Sponge cleaning

[Kendra01]

Another question lol-- my sponge filter for my axolotl tank is looking quite dirty..... How would one go about cleaning it? Should I even clean it? I have a 40 gal sponge filter for my 20 gal axolotl tank. Thanks!

 

[MnGuy]

Put some tank water in a plastic bucket. Take your sponge, dunk it in the water and squeeze it out a few times. That's all you should do. Never clean a sponge filter with tap water; that will kill all the beneficial bacteria.

Sometimes there's plaque buildup inside the little plastic tube of the sponge filter that connects to the air hose. You can use a toothpick to chip away at it.

 

[Kendra01]

@MnGuy Thanks for the feedback! For a little clarification... I put the sponge in a bucket enough to submerge it and use water ONLY from the tank itself...? Do I put that water back in or should I do this process during my next water change? (In three days)

 

[MnGuy]

@MnGuy Thanks for the feedback! For a little clarification... I put the sponge in a bucket enough to submerge it and use water ONLY from the tank itself...? Do I put that water back in or should I do this process during my next water change? (In three days)

You should have at least enough water to full submerge it. That'll help clean it out. You can do this when you change your tank water -- siphon out the water, let the debris settle to the bottom and then just squeeze your sponge filter out in the top portion of the water, which will be cleaner.

Throw that water out once you're done. It's going to be full of debris from your sponge filter.

Yes, ONLY water from the tank.

 

[AMurry24537]

I clean out my sponge filters every time I do a water change (once a week). I take out about 30% of the water, use that to clean out the sponges, and then put the sponges back in.