A concise, eloquent treatise on filtration in general. I love how you never mentioned the proverbial "law" of filtration - " x turnover per gallon" instead focusing on what your filter's intended use is, size of the bio area, and porosity of the material. Kudos all the way around!
***** Thanks.... I think that the coming of the matten filter has turned the whole 'tank turnover' theory on its head. You can put a massive pump on a small filter, get all the turnover you want and have poor filtration.
I'm so happy I became across this video, has very valuable information for for keepers that use sponge filters like me for grow out tanks or for fish with babies in the tank.. liked and subscribed.....
That was a most excellent video. Your explanations are not only easy to understand - they are accurate - which is not always the case with information on the Internet.
Excellent video on sponge filtration. I believe more people would get into the hobby knowing they don't have to spend major amounts of money for filtration.
Wonderful video. I also use the same sponge filters in my 30 tanks.However I also use a new three layered version from AngelsPlus.It has three different PPI sponges.I also very gently squeeze the filters in aged water when cleaning them to get more mulm out of them. It will be years before they wear out because of the high qulity of the sponges. Also when I want to get a slower movement through the sponge I simply close the air valve more. For me the key to filtration , is a 50% water change every week, and I mean every week.In a few tanks with substrate I do vacuum the bottom of the tanks about once a month.
Ted Judy No slate bottom [weighted internally] ,6 sides exposed to the water, lighter to handle can even suspend above the bottom of the tank,3 layers of PPI sponges offer a courser sponge at the bottom and finest at the top.Might be a gimmick ,[ I like trying new ideas], but an interesting gimmick.It is well made and sold at a reasoanble price.
great video, how often does the silicone holding the sponge to the tile base give way? any tips for repairing it? or preventing it? i used a few of those until they fell apart, then went for k1 micro in a central sump
***** If the silicone has cured it usually lasts forever, but if you let the sponge sit dry for a long time after it has been in the water for a while, the silicone can get brittle and break. However, I use Gorilla glue. Much more permanent.
Hi Ted, thanks very much for this very good and interesting video about sponge filtration. I never knew you could clean sponge filter in tap water - I was always warned against this, also I always squeze my sponges when I clean them and I now learn not to. Thanx for the valuable information. Good work dude :¬) PJ
Great vid Ted! I'm still so reluctant to use chlorinated tap water to clean a sponge filter. Would you ever recommend running more than one sponge filter in a tank? That way if you only clean one at a time you'll never run the risk of depleting the BB colony? Also, how often are you cleaning the sponge filters?
Rich's Fishes I clean the filters when they need it. If I move the filter and detritus drifts off, it needs to be cleaned. Bacteria colonies grow very rapidly. You can clean the filter with tap water and it will be back to full capacity in a day or so.
I've always been conservative about cleaning my sponge filters in fear of destroying the bacteria. Also I squeeze them hard I will try these new methods.
The problem with the wall sponge filter is the water is being drawn through and pumped out in the same area, only half the tank is being filtered, the return needs to be on the other side of the tank.
Which ones? The nickel plated needle valves? I would have to go back through the video to see for sure. I have used a few different types over the years. I typically get all that kind of stuff from jehmco.com, but you can find a lot of it on Amazon now.
Great video Ted....I am assuming it may take a lot of beer to run a fish room the size of yours...is that the reason for the easy access bottle opener at 8:28? Haha.
