Coarse spouge filter Vs. Fine sponge filter

[BLOBfish]

which is better over all, pros and cons 

Edited January 26, 2022 by BLOBfish

[Perry]

In my opinion it comes down to personal preference, the maintenance routine that works for you and what's in your tank. A fine sponge generally clogs up much more quickly meaning it tends to require more frequent maintenance. On the flip side the fine sponge does capture smaller particles so as long as it's maintained it may keep your water column a little clearer. The trouble I had with the course sponge filter is that I keep bladder snails in my tanks and they are small enough that they would crawl into the sponge and would frequently get caught and eventually perish. So, the sponge was full of little snail shells and it just bugged me. Hope you find the perfect fit for your tank and routine; good luck!

[H.K.Luterman]

I think both are equally good; I have both types. The coarse ones can go longer between cleanings, but don't filter out fine particulates as well, and the finer ones do the opposite (filter out finer particulates but need to be cleaned more often). But both are typical sponge filters and work the same. Great for bio filtration, not the best for "water polishing" (crystal clear water).

[tekjunkie28]

I like the course sponges. I used to have the fine sponges but Ive never found them to polish the water better. If you go long enough without cleaning a course sponge filter then it will become a fine sponge filter.

[KaitieG]

I recently saw on a video that fine sponges don't release as much crud into the water when you pull them out of the tank.  That is the one thing that drives me absolutely NUTS about my sponge filters.  I've watched Cory's how-to videos, but I just have terrible success with the technique (always end up with fish in the bag, etc.), so I'd switch out my coarse sponges to fine if that were true--I haven't tested it out yet, so you'd have to get other peoples' experiences to know if this was a real thing or not. 

Otherwise, I will say overall that the coarse sponges do a fine job for me and require infrequent maintainence.  Only problem besides making a mess when I try to clean them (which might be a me thing, not a filters thing) is that I have Malaysian Trumpet Snails that like to crawl into them, and those things are SHARP when you're squeezing out filters!

[813aquatics]

If you want both types you can always stack one on the other, I can’t remember which they recommend putting on top though. 

[BLOBfish]

Thanks guys and gals