Sponge Filter vs Internal Canister Filter: Fish Tank Filter Showdown!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Hello Everyone,
In this video we compare the sponge filter with the internal canister filter. Both filters can be great for your tank, but there are things you need to consider before buying one.
If you are interested in an internal canister filter check out these Amazon affiliate links!
Penn Plax Internal Canister FIlter: amzn.to/3jjvNsp
Marineland Internal Canister Filter: amzn.to/35mEw86
If you would like more information about sponge filters check out these videos:
Beginners Guide to Sponge Filters: • Fish Tank Sponge Filte...
How to Clean Sponge Filters: • How to Clean Sponge Fi...
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal Canister Filters: • Internal Canister Filt...
Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimea...
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If you want to see all the cool stuff Joanna does with other types of scapes check out her channel!
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We would like to thank our channel sponsors for 2020: Flip Aquatics and Fritz Aquatics. For 2020 our fish are being fed Northfin Foods from flipaquatics.com! They help make what we do here possible and are worth checking out!
Thanks for watching!
#spongefilter #aquariumfilter #aquarium
If you are interested in an internal canister filter check out these Amazon affiliate links!
Penn Plax Internal Canister FIlter: amzn.to/3jjvNsp
Marineland Internal Canister Filter: amzn.to/35mEw86
If you would like more information about sponge filters check out these videos:
Beginners Guide to Sponge Filters: th-cam.com/video/yQSI-3rUsIs/w-d-xo.html
How to Clean Sponge Filters: th-cam.com/video/jp49hdba0eY/w-d-xo.html
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal Canister Filters: th-cam.com/video/bGxAZc5K5MM/w-d-xo.html
Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch
For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics
For more cool behind the scenes stuff consider becoming a member!
th-cam.com/channels/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTA.htmljoin
If you want to see all the cool stuff Joanna does with other types of scapes check out her channel!
th-cam.com/channels/PEZk1MpOTGiBVh6BtWjlRg.html
What are those fish at 4:10
That pleco at 5:45 is beautiful
Sorry for annoying you but that cichlid at 7:40
I have both and I like them both. One tank is in the bedroom and I don’t like hearing bubbles all night. The canister filter is completely silent. I shrimplet and fry proofed it by covering the intake slats with some thin sponge held with a couple of rubber bands.
I just bought one and it’s not even working, no noise or anything. Completely useless!
My tank has an aquadecor background. I use canister filters only as it is easy to hide. Its heavily stocked with bio media. Works fine for me. It doesnt hurt to add an extra sponge filter!
In fact, mini bio balls can be added to these grilles on the sponge filter. Not much but doing the job. Tried.
I like my Aquel Turbo internal filter. Comes with a sponge you can attach at the bottom and an empty container in the middle for media. I use the duck bill outlet and point it to the wall so my pencilfish aren't bothered by the flow. It also seems to camouflage well against a black painted wall.
For a bare bottom tank. Internal filter will suck up all the dirt within few minutes after turned on every morning if positioned correctly. Sponge will take hours
I use both a sponge filter and internal canister filter in my guppy colony. It's heavily stocked and planted.
Same lol I have a 65 gallon internal canister and a couple sponges running lol getting to fully planted
I have done that combo on a 125 and my multi 50 gallon low boy. :-)
Never used an internal canister filter, nice comparison on both! Nice bloopers 😂
For us they have a few uses, but usually I like HOB more.
Sponge Filter or Internal Canister/Power Filter?
The Tanks in the video: "Why not both?"
i use both at same time
Truth! Haha
I've watched many of Prime Time Aquatics filter videos, but still no mention of hang on the 'inside' such as the 'Tetra Whisper Internal Filter'. I use 2 small sponge filters, plus a small Whisper 'hang on the inside' filter in a 36 gallon tank, The sponge filters are what I rely on mostly, and was turned on to it by Jason. Maybe the Tetra Whisper is considered a joke, but they are very simple and I now add my own media to it. Would love to see Jason do a video on the 'hang on the inside' filters :)
I'll have to take a look at them. They sound like they are just internal canister filters with a bracket instead of suction cups?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the reply Jason! The Whisper has suction cups and optional bracket. Reduced noise, but easier to change filter media than a canister, plus having the return above the waterline allows for surface agitation. Other brands with the same concept include Aqueon's 'QuietFlow E'.