Bacteria grows only in the first 3cm of the Matte. You don't need 2" thick Matte. I also think, your velocity of your filter is still to fast. Usually 1,5-2x the amount of water in the tank per hour.
not sure if you suggest tap cleaning for sponge is right , suitable for your country maybe , had bad experience of mass tank fish wipe out in mine early days of fishkeeping .
not really bad , i drink off the tap with no issues , just high chlorine content which smells like swimming pool water at times , of course chloramines as well
That sponge wall method is bullshit, unless you have mucky goldfish or something. The surface area you need in your filter only depends on the amount of food the beneficial bacteria requires to grow. Higher fish load = more surface area needed. That big sponge wall will not colonize well and is just a waste of space for the most part. Obviously it can do the job, but pointless depending on fish load. Alot of rookies will over filter their tanks by adding more than one canister or more than 2 HOB's. there's only so much your filter can depending on your fish load! I learned this simply by learning the hard way and over filtering my tanks for no reason other than I thought it was necessary in case of over feeding or adding more fish. Not the case at all. Anyways, good video. I'd do away with that ugly sponge wall though unless you really need it. And by the looks of it, you probably do!
+JudicialPineapple I agree... A large matten filter is overkill if the bioload is small. Most of my smaller tanks are using smaller cube filters. I do put 4000 cardinal tetras in one of those 75's with a matten filter wall. Or 75 cory cats in one of the 30Br with one. The wall filters are very effective for tanks with high bioloads.
I do agree about tap water my dad is 70 he's always had fish tanks always used ordinary tap water fish didn't die and the internal filter was nice and fully cycled 😃
Ted is a fish god among men but I have to disagree with that advice. The chlorine or chloramine varies between municipalities and the seasons of the year. Its safest to use dechlorinated water. Many newbies kill their tanks by rinsing filter cartridges in the sink.
I think he means chlorine kills bacteria, but the chlorine in tap water is not enough to kill the entire bacteria colony, also, bacteria will grow fast back, and a growing bacteria colony is actually more efficient than an established colony.
Wow Beastmode info especially the cleaning part....angels plus.com sell the same cube filter but has on that uses 10,20,30 ppi sponge it's that a better option then using a single ppi? Would a setup with differ layer of ppi be more efficient in the hmf type arrangement?
oh no angels plus is not a foam but a breeder who sells angelfish and also filter sponges...they offer the same swiss tropic poret foam filter that are square like yours and offer one the has the same poret 10,20,and 30 ppi sponge layered in a 5x5x5 square...www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSpongeCubeMulti.htm is this set ideal over a singel size ppi sponge filter?
Interesting video Ted. What's your take on ATI sponge material in comparison to the Poret sponge material? Do you have any specs on the ATI material? Slightly unrelated question - how far from Chicago is your fishroom. I may be in the area before the year ends and would love to pay you a visit. Thanks, Jay.
+jhgannon1 Hi Jay ... ATI material is not 100% inert like the Poret material. That is why it eventually sags on the frame, especially when used in soft, acidic water. And it will not hold up to being washed in acid or bleach (I have ruined many ATI sponges with strong bleach). ATI is a polyester foam. Poret is a polyether foam. I am located about 1.5 hours from O'Hare Airport.
+Ted Judy Thanks for the feedback Ted. I've seen the Port filters in MI and OH when I head there for fish gatherings but haven't heard this sort of technical feedback. definitely considering making a switch to those from ATI. I appreciate the practical and technical feedback. I've shared your video on our group's Facebook page as I don't think many have used Port in our area. Thanks again.
could u put a link in here for the square sponge filters I've been listening to the wrong people wish I've seen this video first great job and the name out the acid you used too please thank you Cooper
I wish I'd have found this video years ago I spent so much money on filtration. I have several tanks with HOB filters I didn't want to not use them since they are fully cycled but I bought sponge filters for all my tanks plus I made 1...out of just ..well store bought sponges lol to have extra filtration also so I'll have cycled filters if I ever need 1 and that has come up a couple times but I do have a question ...I'm new so please don't judge lol..if I put a sponge filter into a tank that has a large HOB filter will it still cycle the sponge filter? Or am I wasting my time? Thank you...awesome video
Yes, the sponge will cycle in a tank that also has a HOB filter running. If the plan is to replace the HOB with the sponge, let them both be there for about a month before removing the HOB.
