little better. If it's under 10g I would personally just use excel or metricide

a little experience I have had with a couple suggestions already made:
Hagen Elite mini is not good used as a diffuser. The venturi only sucks the air through the output and shoots it out to where they simply float up pop and are gone ( as 2wheels mentioned) and you would simply be wasting the CO2. It needs to pass through the filter and be broken up better by the impeller to really be effective. And the deeper it is in the tank the better it will work. 
As for the air stone, I used that with DIY CO2 and it does break it up pretty good, but I had to mount it below the intake of the filter to make better use of distributing the CO2


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

Its a 5 gallon going to be used by pressurized with a Intense Bazooka co2 diffuser


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

More info is definitely better lol I'd go with an Aqua Clear HOB myself. I'd say the canister Gary mentioned, but I think it might be overkill for a 5g unless it had an adjustable flow rate.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm actually going to put a 2213 on it as it's underkill right now on my ADA so it might work on a 5 gallon if it's going to be heavily planted and not iwaguni style. If it is, then the Tom Rapids is likely overkill as there will be a lot of open water. One piece of advice I was given for shrimp is that is you use a HOB then it might disturb the substrate too much and your shrimp may not thrive. You can get around this by having the water level high or fashioning a "chute" for the water to flow down it is less turbulent.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

There a local place to get the Tom Rapids filters?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

BigALsonline sell them Aquarium Fish Tank Filters for Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

I want to stay away from hob... Don't like the look and disturb the substrate sometimes


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Not as far as I know. I got mine from Bigalsonline.ca


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Tom rapids are good for nanos. Sponge filters take up room in a nano. Defeats purpose for a nano.

Sent from my mobile phone


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

Reading the reviews for that filter seems like lots of problems


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Could be, but lots of recommendations for it on plantedtank.net and I've been using it for just over a year now without a hiccup. For what I paid (back then it was free shipping plus 15% discount and no HST), I can't even get a cheap HOB for that. What I find as far as reviews of anything goes is that people only post a review when they are venting. If it works great, they just use it. For instance, I've never posted a review of the Tom Rapids, but have posted reviews of Fluval and all my Eheims, which have all had problems of one sort or another. Maybe it's my bad fortune, but since I only and run a 2028, 2075, 2213 and 2078 and all but the 2075 have had problems, I feel justified in posting some bad reviews.


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

Is there any good nano canister filter that's sold local?


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