Excellent video as ever thank you 🙏
I use a sponge filter on my 5.5 heavy planted betta tank. It is the way to go because it is very gentle on my floating plants. Stupid easy maintenance
That is a good combo!
The best filter in the world is called substrate, no other filter compares to a good substrate with heavy planting.
I use box filters and sponge filters more than other mechanical filters. I've been creating scapes to hide the filter with rocks or driftwood 😁
Internal canister = sponge filter + power head + box
The directional flow allows the use of multiple types of media as water flows in one direction.
Air driven filters are always low flow. The liters per minute rating on a pump relates to air, not water. Hence, good for bio, bad for mechanical.
Wattage - powerheads, hobs, internal canisters are usually 5-15 watts
The right filter for the right tank for your needs for your cleaning habits.
That is true! :-)
Great info. I still don't know how to calculate what size and how many sponge filters you need for any one particular tank size. I bought two large Aquarium Co-Op sponges for my 210? I have no idea 🤷♂️
Are the fish at the 7:32 mark Geos? If so, I can certainly understand your love for them. Gorgeous coloration.
Ya, those are Geophagus tapajos. As for sponge filter size, I generally go with a size I can live with. For a 75 gallon and above I get two Hydro V sizes for 4ft tanks. When I go to 6ft tanks I usually use three of them.
First time on.. Great info thanks.
Thanks for being here!
Nice comparison between sponge and internal canister filters. I like my small canister filters, but as the number of tanks slowly goes up sponge filters maybe the way to go 🤓
That's what happened to us too. :-)
I think most people undervalue sponge filters for what they see on mechanical filtration. But, at the end of the day, they do a good job on biological filtration. And that's the most important thing. Cheers from Argentina
hermano como son tus acuarios
What a day, ff stream and prime time vid🧡🧡
I have a sponge filter in my 6 gallon cube but since I was having an algae issue in that tank it's a pain to clean. Not because of the algae, but because my army of bladder snails love to hang out in it so it takes 30 minutes between cleaning and then saving snails 😑
I love the look of a sponge filter. It is like a buffet for my shrimp. I can always see shrimp hanging around it.
My fluval 306 is soo good
All i can say is that internal filter does mechanical filtration while sponge filter does bio filtration. Sir u have already made sufficient videos on filtration 😅 but though love ur videos.
Thank you!
I have used all the above.. sponge, bottom, canister , and back filter!! Generally buy what I can afford at the time.. prefer the back filters. Lately I’ve been using the top fin in tank filters with jet out flow. Very powerful with small fish friendly intakes, but yes they do take up some space. They do mech, chem and bio filtrations
I tend to gravitate towards HOB if I just have a few tanks.
i run sponge filters on all my tanks with weekly water changes and every 2 weeks sponge cleaning everyone's tanks are different tho but works great for me
Sounds like a good plan!
Do you ONLY run the sponge filters? I really hate my HOBs...I installed sponges in my tanks about 2 weeks ago - hoping to get some bacteria build up while I decide if I want to risk removing the HOBs...
@@pitbull2484 give sponges like 2 to 3 weeks to build up bacteria don't have to be running just have them in the tank I'm no expert tho but that's what I would do in the situation
@@ba9958 good info, thx!
@@pitbull2484 no problem i do test my water a lot and only water change when needed i run mostly shrimp tanks and i have a guppy pond in my backyard running just a sponge filter 40 gallons stock tank
Greetings. I am getting ready to change my h.o.b filter for another kind of filter. This video came at a perfect time.Thankyou for checking into the proper amount of levamisole for a 36 gallon. My bottles of levamisole are written in a foreign language. Hopefully you can find your bottle of it. If you can’t find it I understand. I liked this video.👍🐠
Thank you! Ya, I'd really like to know where that went because it's not something that should just be thrown away or dumped somewhere!
