Tutorial make your own sponge filter!

920fish · Nov 3, 2011

Hi, guys if your looking for a cheap filter check out my tutorial on how to make your own for a cheap price total cost was 3 dollar if you have some left over airline tube and extra air pump.

Tutorial Make Your Own Sponge Filter! - YouTube

Mandy6 · Nov 4, 2011

That's really cool! Would some filter sponge work just as well? I have a ton of that stuff for ,my goldfish tank, so if that will work I'll be able to make one with out paying anything at all!

920fish · Nov 4, 2011

Yes other sponge will also work as long as its safe for your fish tank.

kiathepooch · Nov 4, 2011

That was brilliant!im going to make one of those for the new newt tank!and possibly one got the axolotl tank!
Would it work with any size sponge?
I keep looking at the really big sponge filters and wondered if your idea would work with a big sponge!

920fish · Nov 4, 2011

Yes it would but the bigger the sponge it might require a bigger air pump thats all. I don't know why no one on the fish forum likes this idea when its perfect for fish too lol.

Carl · Nov 4, 2011

Wait so how is this filtering? surely this is just blowing air through the sponge?

kiathepooch · Nov 4, 2011

Ah I see!i might use the air pump I have for a similar size one you made in your video and buy a larger one for my axolotl tank(that way if/when i decide to setup more another tank I have a ready filter) .i don't know why fish keepers aren't liking your idea,though discounting people here,on one group I'm in the fish people seem not to like anything they haven't thought of,their loss!

StewRat · Nov 4, 2011

Sorry, but this isn't filtering anything. It's blowing air through a sponge. All the pressure/movement is outwards.

I think you've taken some of the elements of a corner box air pump filter but missed the mechanics of how they work. It's a little bit more clever than it may seem.

They blow air out of one part of an enclosed box to carry water along with it, thereby creating a vacuum that draws water in through the sponge. So there is water flow in through the sponge and out through the air flow. That does some mechanical filtering plus feeding the bacteria on the sponge surface.

There's no flow in your version. The air blows out, but because there is no containment, it creates no vacuum to draw water in to the sponge.

Molch · Nov 4, 2011

StewRat said:
Sorry, but this isn't filtering anything. It's blowing air through a sponge. All the pressure/movement is outwards.

I think you've taken some of the elements of a corner box air pump filter but missed the mechanics of how they work. It's a little bit more clever than it may seem.

They blow air out of one part of an enclosed box to carry water along with it, thereby creating a vacuum that draws water in through the sponge. So there is water flow in through the sponge and out through the air flow. That does some mechanical filtering plus feeding the bacteria on the sponge surface.

There's no flow in your version. The air blows out, but because there is no containment, it creates no vacuum to draw water in to the sponge.

I agree. Still, I think it's a clever idea but to turn it into an actual sponge filter, you could attach the hose to one end of a perforated tube that runs through the sponge, thereby drawing water in from the outside. Hard to explain; it's best to study a simple sponge filter design; you'll see that there's always an interior chamber or tube inside the sponge.

Molch · Nov 4, 2011

Hi,
if you don't mind, I made a simple drawing of how it might work instead. You'd just have to put the hose inside a perforated tube in the filter, so that the air bubbles can travel upwards in the tube, thereby creating the needed vacuum, with new water being drawn in through the holes in the tube.

In theory, it should work that way - in practice, it may need some tweaking to be perfect

Mandy6 · Nov 4, 2011

ooh I see whats going on. So for the tube would it need really small holes or would a small spray bar from an old filter work?

Sorry as you can tell, I have no idea how all these mechanics works xD

Molch · Nov 4, 2011

I think one would have to experiment a bit. The length and diameter of the tube, size and number of holes, strength of pump, thickness of sponge all influence how much water and how fast it is drawn into the filter.

One thing to remember is that water always takes the path of least resistance. So for example if the sponge is thinner or less dense on one side, then more water would flow through the sponge there and less or no water where it is thicker or denser.

Mandy6 · Nov 4, 2011

Ah I think I understand, Thanks!

920fish · Nov 5, 2011

StewRat said:
Sorry, but this isn't filtering anything. It's blowing air through a sponge. All the pressure/movement is outwards.

I think you've taken some of the elements of a corner box air pump filter but missed the mechanics of how they work. It's a little bit more clever than it may seem.

They blow air out of one part of an enclosed box to carry water along with it, thereby creating a vacuum that draws water in through the sponge. So there is water flow in through the sponge and out through the air flow. That does some mechanical filtering plus feeding the bacteria on the sponge surface.

There's no flow in your version. The air blows out, but because there is no containment, it creates no vacuum to draw water in to the sponge.

Okay a sponge filter works by sucking in the junk in the fish tanks into the sponge right? If it works like that this also works like that by sucking in the junk into the sponge while creating bubbles same concept just because doesn't look like a sponge filter you buy from the petstore doesn't mean it isn't one.

920fish · Nov 5, 2011

Molch said:
Hi,
if you don't mind, I made a simple drawing of how it might work instead. You'd just have to put the hose inside a perforated tube in the filter, so that the air bubbles can travel upwards in the tube, thereby creating the needed vacuum, with new water being drawn in through the holes in the tube.

In theory, it should work that way - in practice, it may need some tweaking to be perfect

See the sponge works like this
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Bubbles comes out-->>>>>> l
Top part where the bubble comes out
Water draws in --->>>> [Sponge ] <<<<<----- Water gets draws in
l
Water goes in ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I understand how a sponge filter works I have some i'm using right now from the petstore. The part where the bubbles are coming out of is creating a vaccum sucking in anything that goes near the sponge. This is a sponge filter minus the tube on the top.

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