Two Different Filters

[Yoshi]

I'm planning for my centerpiece 55gallon aquarium and I'd like to pick people's brain regarding filters.

Is there any advantage to running both a sponge filter and a HOB?  Originally I was planning on doing two ACO medium sponge filters, but now I'm considering one sponge and possibly a 35 Tidal HOB.

As always, thank you all for your feedback!  You've all really helped me on my journey.

Edited May 3 by Yoshi

[Tony s]

Sponges are great, but they fail in one area. they don't do a good job of mechanical filtration. ie... removing the gunk from the water. you can use all the tricks for removing a dirty sponge from your tank but it's still going to put a good amount back in. hobs are really good with mechanical filtration. they clean your water nicely. and you can use tricks like filter floss to avoid changing cartridges. But sponges have them beat on bio filtration. so, a combination of the 2 is a great idea.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Agreed with what @Tony s said. All of my tanks 20 gallons and up have 2 filters. A sponge, and then a HOB/Canister/Internal Filter for the reasons they listed. 
 

On top of that, it’s piece of mind. You can service them independently and not worry about ammonia spikes or anything like that. 

[Lonkley]

Combined with a coop air pump it's also piece of mind that the water remains oxygenated if the power goes out or the hob doesn't restart.

[Tony s]

And used sponges are great for starting more new tanks...🤣

[TheBlueBeetle]

Yes! I run sponges in  addition to canisters in all but one of my thanks. Besides the added filtration, it’s an inexpensive cure for dead spots, flow wise. I used an aco powerhead on top of them in my 75 and 125 (2 sponges stacked in the 125), and the easy flow kit in my 20 long. It’s a great, inexpensive way to add filtration and control flow compared to a second  hob or canister. Plus as stated earlier, if you’re running on a battery backup air pump, you still have filtration and oxygenation during a power outage.

Cheers!

[Tony s]

On 5/3/2024 at 10:58 AM, Yoshi said:

possibly a 35 Tidal HOB

I might go up to the Tidal 55 and consider that the primary filter. with the sponge being more of a helper/backup

[Yoshi]

On 5/3/2024 at 3:03 PM, Tony s said:

I might go up to the Tidal 55 and consider that the primary filter. with the sponge being more of a helper/backup

I was just going to ask about that.  I was thinking 35 since I would have the sponge in there doing part of the work.  But in looking, the Tidals all have adjustable flow so I could adjust it up or down depending on what seemed to be working best, and with the 55 I'd have more head room to adjust up.