Why Using a Pre-Filter Sponge is Vital for Your Aquarium
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2024
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Looking for a very easy way to optimize your hang-on-back (HOB) or canister filter? Try a pre filter sponge (or intake sponge). This simple foam cylinder has a hole in the middle that allows you to slip it onto the intake tube of your filter, much like a sock. But why in the world do we need a prefilter sponge when we already have an aquarium filter? Cory talks about the surprising number of benefits pre-filter sponges have and how to use them.
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
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Will this keep a large turtle out of my Fluval FX-6? My turtle gets into everything.
How to you get the large sponge filter on the fx6.
I haven't had a tank in 4 years now since I had to move. I'm 75, very experienced but also needed a refresher. This is where I came first. Aquariums sure did teach me a lot about life. Thanks co-op
I've had great success with foam pre-filters ordered from Amazon. They are course foam. You just have to get the correct hole size.
I just buy regular square foam filters and use my scissors to slit the center. It fits most filters perfectly fine.
@@ethmasterrace4507yup 😂 you can get any pore size you want, and any dimensions you want, and cut it to size if you need to
One of the best products I’ve invested in.
Another great use I found for these pre filter sponges is putting them on my drain hose. I can now walk away while my tank drains down for a water change. And not be worried about little shrimp and fish being sucked up and out. The flow is slower but its worry free as far as losing fish and fry in the tank.
And I use a zip tie collar to secure the sponge to the same hose when I do top offs. This way the water isn't 1 single stream throwing my gravel and such around in my tank.
Have a 10 year old 55 gallon with 2 HOB filters. Purchased 2 Aquarium Co-op large pre filter sponges when they were first available years ago. They are still in use today and show no wear at all. They are the best you can buy.
Ive had your pre filter sponge on my HOB for almoat a year and has been great! Used to have problems with plant pieces and my betta getting sucked onto the intake. Great video to remind people about it Cory!
I drilled a few holes in the intake tube to get use of more of the sponge. It worked 😀👍🏻
That's actually a good idea. Hum. 🤔
Great information as always, keep them comming.
Cory love the knowledge and your ability to explain the how and the why always helpful
Very good video! Keeps me interested and still light on my mind. I get curious, and want to see more of Co-Op.
Just watched one of your older videos on how to modify filters. Solid tips!
I order my pre filter sponges exclusively from Aquarium Co-Op!!! They are the best!!!!!!! Thank you for having such quality products! 😊
This hack has worked wonders for my aquarium. Really appreciate you sharing this.
Love the coarse filter sponges and sheets.
👍❤️👍
I use the coarse rectangular foam blocks made to go inside other filters, then cut to size and cut an appropriate hole for which HOB that needs a pre filter. I also shave a thin layer which attaches with filter pressure to the skimmer intake of my Tidal (yes, I know Cory’s dislike of these filters ❤, but I love that it filters both the top and bottom of my tank). Works like a dream and is super easy to grab and rinse every few days.
I have pre-filter on all my filters, even the fx6; I clean the filters every 1-2 years. Working great for many years.
I have been using these for years with great success.
I agree!! I placed one on my small HOB filter and it does a great job. And if it wasn't for that I'd be fouling filters left and right. So this eliminates junk collection in the filter media for all but the smallest particles that get through this prefilter. The HOB filter I use has a short intake straw with the slits running almost to the top so when I prefilter up it goes all the way up otherwise the slits would be open and dangerous for the small Endler Guppies that inhabit my planted tank. I use a rubber band so it stays where I placed it. I find myself having to clean this every 2 weeks or so (I clean them like you do at my kitchen sink) but the more expensive filters get used somewhat longer then the manufacturer recommends so all the way around these prefilters are great!!! They're inexpensive, they add value as you're not going through the larger and more costly filters on the HOB filter and THEY WORK too!!!
Absolutely love the pre-filter on my HOB. Great idea using a plastic bag! Going to try that. 👍
I remember watching one of the prefilter sponge videos when it first came out like 6 years ago when i had a betta in a bowl…. Flashforward to a few weeks ago i finally grabbed some from the co-op. I like how coarse they are!
I don't have many HOBs, but the few that I do have are equipped with Aquarium Co-op pre-filter sponges...! They're great...! I wind up only cleaning the HOB sponge maybe twice a year, but i'll clean the pre-filter once a month, or when needed... Thanks, keep up y'alls awesomeness and go enjoy some nature today...! Also, don't forget to compliment someone today...