@@TedsFishroom excellent! Thank you ...I will do that. I have sponges in 4 tanks that I plan on taking the HOB filters out of they are too big too noisy and I happen to love the look of a sponge filter ...thank you your very smart...I'll be back! Lol
Any Canadians reading this if you see Acid Magic let me know where you found it. Ted do you have any recommendations on using Muriatic Acid with a concentration of 20° Baume commercial (31.45%) vs Acid Magic?
+Bert Ramsay No problem cleaning with tank water, nor is there a problem cleaning with tap. The bacteria are tough, most will survive, and those will rapidly begin exponential growth of the colony. That growth phase is the best at removing ammonia wastes.
Ted Judy Sorry that comment was actually meant for the trailer of a film that popped up, (a new film about Churchill). The actor that plays Churchill sounds nothing like the way he spoke. Sorry!
You lost me at...'Washing a filter with tap water will not kill all the beneficial bacteria' umm I would think it would.. It's a huge huge no no.. But you seem to know what your doing so... Ok
Hi Larry... The two genera of bacteria that we depend on for biologic filtration are very resilient, and tap water levels of chlorine will not kill them in the amount of time that it takes to rinse out a sponge. We have tested seeded sponge filters overnight in tap water until the chlorine has evaporated (tested with a basic chlorine test kit) and then tested the filter's ability to remove ammonia & nitrite by adding small amounts of those compounds (in separate experiments), taking initial readings and then making regular tests over six hours to see if the compounds were removed, and if the products of the reactions are created. (My time in a Chemistry lab was at least useful for things like this.) We repeated this test multiple times, using both chlorine and chloramine treated water. I made this a lab experiment for my environmental science students. Very effecting teaching tool. We have also tested bio-filtration at gradually increasing temperatures and at a range of pH. Hot water will not destroy a bio-filter until the temperatures exceed about 60C (140F). A low pH (under 5.0) is the only factor that will quickly destroy a bio-filter, and this is well documented by many people working with soft, acidic aquariums. Even if washing the sponge filter does remove some of the living bacteria, the growth rate of the remaining bacteria is exponential and fast. A growing colony of bacteria is more effective at removing ammonia and nitrite than an old colony at its carrying capacity. We have experimented with this as well, and you can see it when cycling an aquarium by testing frequently. When a cycle is started the level of ammonia remains at the same level until the bacteria population starts to grow, and then the ammonia will be removed rapidly until it is gone. Add more ammonia and it will also be removed quickly. But after a few rounds of this test the rate of ammonia removal slows down, as much as 50% of the rate when the bio-filter was rapidly growing. Put that mature bio-filter water with a pH of 4.5 for varying amounts of time and the bacteria colony will be reduced (the longer the time, the more damage to the colony). Bring the pH back up to neutral, add the testing amount of ammonia, and the rate of removal increases again until it slows down. What I did not have in my lab is a definitive way to assay the actual population density of the bacteria in the filters, so my conclusions are (unfortunately) a bit circumstantial. But I have gone over this several times with microbiologists, including some smart people working with denitrification of human waste in water, and they confirm that the nitrosomonas and nitrobacter bugs are not harmed significantly by tap water chlorine/chloramine, and that the best colony for cleaning water is an actively growing colony. That is why I say, and have said for many years, that cleaning your sponge filters in tap water is not a problem. And regular cleaning to remove detritus and knock the bacteria population down a bit (through physical removal by cleaning the sponge) is important. One of the common responses I get on this topic is 'but the chlorine/chloramine in the sponge will kill the fish'. Probably not in the very small amounts of water left in a sponge after rinsing it out, but if you are worried about it you can dip the sponge in a bucket of dechlorinated water before putting it back in the tank. But then you may as well rinse it in a bucket anyway. To each their own. Keep on fishin'!!! :)
Ted Judy great answer Ted.. Never argue with a science teacher ha! A growing colony is more effective than an established but not diminished one.. Check that.
