Confetto Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 I'm not in love with my original sponge filter. I have been running an Aquaneat mini in my 3gal since July last year. It's just OK. My tank in clear and the levels test well, but it's so tiny that air stones won't fit inside. It has good reviews on Amazon and it hides well in the tank, yet I feel like I'd like the co-op nano sponge better. How do I introduce the filter (sterile) without crashing my cycled tank? I can't run two filters in such a small tank - too much current. Do I just put the new sponge in and let it marinate a couple days? Can I slip the old sponge on the uptake valve and run the new filter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 On 1/17/2023 at 10:35 PM, Confetto said: How do I introduce the filter (sterile) without crashing my cycled tank? I can't run two filters in such a small tank - too much current. Do I just put the new sponge in and let it marinate a couple days? Can I slip the old sponge on the uptake valve and run the new filter? Welcome to the forums! I would do one of two things, probably both. Take the existing sponge filter apart, remove the sponge and leave it at the bottom of the tank but near where you plan to keep it. Then install the new one (rinse it before adding to the tank, get your airstone setup, etc.). Take the existing/old sponge and set that near or around the new sponge filter and squeeze out the gunk trying to get some of that into the new ACO filter. Let the old sponge sit in the tank for a few weeks near the new sponge filter (fish will eat off it, no biggie there) and then remove it. You'll have the new filter, remember it's courser, providing flow to that old sponge which keeps that bacteria happy. It also will end up feeding/seeding the new filter. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confetto Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 Installed the new filter today. You can see how tiny the mini one truly is compared to the ACO nano! It wasn't until I posted this photo that I realized you had mentioned to put the old filter on the bottom of the tank. I will probably do that in the morning as my betta is having a temper tantrum that I dared to disturb his little universe. I really like the tiny bubbles of the air stone as opposed to the flow that I had in the Aquaneat. I am getting the occasional big bubble from under the uplift tube. I watched Corey's video and followed all his suggestions, however I get one large bubble every 25 seconds - I can live with that. Here's the hoping I don't crash the whole thing🤞🤞🤞 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 You should be just fine. I don't see you having a crash as long as you keep the old in there for awhile. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Looks good. Ridiculous how much bigger the new one is. 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confetto Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 3:44 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Looks good. Ridiculous how much bigger the new one is. 😂 I know, right? I had to double check the box for "nano" 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) On 1/18/2023 at 1:35 AM, Confetto said: I'm not in love with my original sponge filter. I have been running an Aquaneat mini in my 3gal since July last year. It's just OK. My tank in clear and the levels test well, but it's so tiny that air stones won't fit inside. It has good reviews on Amazon and it hides well in the tank, yet I feel like I'd like the co-op nano sponge better. I have only setup one nano tank, also a 3 gal, and went with the Oase biocompact 25, putting in media from an existing canister. Water is crystal clear. You could probably cut up the sponge up and put that in it (obviously quickly and keeping it wet) and not lose anything. EDIT: I don't can't tell the size of that sponge, maybe it would fit as is... I used one single plastic pot scrubber that I had in another large canister, and it just fit. Edited January 19, 2023 by Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 6:31 PM, Confetto said: I am getting the occasional big bubble from under the uplift tube. I have the medium coop sponge, and I get that too. Like you, I followed the vids/instructions/comments etc and nothing helped. I think it's because the sponge is so coarse/large-pored that some bubbles are able to squeeze/drift into the sponge pores, and then make their way up through the sponge instead of staying in the center chamber and being drawn up the uplift. To get back to the conversation that started this, about seeding new sponges (although I see above you're already past that), here's what has worked for me. Rinse out the existing/seeded/cycled sponge really well in a bucket of treated water, and return the existing/seeded/cycled sponge to the tank. You should get loads of sludge and mulm in the bucket. Then run the new sponge in that bucket for a day or two, swishing/swirling/stirring occasionally to get the mulm into the new sponge. After a day or two, swap out the old sponge in the tank with the new one from the bucket. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Congratulations on switching to the AC filter. Older style sponge filters work fine, but it’s hard to convey to beginners just how much better the Aquarium Co-op model with a Ziss airstone is. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaneFishGuy Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I'm running a few tanks with sponge filters and when I clean them I am pretty harsh (under the faucet with chlorinated water then a dip in water and seachem prime) so I assume what I am doing is almost as good as a new filter swap. I was nervous the first time, but I've done this in bare bottom and gravel tanks and have never had a problem. I clean them infrequently as I can get away with, and I do this out of cycle with any other maintenance so I don't overclean the tank. Some of more experienced folks may have different thoughts but this has been working for me so far. If I'm am a disaster waiting to happen on this somebody please warn me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Confetto Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 2:18 PM, Bill said: You could probably cut up the sponge up and put that in it (obviously quickly and keeping it wet) and not lose anything. What a great idea! The Mini might actually fit inside the lower basket of the nano! @TOtrees, I ran the Nano in a container with the 'dirty' tank/sponge water for about an hour before I put it in the tank so it wasn't completely sterile - very similar to your suggestion prior to your post. I will use this method when I set up my Future 20L Tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierJeff Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 On 1/19/2023 at 2:18 PM, Bill said: I have only setup one nano tank, also a 3 gal, and went with the Oase biocompact 25, putting in media from an existing canister. Water is crystal clear. You could probably cut up the sponge up and put that in it (obviously quickly and keeping it wet) and not lose anything. EDIT: I don't can't tell the size of that sponge, maybe it would fit as is... I used one single plastic pot scrubber that I had in another large canister, and it just fit. @Bill How is that BioCompact working out? I’m on the hunt for a small internal filter for a 5 gallon betta setup (pretty heavily planted.) I am drawn to the Oase BioCompact because the flow rate is adjustable, however, I’m more inclined to go with the 50 (over the 25) to have the additional media space for more biological filtering. And I’m curious how the noise level has been for you? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 (edited) @HoosierJeff no issues, really like it and it’s very quite. I have two and was also going to go with the 50, but already has a small coop sponge filter so I used that and the 25. Edited September 9, 2023 by Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierJeff Posted September 10, 2023 Share Posted September 10, 2023 On 9/9/2023 at 7:38 PM, Bill said: @HoosierJeff no issues, really like it and it’s very quite. I have two and was also going to go with the 50, but already has a small coop sponge filter so I used that and the 25. Wonderful, @Bill. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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