Sponge filter

[lonksenopa]

For the last week I've been having a few issues with my tank. It's had a constant ammonia reading of .25ppm-.50ppm with no nitrite m. I'm not sure where the ammonia is coming from as I don't overfeed and there's no dead plants in the water. I'm wondering if it's because I haven't cleaned the sponge filter in some time. I know many people say to never clean the sponge filter but I'm wondering if it'll get rid of this ammonia issue. I know I'm supposed to clean it in tank water I just worry about cleaning causing more problems. Is it possible that the sponge filter may be causing the issue as I can't think of anything else

 

[Aiken Drum]

Sponge filters can trap detritus, which decomposes into ammonia, and the nitrogen cycle should be converting that to nitrate. Sponge filters are pretty efficient so they should be good at doing that conversion job, so unless you are overstocked, overfeeding or the filter is undersized it wouldn't normally be causing ammonia.

I suppose if you are never cleaning the sponges they might get so clogged up they stop functioning properly. All you need to be doing is squeezing out the sponges into dechlorinated (or water removed from your aquarium) periodically to ensure they are still capable of moving water through them. I'd say once a month should be sufficient. The trick is to be consistent, and not to do too much. Just enough to remove any detritus and keep water flowing through it. If your filter has 2 sponges do one sponge every 2 weeks maybe.

I'd also do an ammonia test on some bottled water. It's not uncommon for a sample of water with zero ammonia to have a test result showing low ammonia. The bottled water is zero ammonia, if that looks the same as the water from your aquarium your aquarium water is zero too.

 

[lonksenopa]

Sponge filters can trap detritus, which decomposes into ammonia, and the nitrogen cycle should be converting that to nitrate. Sponge filters are pretty efficient so they should be good at doing that conversion job, so unless you are overstocked, overfeeding or the filter is undersized it wouldn't normally be causing ammonia.

I suppose if you are never cleaning the sponges they might get so clogged up they stop functioning properly. All you need to be doing is squeezing out the sponges into dechlorinated (or water removed from your aquarium) periodically to ensure they are still capable of moving water through them. I'd say once a month should be sufficient. The trick is to be consistent, and not to do too much. Just enough to remove any detritus and keep water flowing through it. If your filter has 2 sponges do one sponge every 2 weeks maybe.

I'd also do an ammonia test on some bottled water. It's not uncommon for a sample of water with zero ammonia to have a test result showing low ammonia. The bottled water is zero ammonia, if that looks the same as the water from your aquarium your aquarium water is zero too.

The only thing in the tank currently is a Betta fish so there's no overstocking. I haven't touched the sponge filters in about 6 months but my other tanks keep showing up with no ammonia so I'm not sure what's going on with this one

 

[Aiken Drum]

I'd give the sponges filter a light rinse, especially if you didn't used to see ammonia and you now are doing.

 

[Andy Sager]

The only thing in the tank currently is a Betta fish so there's no overstocking. I haven't touched the sponge filters in about 6 months but my other tanks keep showing up with no ammonia so I'm not sure what's going on with this one

Depending on the pore size of the sponge, small pore sponges don't need much to clog the pores so even tho it's one fish, it's 6 months of food, poo and whatever detritus that has been accumulating. The good thing with sponge filters is that all it usually takes is a couple of squeezes and a little scraping of the bottom to get them working again. Once you get the sponge not pouring out really brown water, get into the habit of when you do a water change on the tank, take the sponge filter, put it in the bucket of water you just removed, give the whole sponge a couple of squeezes ( literally 2 squeezes) and check the bottom of the sponge to make sure there is nothing caked on the bottom then put it back in the tank. If you do this every time you do a water change, the sponge shouldn't get clogged again, you will be leaving enough poo in the sponge to feed the nitrifying microbes and the sponge will be gathering the stuff out of the water. I had 82 tanks all with sponge filters in them and it only took me 30- 60 minutes to clean them all because I did exactly as I described so I know it works.

Hope this helps

 

[lonksenopa]

Depending on the pore size of the sponge, small pore sponges don't need much to clog the pores so even tho it's one fish, it's 6 months of food, poo and whatever detritus that has been accumulating. The good thing with sponge filters is that all it usually takes is a couple of squeezes and a little scraping of the bottom to get them working again. Once you get the sponge not pouring out really brown water, get into the habit of when you do a water change on the tank, take the sponge filter, put it in the bucket of water you just removed, give the whole sponge a couple of squeezes ( literally 2 squeezes) and check the bottom of the sponge to make sure there is nothing caked on the bottom then put it back in the tank. If you do this every time you do a water change, the sponge shouldn't get clogged again, you will be leaving enough poo in the sponge to feed the nitrifying microbes and the sponge will be gathering the stuff out of the water. I had 82 tanks all with sponge filters in them and it only took me 30- 60 minutes to clean them all because I did exactly as I described so I know it works.