![HIWWHEE | OHM [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OJJLtTLqLag/mqdefault.jpg)
A concise, eloquent treatise on filtration in general. I love how you never mentioned the proverbial "law" of filtration - " x turnover per gallon" instead focusing on what your filter's intended use is, size of the bio area, and porosity of the material. Kudos all the way around!
***** Thanks.... I think that the coming of the matten filter has turned the whole 'tank turnover' theory on its head. You can put a massive pump on a small filter, get all the turnover you want and have poor filtration.
I love it when sponge filters get covered in algae and moss.
Still one of my favorite videos about sponge filters.
Intresting video. I have been keeping fish for over 40 years and I learned something new from it. Cheers!
I'm so happy I became across this video, has very valuable information for for keepers that use sponge filters like me for grow out tanks or for fish with babies in the tank..
liked and subscribed.....
That was a most excellent video. Your explanations are not only easy to understand - they are accurate - which is not always the case with information on the Internet.
That was a excellent explanation!! I use a HMSF in my sump seems to work great! Thank you!! :)
Excellent video on sponge filtration. I believe more people would get into the hobby knowing they don't have to spend major amounts of money for filtration.
Its about time I found someone that knows what time it is ,,,thank you brother.
Great video, thank you for sharing your knowledge Ted.
I think I just found one of my new favorite channels. Well done.
By far the best video of explaining this filtration method, I'm experienced(I thought), but I learned alot
Just change over to sponge Filter for my 4 tank!! Your fish room looks great !!
Great video! I had no idea about the two types of sponge. I never really paid attention. Thanks for the help!
Great video on maintaining sponge filters!
Wonderful video. I also use the same sponge filters in my 30 tanks.However I also use a new three layered version from AngelsPlus.It has three different PPI sponges.I also very gently squeeze the filters in aged water when cleaning them to get more mulm out of them. It will be years before they wear out because of the high qulity of the sponges. Also when I want to get a slower movement through the sponge I simply close the air valve more. For me the key to filtration , is a 50% water change every week, and I mean every week.In a few tanks with substrate I do vacuum the bottom of the tanks about once a month.
julesabirnbaum Interesting... you are the second person to point out the layered sponge from Angels Plus. What is the advantage?
Ted Judy No slate bottom [weighted internally] ,6 sides exposed to the water, lighter to handle can even suspend above the bottom of the tank,3 layers of PPI sponges offer a courser sponge at the bottom and finest at the top.Might be a gimmick ,[ I like trying new ideas], but an interesting gimmick.It is well made and sold at a reasoanble price.
Great video! planning to switch over to an sponge filter/air system in the near future, so this comes in handy
That was interesting, not sure I'll ever apply my new found knowledge but it's there now, thank you.
Super informative. Appreciate your copiousness !
Wow, i had no idea tap water is ok to clean sponge filters with. Thats good to know!
Great video. Thank you for the info.
Thank you for the many very good tips.
best video on sponge filtration. thanks
Very good and well presented!
Wow I was actually sad when the video ended! Awesome!!! I couldn't click that subscribe button fast enough!!!! 😀😄😉😊
This was very informative! Thank you
Sick goatee
Awesome
Thanks for showing the ppi differences. Now I know I need 20ppi for my first stage
Very nice video. I like the A-Z approach. See you next time you speak at Coast.
great video, how often does the silicone holding the sponge to the tile base give way? any tips for repairing it? or preventing it? i used a few of those until they fell apart, then went for k1 micro in a central sump
***** If the silicone has cured it usually lasts forever, but if you let the sponge sit dry for a long time after it has been in the water for a while, the silicone can get brittle and break. However, I use Gorilla glue. Much more permanent.
Hi Ted, thanks very much for this very good and interesting video about sponge filtration. I never knew you could clean sponge filter in tap water - I was always warned against this, also I always squeze my sponges when I clean them and I now learn not to. Thanx for the valuable information. Good work dude :¬) PJ
Great vid Ted! I'm still so reluctant to use chlorinated tap water to clean a sponge filter. Would you ever recommend running more than one sponge filter in a tank? That way if you only clean one at a time you'll never run the risk of depleting the BB colony? Also, how often are you cleaning the sponge filters?