This was fascinating! Thank you so much ... I've been fish keeping 17+ years & still learning , really informative 👍 👌 👏 I'll be giving this more thought now Cory.
Your store looks amazing, shame I'm a bit far ( 🇬🇧)
I absolutely use these on my HOB filters. If I had a canister, I would do EXACTLY the same!
I used to have this awful pre-filter that I got on Amazon. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I just wanted to keep small fish from getting sucked into the filter. But this thing was more like a sock that had to be tied to the filter intake. It had to be untied and rinsed every day. It was the most annoying and disgusting thing ever.
The pre filter sponge is so much better. Made my life so much easier. Love it!
Great tip on not putting the sponge all the way up on the filter intake!!!
Definitely worth it 😊
Dziękuję. Właśnie takich informacji szukałem. 👍
thank you!!!!
Worth the money
Thank you
I’ve been using prefilter sponges I got from Amazon and they’re actually pretty good. They’re not from any large brand, but they do the job effectively and I don’t have any issues with them. I’ve also found that it’s possible to buy foam packs and cut a hole out for a filter inlet instead of buying standard prefilter sponges. It’s a much cheaper option
I have your per filter sponge works great
Opt in Love your channel
They also help slow down flow. My fluval flex 15 has way too much flow for a betta . I put two of the smallest prefilter sponges on the out flow nozzles and now the flow is perfect for a betta.
I have your large pre-filter. It's great!
A while back I replaced all of my intake sponges and sponge filters with Aquarium Co-Ops. The last time I went to clean the two sponges on my dual sponge filter I got on Amazon, when I squeezed the sponges out, they kept the shape and didn't pop back out, lol.
Thanks corey, is there any way i can get this product in canada
Hi Aquarium Co-op. Great content. I have a fluvial 307, can I put a sponge filter on it? What size would I need?
How do you keep it on an FX6 or FX4 intake?
Best bang for your buck!
👍🏻😎I use them on all of my HOB's.
He beat me to it^
So how do you hold down on the FX 6 because you remove the suction cups
I swear by pre-filters and I use the Co-Op 25ppi Mediums cut down to use in Eheim pre-filters. Not only does it keep the small fish & leaves out of my FX6's, there is a major reduction in gunk/mulm trapped in the filter.
I have Tetra IQs, and the Amazon cheapies made my maintenance much easier and tank much cleaner, but they have to be pulled all the way up to cover the long, skinny intake. It squishes the bottom like you said. Do you have a sponge that fits them better that doesn't involve a zip tie?
I’ve been using the Fluval pre filter sponge, but it is very fine. Needs cleaning every few days. Would like to try a coarser one, as long as it is shrimp-safe. Never thought of going bigger! I squeeze all my filters out into the dirty tank water. My friend gets jugs of dirty tank water for her plants ❤
I used a Fluval pre filter sponge when I first started keeping fish and it clogged way too easy. I switched to Aquarium Co-Op and was sold! They truly are awesome 😊 Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!
@@MCM1965 haha I’m looking at Aquarium Co-op’s website right now, comparing sizes 💕
I have the Aquarium Co-Op sponge but let's say I lived in a region where they couldn't ship to me. If that were the case, instead of buying a Fluval pre-filter sponge, I'd get one of the block sponges that Fluval uses in their Aquaclear filters. Use an exacto knife and cut that into a prefilter sponge and shove that onto the intake. It's fairly coarse. The only downside is it's not black and may look dirty after a few years.
I bought the Eheim pre-filter for my canister. The sponge is way too fine for a prefilter. But the plastic case is comes in is great. You can deatch it and remove it from the tank without getting crud everywhere. I would love it if these prefilters came with some kind of "cage" around them that let me grab them by the cage and not have to touch the sponge.
Same here, what I did as I run an FX6, the inner diameter of the Eheim prefilter is way to small, so I built a pvc manifold to have 3 of them in parallel connect on the intake and I use for each 3 single stack. I use the original foam, and I can go 3 months + without cleaning and losing any flow.
I have a hob for a 29 gal. I have coarse foam on the bottom of it were the water comes off the impeller. Then i have fine filter floss above. Maybe its worth running just filter floss in the hob if i put the medium intake on the pickup tube?
Any way you could make them green? I've had good luck with your pre-filter sponges, but wish that there was an option to get a green one so that it blends with plants better.
Could you please do a video/tutorial on how to install a pre-filter on an FX6? Thanks.