Hope this helps

I ended up cleaning it I didn't realize how dirty it was! I was always apprehensive as many people including my local fish store told me to not clean my sponges. Everything seems to be fine but I'll check for ammonia in the morning to be sure

 

[Andy Sager]

I ended up cleaning it I didn't realize how dirty it was! I was always apprehensive as many people including my local fish store told me to not clean my sponges. Everything seems to be fine but I'll check for ammonia in the morning to be sure

That shows you just how much stuff is in that tank even tho it's just the one fish, right? Like I said, get into the habit of just doing light cleaning when you do water changes and you should be fine in the future. Keep in mind that the microbes may have been starved for food for an undetermined amount of time so if there is no change overnight, don't panic. It may take a week or so.

 

[lonksenopa]

That shows you just how much stuff is in that tank even tho it's just the one fish, right? Like I said, get into the habit of just doing light cleaning when you do water changes and you should be fine in the future. Keep in mind that the microbes may have been starved for food for an undetermined amount of time so if there is no change overnight, don't panic. It may take a week or so.

So I'm still getting ammonia readings between .25-.50ppm and I've noticed my plants that were super healthy and green starting to turn yellow and I'm not sure what's going on I've been doing small water changes everyday to keep the ammonia down but I'm not sure how to get the tank back in order

 

[Andy Sager]

So I'm still getting ammonia readings between .25-.50ppm and I've noticed my plants that were super healthy and green starting to turn yellow and I'm not sure what's going on I've been doing small water changes everyday to keep the ammonia down but I'm not sure how to get the tank back in order

I'd get a second pinion on your test results.

 

[lonksenopa]

I took some water to my local fish store and ammonia comes up .25ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and 10ppm nitrate pH is 7.7ish which is the same result I keep getting myself

 

[Andy Sager]

I took some water to my local fish store and ammonia comes up .25ppm ammonia 0ppm nitrite and 10ppm nitrate pH is 7.7ish which is the same result I keep getting myself

,25 is much better than .50 so I wouldn't be concerned about the level. It's most likely because the biological bed in the sponge wasn't functioning fully for a while. Regarding the plants, besides the water has anything else changed? i.e number of light hours, change in fertilizer, etc. Is it the whole plant or just a few leaves?

 

[lonksenopa]

,25 is much better than .50 so I wouldn't be concerned about the level. It's most likely because the biological bed in the sponge wasn't functioning fully for a while. Regarding the plants, besides the water has anything else changed? i.e number of light hours, change in fertilizer, etc. Is it the whole plant or just a few leaves?

No everything is the same. I have my tank lights on a timer and a bunch of leaves on a few different plants started turning yellow

 

[Andy Sager]

No everything is the same. I have my tank lights on a timer and a bunch of leaves on a few different plants started turning yellow

If they are old leaves, they can yellow as they are dying off but new growth will be green. If you are not seeing any new green growth, the reduction in ammonia/ ammonium and nitrates can be the cause. The plants aren't getting enough to eat. So if you are not seeing any new growth, consider adding some plant food to the aquarium.

 

[Jacky12]

Those sponge filters definitely need to be cleaned. The pores will become clogged and they won’t function very well. Fortunately, they are easy to clean. Many people use the tank water they came from but I condition tapwater and use that instead.

 

[lonksenopa]

Those sponge filters definitely need to be cleaned. The pores will become clogged and they won’t function very well. Fortunately, they are easy to clean. Many people use the tank water they came from but I condition tapwater and use that instead.

I cleaned out the sponge filter a few days ago and still no change I'm not sure why I can't get the ammonia readings down to 0 especially since all of the other parameters have remained consistent. It's a 10 gallon with just a female Betta so I'm not sure what's going on

 

[Jacky12]

I once had a sponge in a small 10 gal. QT tank. The ammonia rose to the level where I had to change the water once or twice a day. my theory is that some of the beneficial bacteria had died in the sponge filter and were releasing ammonia. Only thing I could think of was to do multiple water changes until it dropped and it did indeed.

 

[lonksenopa]

How long did it take? I've been doing a 25-50% change everyday and so far no changes

 

[Jacky12]

Not sure, it was a few years back. Less than a week. I took a cycled sponge from another tank, rinsed it & set it up in the other tank for new incoming fish. I think it sat too long without a food source & the good bacteria were dying. I have no way of confirming this, it’s just my best guess. So I did many water changes & monitored the level with a API test kit.

 

[Andy Sager]

eHow long did it take? I've been doing a 25-50% change everyday and so far no changes

Without trying to sound mean or sarcastic, it takes as long as it takes because tanks are not the same. You are dealing with a living organism that has requirements for optimal growth while being able to grow, at a slower rate, at less than optimal conditions. Just keep up wit the water changes. The fish will do better with them anyway.