Goldie Blue Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 This might be a really dumb question, but I have had a small sponge filter running in my 55 gallon for about 2 months to prepare for a quarantine tank in the near future. I am not ready to set it up just yet, but the bubbles it puts out are super strong so I am wondering if I can just turn the filter off and leave it sitting in the tank until I am ready to move it to the other tank? Or do I need to keep it running while it's in there? Thanks in advance for any help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colo3000 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 You will want to have it running to ensure your beneficial bacteria has adequate flow. If your sponge filter has an adjustable airstone, you may be able to at least adjust the bubble size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Blue Posted March 28, 2022 Author Share Posted March 28, 2022 On 3/27/2022 at 10:50 PM, colo3000 said: If your sponge filter has an adjustable airstone, you may be able to at least adjust the bubble size. Okay, thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately it doesn't, would it hurt the air pump if I tried to clamp on the tubing at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colo3000 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 On 3/27/2022 at 10:22 PM, Goldie Blue said: Okay, thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately it doesn't, would it hurt the air pump if I tried to clamp on the tubing at all? That would likely cause backpressure that the pump wasn't designed for, which can damage or shorten the lifespan of your pump. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widgets Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 You can reduce the flow to the airstone without increasing the backpressure to your pump by inserting a tee and a valve. Cut the existing airline and join the two ends to the tee. Then add a short section of airline to the open side of the tee. Put the valve on the open end of the short section of airline. You can then use the valve to bleed off some of the pump output. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Blue Posted March 28, 2022 Author Share Posted March 28, 2022 On 3/28/2022 at 12:28 AM, Widgets said: You can reduce the flow to the airstone without increasing the backpressure to your pump by inserting a tee and a valve. Cut the existing airline and join the two ends to the tee. Then add a short section of airline to the open side of the tee. Put the valve on the open end of the short section of airline. You can then use the valve to bleed off some of the pump output. Perfect! Thank you, this is why I love this community! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 you can reduce the flow, or shut it off entirely. as long as the filter is still in that active tank, the beneficial bacteria that have colonized it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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