Cleaning Filter Sponges

[ChemBob]

What are your thoughts on cleaning filter sponges / media in aquarium water vs tap water? I have heard Cory mention multiple times not to clean in tap water, but recently watched a video where Jason at Prime Time Aquatics referenced a scientific article on why it i5 is usually ok to rinse filter sponges in tap water. The tap water method would make my life much easier based on my setup, so I figured I'd bring tge question here. What is your opinion on cleaning filters: tap water or aquarium water?

[lefty o]

depends on your tap water. real world even if you kill off the bacteria cleaning the sponge, your tank/substrate have more than enough to handle the job. i would be more cautious on a newer tank set up than an established one, but swishing a sponge in a bucket of the tanks water we know wont kill off bacteria. 

[Ken]

I clean in tap water. We don't have chloramine here and minimal chlorine. I have sponge filters, sponge prefilters on my HOBs and sponge in my HOBs on each tank. I try not to clean them all the same day. Never a problem.

I do however use the fishbag method of getting the sponge filters out of the tank. The prefilters I use a big plastic water glass.

[Andy's Fish Den]

When I worked in a LFS several years ago, we cleaned the ones in the shop in tap water and never had any problems, even with heavily stocked tanks. The tanks were not bare bottom, there was plenty of substrate in each tank. I also clean mine at home in tap water, but I have a well so no chlorine or anything.