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks Jason for trying to locate your levamisole. I really liked this video. Thanks for showing the pros and cons of both these filters. It will be something I will be thinking about on my next aquarium. Knowing me I will probably be purchasing one soon. Already have a 36, 90 and 150. This is an addictive hobby. Haha. My best regards to both you and Joanna.😁🐠
If the internal filter seems to be taking up too much space in your tank...well...they make bigger tanks. LOL Love my Mag Internal as an addition to my Tidal 110 on my 75. I hide the filter components behind plants. The Mag Int goes up and down in price on Amazon, so be patient and it goes down to $40 from time to time. Check the link here often.
Are internal filters quiet? I have a 5.5 gallon in my bedroom and the noise from the sponge filter bubbles breaking the surface keeps me up sometimes (I'm a very light sleeper).
I've tried a small hob but that was kinda noisy too.
Mine have been silent.
Amazon has a internal pump called Aqua Pump 530GPH has 3 filter compartment that you don't have to take the whole pump out to clean attaches by 4 suction cups to side of the tank.(hard to take off) $20--> It is the BEST internal pump over the years I have found. Keeps water crystal clear.
Love your videos! I have a combination type filter- Box type from Jehmco. www.jehmco.com/html/box_filters.html
You can put sponge and other material inside. Air powered.
What other media or filter material would you use inside of the canister filter . I use it as a every day filtration . The only think I have changed is I do half carbon and half poly fill. Usually worth the carbon facing up and poly fill at the bottom of the canister , I do it like that because I’m kinda worried the poly fill might get sucked into the impeller and damage it . But back to my question what other media’s or set up would you recommend for that filter ? If it makes any difference, I do have a red eared slider in my tank so it does have a lot of work to do I’m picking up all the debri . Does a good job though . No complaints . Just wondering on how to improve
My sponge filter is powered by my canister
You are.Such a good speaker. Thankyou.love and peace, keep up the good work, mahalo for your time, energy and dedication.☮️🤙
I had 2 internal canister filters in one aquarium... that were also wavemakers and venturi pumps.... you can't make that with a sponge... but then I could have bought 20 sponges for the price of one of those.
My aquarium is small. A sponge filter is best for me becouse of te less strong flow
In India these two are widely used types. I always had internal canister. In US, internal cansiter are hard to find, I have used HOB and now external canister filter. I guess for large tank like 75 gallon and above external canister but for smaller tanks I would prefer internal canister.
I've never used an internal canister filter..I use sponge filters as second filters..I like the look of the double sponge I use.. I'm going back to using under gravel filters in my smaller tanks...I used them for about 17 years..then going back to fish keeping used a hang on back..I don't really like them so went to an outside canister for my larger tanks and I love those... I've been really happy with the look of the water with the under gravel..I get a lot of mess from my floating plants when I do stuff in the tank..that clears up really quick..the water is so clear...the tank is for fish that are fine in cooler water so no heater...just a light and the filter...and ton of plants..I like the look so far..
If you use Aquarium CoOp sponge filters you can put some biorings in (from the bottom is easier) for more biofilter if you are worried about it or just want to be safe with more fish
So I have been using the filter that my 10 gallon tank came with, and I've just been replacing the filter every month like it says, can I replace that entire filter set with the Aquarium CoOp sponge bubble filter?
@@gabbiecanepa6981 yes but you have to note that if you are going from using carbon to not using carbon you have to make sure you understand at least the nitrogen cycle in a tank so you know when you need to change water.
@shadeaquaticbreeder2914 well I've got my freshwater tests
If I started with an under gravil filter the feed it to an external canister filter then back into the tank from a sprinkle bar, do you think that would be a good setup??, I have searched for videos with someone with the same set-up but can't seem to find any 😕
It’s hard to find anything about under-gravel filters; it seems they’ve fallen a lot in popularity in the last few decades. I was also looking into them when setting up my most recent tank but ended up using a smallish HOB I already had and adding a sponge filter.
