Sponge Filters

[Lil]

I have a 55 gallon fresh water tank. I changed from a HOB filter to sponge/foam.  I have it set up in a corner. But i see that the water on the other side has little to no movement.  Should i get an additional sponge filter.  Or move it to the middle of the tank

[FishyJames]

I use a sponge filter powered by a aquaclear powerhead on my 55 gallon and have it in one corner.  I had to put a HOB on the other side because I have  plants and a large piece of wood in the middle blocking the flow.  If you want sponge filters, I would add one to the other corner.  Just my opinion.

[Dawn T]

The only time I've seen sponge filters used in a larger tank with any success, more than one was used. Like 1 large one in each half of the tank, at minimum.

The only other thing you might try, if you don't want another filter, is to maybe add a wave maker to increase water flow around the tank. I haven't used one, but I've seen them used to just increase water movement without the need for extra filtration equipment.

[Jimmy Cleveland]

You have many options one could be move the Sponge Filter to the center. You can get a large air stone on the other side and the uplift can create a rotating current for you you can add something like a small pond filter or even powerhead some people even use larger top dwelling fish me personally I would add a smaller inexpensive hang on the back and then maybe you can stack it with water hardener water softener media or even a fine particle media it will give you a little extra control on what you want for your tank that's my personal opinion but your preference is king of your tank

[Daniel]

13 hours ago, Lil said:

I have a 55 gallon fresh water tank. I changed from a HOB filter to sponge/foam.  I have it set up in a corner. But i see that the water on the other side has little to no movement.  Should i get an additional sponge filter.  Or move it to the middle of the tank

It depends on what kind of fish are in your aquarium. I have one 75 gallon with pygmy sunfish, so there is hardly any flow in the entire aquarium by design. Just below the pygmy sunfish tank is another 75 gallon with a coop sponge filter running wide open. This seems to be just about right for the dozen angelfish in this aquarium.

What kind of fish are you keeping in your 55 gallon? What are your goals for this aquarium?

[gardenman]

Water circulation in freshwater tanks is of questionable need and can even be detrimental. Having an area where debris accumulates can be helpful in gravel vacuuming and tank maintenance. You know where the bad stuff is and can focus on that one part of the tank.  Just the movement of fish through the water helps to circulate it some. If you're keeping fish that are used to high flow rates like hillstream loaches and the like, more circulation is better, For most freshwater tropical fish though less circulation is better.

In the marine aquarium world where you're often keeping reef fish that are used to waves breaking over/around them, it's a different story. They often need more current and the back and forth flow of water as waves roll in and out. As a rule, freshwater fish don't deal with waves or strong currents all that often.