Remove the strainer, and place the pre-filter right on the tube.
th-cam.com/video/NCmL_IIoTnY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=QgL6AqpC7QpKq06q
My oase has a great pre filter
Does anyone know where you can buy these in Australia?
You guys should make a HOB filter
What pre-filter do you recommend for a tidal 75?
I’d use yours but shame can’t get them in the UK 🇬🇧. Quick question why don’t my red tiger lotus not red.
I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to use one of these they work awesome
So want to put it on my fx6 for my cross river puffer tank I got an extra large pre filter sponge from you guys so I just take off the cover right and slide it on ?
You'll need to create something for the sponge to hold onto. I use a piece of vinyl tubing around the fx6 pipe once I take the intake screen off. The tubing creates a friction fit.
Hmmmm at the sink? Might want to mention how the scientist changed the game with proving tap water is ok to use. Because in old videos you said not use tap water cuz it kills the bacteria. At least give him his props. Thanks Jason. But also thank you for stepping up and making cleaning things faster and easier, since you currently have the bigger channel. Props to you and your team on that.
When Cory points out the patiently obvious. We take in several aspects. One it is only obvious when you know and use that information. So relative newbies, people returning to the hobby, and long term experienced fish keepers all benefit from either learning or are reminded of the positive benefits of the technique. When is it worth the extra few moments of work, why be bothered it is not required, we become lazy and complacent. Two massive bonuses from this vlog. One keeping extra sponges in tanks or sumps. This not only helps to condition a new tank with beneficial bacteria quickly. Personally I have found that when you use the second tip of using a ziplock bag around the soiled sponge, as you take that out of the tank replace it with a fresh one from the sump. This maintains the protections you have with that intake. So after you flush out the gunk put that sponge back into the sump. To rest until needed again.
I just bought a Tidal 35 HOB filter and it has a skimmer instead of a suction tube since the pump is submerged. Any ideas on how to use some sort of pre filter sponge on this model?
You can still put a pre filter on the bottom intake, but anything going into the skimmer will bypass it. That's the main feature I dislike about the tidals, baby fish and shrimp killer :(
Intake/pre-filters are great. I keep at least 2 of them handy; immediately replacing a dirty one with a clean one is good practice. While you're cleaning the dirty one, that's a lot of time for your fish to wander into the filter. I alternate filters every time I clean one, just to eliminate the risk of fish swimming into the filter. My chili rasboras like to spend time near the filter; it only makes sense to ensure their safety.
Have a wonderful day, everyone
You should just turn of that filter while you clean it because cleaning and changing out the pre-filter kills off a lot of beneficial bacteria
Cleaning / rinsing is ok but don't let it dry out before we reusing it type of thing
When are you doing another live stream ?
Using canister few weeks now. The foam intake filter needs removing every week to wash out algae or green waste that builds up on the inside of filter reducing the pump flow slightly. In fact first clean was nearly completely blocked, no flow..
Intake tube has vertical cut outs about 2 inches.
Isn’t it a little rough for betta fins?
lol... I put sponge filters on the hang on back intake to cycle them before new tanks are set up
For some reason everytime I put these on, my water flow is low and I rinsed them out and it dont make a difference. With them off the flow is good.
What size for aqeon hob
Thier website let me know what size I needed for mine
Eheim make the best imo.
Where could you buy something like this in Germany?
I tried this for my canister, but it wouldn’t fit in between the intake and the glass.
❤
Man, i tried it and it blocked all the water. When you showed how the sponge has to be... The sponge i used was trash, i will buy a real one and see how it goes.
I just switch the filter of so that no food gets poold dawn Bay the filter in the first place
Aqeon 10
Amazon is fine... they don't make the sponges. Just gotta get the right sponge from the right seller.
REMEMBER TO USE A BAG TO TAKE THEM OFF FOR CLEANING. IT RELEASES TONS OF CRAP WHEN YOU TOUCH IT.
Pre filters are great until you have to clean them out every two weeks because they suffocate your HOB filter. Although, I do a water change every two weeks so it's a non issue.
If you're using our coarse sponge filters, and having to clean every 2 weeks, it's not setup correctly or sized correctly.
Literally yesterday an idiot fish got itself stuck on the intake sponge prefilter and died.
I've never seen that, did it have long fins or something? Or was it already having problems?
first comment
Please don't call it chocolate milk. Gagged.
I have a pre sponge but it’s old and gets pinched often. I’ll add a large one to my fish food order coming up. Thanks again for reminding me I needed a new one.