That would be a good setup. The issue that I have with them is I keep too many fish that like to dig. :-)
Hey what fish are those about 4 minutes in? They have yellow tail fins
That is Cyprichromis leptosoma
@@PrimeTimeAquatics sweet thank you 😊
Love your videos. Always informative and helpful
Or you cold just get a hang in back filter and not worry about taking up space or maintaince
Yes, that is true!
Tank top filtration have the benefits of both and easy cleaning and can even stack up on top, additional filters tray.
Also, sponge filters allow for a better gas exchange by breaking the surface with bubbles.
More important difference: canister filters are much more quiet. And sponge filters can create a good water circulation in the tank too.
I have both in every tank I have, except the nano tanks. They have sponge only.
I switched to sponge and box air filters with the floss in them. Only problem with my sponge filter, my cherry shrimp babies all hang out all over it and the sponge cannot be cleaned. Tank looks always clear so I just drain out a gallon every 2 weeks and the shrimp are good and living peacefully on the sponge.
I can usually gently brush them away with my hand. :-)
I have a canister filter which is enough for the tank (66G) would a sponge filter be beneficial to add anyway?
Only as a back-up if the canister goes down, but probably not in terms of biological filtration.
great job by jason ....thanks a lot ....
Box filter gang rise up!
which brand and model would be the best internal canister filter for 6 ft. x 2 ft. x 2 ft. FW tank - 500 ltrs. - TIA
I have had good luck with the Marineland - it's rated at 290 gallons/hour. The larger Penn Plax are good too.
Good tips. I love my sponge filter. The bubbles are fun! My tank came with a filter built in. I replaced the filter cartridge and put in filter floss. It works great for my Betta, Monet. I am going to add a snail and a few ghost shrimp. I currently have an alge problem. I am hoping a clean up crew will help. I have already been keeping my light off more.
The filter floss will work well! Be careful with the ghost shrimp - some bettas like to eat them. :-)
I can suggest u to get a flowerhorn please 🙏. U have too much tanks to keep it.
I may at some point. :-)
I’m running one these Magnum canisters in my 120 discus tank. I primarily use it as polisher but it was able to handle the whole tank when the impeller in the Ehiem canister failed and I was waiting for a replacement.
Application is the most important aspect of what filter to use
What are your thoughts on Ziss filters?
I don't use them because it is very rare that an established tank has a biological filtration issue.
Prime Time Aquatics Good to know. Thanks
I have internal filters at the moment but I have used sponge filters before, getting ready to change my betta 5.5 gallon over to a sponge the other filters flow is just too strong for my litter dude!
Sponge filters are great for bettas!
Any tips for buffering the flow of the marineland internal canister? I wish It came with a spraybar.
Wait til it gets clogged? Haha. Actually, what I usually do with it is point the return up and towards the back side of the tank.
Can you compare hang on back filter and outside canister filter?
Here you go: th-cam.com/video/j36LGWY3j9A/w-d-xo.html
Guess I am old fashioned I like my sponge filters,if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
They do a good job for us too!
What's better Hang on the back or Internal canister filter?
Here you go: th-cam.com/video/j36LGWY3j9A/w-d-xo.html
how much time do Geo.red head tapajos take to reach the size of 5-6 inches ?
Maybe a year or slightly more?
I freaking love my gourami every time I turn on the lights he swims right up to the glass and greets me
Ya, I have found they are the first fish to wake up in a tank. Haha
As always a great informative video. I was wondering how you know when your sponge filter is not going to work as well and needs replaced and if you could ever talk about the use and effectiveness of the old style corner filters. Thanks for sharing all your information with us!!!
I generally don't replace them unless they start to sag or are looking a little thin.
hahaha, one of my sponges retired after more or less a year only.
PS: pump still works, sponge died
with the sponge filter do I need a over the tank filer?