Rich's Fishes I clean the filters when they need it. If I move the filter and detritus drifts off, it needs to be cleaned. Bacteria colonies grow very rapidly. You can clean the filter with tap water and it will be back to full capacity in a day or so.
Lots of tanks!!!! Great filtration video! Subbed ya
great video. thinking about putting the small sponge filter in my 2nd sump, along with protein skimmer. saltwater aquarium.
fish stores are in to make money and sell more fish when your's die.
excellent info Ted!
I've always been conservative about cleaning my sponge filters in fear of destroying the bacteria. Also I squeeze them hard I will try these new methods.
Great, I learned a lot.
very good video for Aqua beginner like me.. thank you
Thanks! 👍
thanks.You are in fact an expert
The problem with the wall sponge filter is the water is being drawn through and pumped out in the same area, only half the tank is being filtered, the return needs to be on the other side of the tank.
Hi, amazing Video, I would like to know where can i find those air valves. Thanks
Which ones? The nickel plated needle valves? I would have to go back through the video to see for sure. I have used a few different types over the years. I typically get all that kind of stuff from jehmco.com, but you can find a lot of it on Amazon now.
Great video, thanks
Amazing vid
Great video Ted....I am assuming it may take a lot of beer to run a fish room the size of yours...is that the reason for the easy access bottle opener at 8:28? Haha.
I saw that too, maybe it's for bottled Coke?
I enjoy the video very informative. Thanks I sub.
Bacteria grows only in the first 3cm of the Matte. You don't need 2" thick Matte. I also think, your velocity of your filter is still to fast. Usually 1,5-2x the amount of water in the tank per hour.
So interesting! Thank you!
Great Vid !!
not sure if you suggest tap cleaning for sponge is right , suitable for your country maybe , had bad experience of mass tank fish wipe out in mine early days of fishkeeping .
YOU HAVE BAD TAP WATER DUDE.
not really bad , i drink off the tap with no issues , just high chlorine content which smells like swimming pool water at times , of course chloramines as well
That sponge wall method is bullshit, unless you have mucky goldfish or something. The surface area you need in your filter only depends on the amount of food the beneficial bacteria requires to grow. Higher fish load = more surface area needed. That big sponge wall will not colonize well and is just a waste of space for the most part. Obviously it can do the job, but pointless depending on fish load. Alot of rookies will over filter their tanks by adding more than one canister or more than 2 HOB's. there's only so much your filter can depending on your fish load! I learned this simply by learning the hard way and over filtering my tanks for no reason other than I thought it was necessary in case of over feeding or adding more fish. Not the case at all. Anyways, good video. I'd do away with that ugly sponge wall though unless you really need it. And by the looks of it, you probably do!
+JudicialPineapple I agree... A large matten filter is overkill if the bioload is small. Most of my smaller tanks are using smaller cube filters. I do put 4000 cardinal tetras in one of those 75's with a matten filter wall. Or 75 cory cats in one of the 30Br with one. The wall filters are very effective for tanks with high bioloads.
+Ted Judy 4000 cardinal tetras?
I do agree about tap water my dad is 70 he's always had fish tanks always used ordinary tap water fish didn't die and the internal filter was nice and fully cycled 😃
Ted is a fish god among men but I have to disagree with that advice. The chlorine or chloramine varies between municipalities and the seasons of the year. Its safest to use dechlorinated water. Many newbies kill their tanks by rinsing filter cartridges in the sink.
chlorine doesn't kill bacteria. Got it.
I think he means chlorine kills bacteria, but the chlorine in tap water is not enough to kill the entire bacteria colony, also, bacteria will grow fast back, and a growing bacteria colony is actually more efficient than an established colony.
