Camille Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Hello, would I need to buy a large sponge filter from Aquarium Co-op for my 60 gallon tank? And would I need two sponge filters? I love reading the reviews and seeing photos of people's tanks. It looks like, per some of the reviews, that all I would need is one large sponge filter. Recommendations, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Tank size isn't as much a factor as the bioload. A single small sponge filter in a sixty gallon tank that only has a betta in it would be fine. If you have a school of ten half-grown oscars in the same tank you might need four of the large sponge filters. In general, I prefer more biofiltration than less, so I'd go with two large sponge filters, but that's just me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Personally I think in this case it is more about the water flow than anything. If you have 2, regardless of size, there will be fewer dead zones. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camille Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Brandy and Gardenman, thank you for the input. I'll buy 2 large sponge filters because of the factors both of you mentioned. I appreciate your expertise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJV Aquatics Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Each to his/her own but I wouldn't put sponge filter in a 60g, especially if it was a display tank. Jut my $.02, but I think I'd go with an Aquaclear 70 or a Tidal 75. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 6 minutes ago, MJV Aquatics said: Each to his/her own but I wouldn't put sponge filter in a 60g, especially if it was a display tank. Jut my $.02, but I think I'd go with an Aquaclear 70 or a Tidal 75. This is a really valid point. Sponge filters do a great job keeping water quality high and oxygenated, but they don't polish water or pile mulm up neatly in a bin for you like a HOB. When I switched my 29g display from a canister to 2 sponge filters, I was SHOCKED at the amount of mulm that suddenly appeared everywhere. Luckily with my substrate that really is not a big deal, but I would feel otherwise in some tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Aesthetically, a sponge in each back corner is nice in wide tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camille Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 MJV, Brandy, looks like I need to mull over all options. I currently have a HOB on the 60 gallon. I'm wondering if detritus would be a problem if I gravel vacuum like Cory demonstrated in the YouTube video last week. I'm also a backyard beekeeper and there are as many opinions as there are bees when it comes to keeping bees. I've learned to take in all information then make a decision that hopefully will be to the benefit and health of my hives. This is what I'll do with the information provided today. What's best for my plants and fish? Maybe it's to keep things just as they are since fish and plants, water quality are fine. What a wonderful hobby we all have. I was out of town for 2 weeks, not by choice, and was so thrilled to see my 3 tanks looking good when I returned. Husband and the neighbor did well it keeping everything alive. Thank goodness! Planted tanks are so beautiful and it was lovely to see the fish and plants once more. And it appears that our bees survived winter because they're out and about. Now about those hibernating western ornate box turtles in the backyard....haven't seen them yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 35 minutes ago, Camille said: MJV, Brandy, looks like I need to mull over all options. I currently have a HOB on the 60 gallon. I'm wondering if detritus would be a problem if I gravel vacuum like Cory demonstrated in the YouTube video last week. I'm also a backyard beekeeper and there are as many opinions as there are bees when it comes to keeping bees. I've learned to take in all information then make a decision that hopefully will be to the benefit and health of my hives. This is what I'll do with the information provided today. What's best for my plants and fish? Maybe it's to keep things just as they are since fish and plants, water quality are fine. What a wonderful hobby we all have. I was out of town for 2 weeks, not by choice, and was so thrilled to see my 3 tanks looking good when I returned. Husband and the neighbor did well it keeping everything alive. Thank goodness! Planted tanks are so beautiful and it was lovely to see the fish and plants once more. And it appears that our bees survived winter because they're out and about. Now about those hibernating western ornate box turtles in the backyard....haven't seen them yet. You can absolutely vaccum it out. detritus itself is not a problem, particularly in a planted tank. It can be unsightly, and some people hate the look of it. The sponge filter is enough to keep fish healthy. You also don't need a microwave or a dishwasher either--but some people swear by those too. I think your best bet is to try it, it is the cheapest option. Then if you don't love it, try a more expensive option. I hated the mess maintaining a canister filter made of my house. I like my sponges because I can neglect them and they still work, this fish will live. If life gets busy, I can do a straight water change now and then and have a healthy tank no matter. I am not going to be overwhelmend by the maintenance. For me the trade off is that I have to fiddle around doing gravel vacs more often now to maintain the same appearance, but I don't mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJV Aquatics Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) 56 minutes ago, Camille said: MJV, Brandy, looks like I need to mull over all options. I currently have a HOB on the 60 gallon. I'm wondering if detritus would be a problem if I gravel vacuum like Cory demonstrated in the YouTube video last week. I actually have a couple of AC70 filters (w/ac50 impellers) on my 60g planted display tank. With a 3-4" layer of pool filter sand (nothing gets down under) that with a couple of cories and Malaysian Trumpet snails, I haven't touched in 8-10 years. for weekly partial water changes, I just drop a submersible pump in, take out about 50%, and then refill. Edited March 13, 2021 by MJV Aquatics 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camille Posted March 13, 2021 Author Share Posted March 13, 2021 MJV, impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camille Posted March 13, 2021 Author Share Posted March 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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