It depends on stocking levels, but the vast majority of our tanks we only have sponge filters.
Thanks so much for the video. I've wondered which is best. I use an internal canister on one tank that I got from my brother and sponge filters in my fry tanks. Both work well. One difference I have found is that the canister filter creates very little noise (the sound of running water) while the air pump from the sponge filter is annoying. It's fine on a day to day basis, but as my fry tanks are in the study, it ocationaly gets to me when I'm working...
Ya, some people don't like the pump sound. I'm weird and find it somewhat relaxing. Haha
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Hahaha. I actually understand that. Its things like that, that makes us all unique individuals, and thus, life more interesting. ;)
Thanks for all the educational videos. I learn a lot from you.
Hello!
First of all: Thank you for the video!
I can see a plant got stuck behind the internal canister filter at 9:07 , can you please tell me it's name?
That's a little bit of guppy grass that got lodged back there. :-)
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thank you very much!
I love the bloopers at the end!
Great content I just love watching your videos 👍
Thank you!
What is the blue fish with the yellow tail?
That might have been pseudotropheus acei?
Nice
Do you recommend a 20 gallon tank or a 37 gallon tank for an oranda goldfish?
A 37 is a better option, but at full size may need something closer to a 55 gallon.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thank you!
What air pump runs your ?
I have a large central pump that runs the fishroom - It's a Jehmco LPH60.
Love these videos. Thanks, Jason. 📺
Thank you!
Do you keep carbon in your planted tanks?
I haven't kept carbon in any of my tanks in many years. Never saw the need for it.
Thank you I don’t used it either but just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing. 35 years ago I had 6 aquarium and thing are not quite the same or I’m learning more. Thank you again.
You’re missing a point. Many of us don’t want anything in the tank. I’ve made my own systems for years just to avoid having anything in the tank. Also growing plants adding your fertilizer to you water will be cleaned out faster with carbon. Making sumps is easy. Also using an overflow shutoff that is mechanical like a toilet internal unit creates a shutdown without power being needed so if you loose power you’re still good. Like you over the years and hundred of tanks I use 99% sponge. Ease of use fry safety cost.
I think I mentioned both take up space inside the tank. I don't think that is ideal for either one. :-)
How quite are internal canister filters? I have an Eheim 1200 XLT external filter that is SO noisy. Regards
I can't hear any of my internal canister filters - Marineland and Penn Plax.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks for the info
Love your videos. Always helpful. I'm upto 10 tanks now and i got a 625G/H air pump running sponges in all the tanks except the 75G that has a big external canister with upgraded internals and that is the nicest cleanest and least maintained tank. Haven't used sumps yet heard a few stories of them blowing out and that might just cue divorce papers. IMO sponge filters are probably the best if your running multiple tanks and just gravel vac/ water change regularly
Can you talk
About fish bowls, I have one right now with my Betta and two mystery snails. I'm saving up for a 20 gallon tank and all of the decor and tools needed for the tank. I liked today's video 👍👍
One more noteable difference is temperature control. Internal canisters will make your tank run hotter than sponge filters the reason is 2 fold.
1) sponge filter cools the tank evaporatively
2) canister has the pump in the water all the electricity that powers your pump eventually turns into heat. So if you have a 10w internal canister that’s like running a 10w heater 24/7
The temp difference may be significant to smaller tanks especially in the summer. Ask me how I know.
Thank you for sharing that point!
As you have done in some of your tanks, I use both in some of mine. I find the tanks that have the internal canister filter need significantly less vacuuming than those that just have sponge filters. I just fill the internal canister with floss and change out the floss every water change. They do a great job. Also as you said, both of these being in the tank reduce the chance of water on the floor. I used to have an external canister filter that had a seal fail while I was out of town. It caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to my home. Now all my filters are internal.
Sorry that happened. That has always been my fear as well.
You had any issues with your 125 with the oscars and Africans
Zero - they have been together for a couple years. They ignore each other. Doesn't always work out that way, but it has for us.