Great info, subbed
Wow Beastmode info especially the cleaning part....angels plus.com sell the same cube filter but has on that uses 10,20,30 ppi sponge it's that a better option then using a single ppi? Would a setup with differ layer of ppi be more efficient in the hmf type arrangement?
Rico Suave Not familiar with Angels Plus' foam. I have used stacked porosities in canister filters for mechanical filtration.
oh no angels plus is not a foam but a breeder who sells angelfish and also filter sponges...they offer the same swiss tropic poret foam filter that are square like yours and offer one the has the same poret 10,20,and 30 ppi sponge layered in a 5x5x5 square...www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSpongeCubeMulti.htm
is this set ideal over a singel size ppi sponge filter?
Rico Suave I cannot think of a reason why a layered sponge filter is beneficial.
gotcha
From where we can get those filter? You channel is awesome and full of information... thank you
www.swisstropicals.com
Other than separating a double stacked #4 sponge filter to clean each sponge separately is there any other way to clean them as assembled?
I feel like he was yelling at me. Lol
That fish room was loud, and I had to speak up to be able to be heard at all...
Jenavive lol
Hey you kids! GET OFF MY LAWN!! (But in a nice way... :) )
Interesting video Ted. What's your take on ATI sponge material in comparison to the Poret sponge material? Do you have any specs on the ATI material? Slightly unrelated question - how far from Chicago is your fishroom. I may be in the area before the year ends and would love to pay you a visit. Thanks, Jay.
+jhgannon1 Hi Jay ... ATI material is not 100% inert like the Poret material. That is why it eventually sags on the frame, especially when used in soft, acidic water. And it will not hold up to being washed in acid or bleach (I have ruined many ATI sponges with strong bleach). ATI is a polyester foam. Poret is a polyether foam. I am located about 1.5 hours from O'Hare Airport.
+Ted Judy Thanks for the feedback Ted. I've seen the Port filters in MI and OH when I head there for fish gatherings but haven't heard this sort of technical feedback. definitely considering making a switch to those from ATI. I appreciate the practical and technical feedback. I've shared your video on our group's Facebook page as I don't think many have used Port in our area. Thanks again.
could u put a link in here for the square sponge filters I've been listening to the wrong people wish I've seen this video first great job and the name out the acid you used too please thank you Cooper
I wish I'd have found this video years ago I spent so much money on filtration. I have several tanks with HOB filters I didn't want to not use them since they are fully cycled but I bought sponge filters for all my tanks plus I made 1...out of just ..well store bought sponges lol to have extra filtration also so I'll have cycled filters if I ever need 1 and that has come up a couple times but I do have a question ...I'm new so please don't judge lol..if I put a sponge filter into a tank that has a large HOB filter will it still cycle the sponge filter? Or am I wasting my time? Thank you...awesome video
Yes, the sponge will cycle in a tank that also has a HOB filter running. If the plan is to replace the HOB with the sponge, let them both be there for about a month before removing the HOB.
@@TedsFishroom excellent! Thank you ...I will do that. I have sponges in 4 tanks that I plan on taking the HOB filters out of they are too big too noisy and I happen to love the look of a sponge filter ...thank you your very smart...I'll be back! Lol
nice vid
Great video....how often would they be cleaned ?
I clean my sponges every month or so, but other people leave them for months
very useful video :)
sir what will be the best filtration system for discuss tank, and how can it be made at home?
Where do i buy a sponge like that?
www.swisstropicals.com
Any Canadians reading this if you see Acid Magic let me know where you found it. Ted do you have any recommendations on using Muriatic Acid with a concentration of 20° Baume commercial (31.45%) vs Acid Magic?
Brad Clayton
do you have a link to where you buy your filters?
New subscriber here.
which sponge should i use for 3feet tank?
Are these sponge filters good for guppies?
+bimej pudusserry indeed! Its a filter aint it :P
I thought that the sponge from a filter should be cleaned with water from the tank
+Bert Ramsay No problem cleaning with tank water, nor is there a problem cleaning with tap. The bacteria are tough, most will survive, and those will rapidly begin exponential growth of the colony. That growth phase is the best at removing ammonia wastes.
oh okay thanks for the information
where can you find these i can never find those square sponges.
please help thanks
+REEMIKS www.swisstropicals.com
I just got a new tank small tank iam setting up small tank iam going to put small fish in the tank
calm down :D
the accent could be a lot better
I am not very good at accents. I could maybe try a southern drawl.
Ted Judy Sorry that comment was actually meant for the trailer of a film that popped up, (a new film about Churchill). The actor that plays Churchill sounds nothing like the way he spoke. Sorry!
You lost me at...'Washing a filter with tap water will not kill all the beneficial bacteria' umm I would think it would.. It's a huge huge no no.. But you seem to know what your doing so... Ok
Hi Larry... The two genera of bacteria that we depend on for biologic filtration are very resilient, and tap water levels of chlorine will not kill them in the amount of time that it takes to rinse out a sponge. We have tested seeded sponge filters overnight in tap water until the chlorine has evaporated (tested with a basic chlorine test kit) and then tested the filter's ability to remove ammonia & nitrite by adding small amounts of those compounds (in separate experiments), taking initial readings and then making regular tests over six hours to see if the compounds were removed, and if the products of the reactions are created. (My time in a Chemistry lab was at least useful for things like this.) We repeated this test multiple times, using both chlorine and chloramine treated water. I made this a lab experiment for my environmental science students. Very effecting teaching tool.
We have also tested bio-filtration at gradually increasing temperatures and at a range of pH. Hot water will not destroy a bio-filter until the temperatures exceed about 60C (140F). A low pH (under 5.0) is the only factor that will quickly destroy a bio-filter, and this is well documented by many people working with soft, acidic aquariums.
Even if washing the sponge filter does remove some of the living bacteria, the growth rate of the remaining bacteria is exponential and fast. A growing colony of bacteria is more effective at removing ammonia and nitrite than an old colony at its carrying capacity. We have experimented with this as well, and you can see it when cycling an aquarium by testing frequently. When a cycle is started the level of ammonia remains at the same level until the bacteria population starts to grow, and then the ammonia will be removed rapidly until it is gone. Add more ammonia and it will also be removed quickly. But after a few rounds of this test the rate of ammonia removal slows down, as much as 50% of the rate when the bio-filter was rapidly growing. Put that mature bio-filter water with a pH of 4.5 for varying amounts of time and the bacteria colony will be reduced (the longer the time, the more damage to the colony). Bring the pH back up to neutral, add the testing amount of ammonia, and the rate of removal increases again until it slows down.
What I did not have in my lab is a definitive way to assay the actual population density of the bacteria in the filters, so my conclusions are (unfortunately) a bit circumstantial. But I have gone over this several times with microbiologists, including some smart people working with denitrification of human waste in water, and they confirm that the nitrosomonas and nitrobacter bugs are not harmed significantly by tap water chlorine/chloramine, and that the best colony for cleaning water is an actively growing colony.
That is why I say, and have said for many years, that cleaning your sponge filters in tap water is not a problem. And regular cleaning to remove detritus and knock the bacteria population down a bit (through physical removal by cleaning the sponge) is important.
One of the common responses I get on this topic is 'but the chlorine/chloramine in the sponge will kill the fish'. Probably not in the very small amounts of water left in a sponge after rinsing it out, but if you are worried about it you can dip the sponge in a bucket of dechlorinated water before putting it back in the tank. But then you may as well rinse it in a bucket anyway.
To each their own. Keep on fishin'!!! :)
Ted Judy great answer Ted.. Never argue with a science teacher ha! A growing colony is more effective than an established but not diminished one.. Check that.
Can you keep a tank clean with out chemical filtration?
Yes.