Sponge vs HOB

[kaikoga]

I have a 40gal tank that isnt being used and I was planning on starting a fishless cycle very soon so that I can move my axolotls over to it. However, I can't decide whether to use a sponge filter or a HOB filter. I've heard great things about sponge filters, that they're cheap and efficient, and I've even see some people say that sponge filters have increased their axolotls gill size and health. However, I've also seen people say sponge filters should only be used in smaller tanks or in conjunction with a different filter.

What are your experiences with sponge filters vs HOB filters? Are large sponge filters appropriate for a tank of this size?

 

[birdsong]

We'll sponge filters work very well for low bio load tanks while overstocked tanks probably need some carbon . You can always just use filter floss on a hob filter .

 

[allied123]

From what I've understood about carbon I'm not sure I feel the same about the carbon recommendation? Carbon really doesn't do anything for the tank except with a bit of water clearity and to remove medication. It also needs to be completely replaced every few weeks which probably wouldn't affect the cycle because you would have a lot of bacteria in the rest of your media but it would get expensive. I think the real difference is the mechanical filtration and I'm not sure the needs would be met with a sponge filter. Personally I'm in the same boat that I have an HOB filter (with only filter sponge and a bg of ceramic media) but would love to get a sponge filter for my next tank so I'd love to hear someone tell you some more information

And I could be totally wrong about the carbon but that was just what I've understood from everything I've read here, and please don't take offense birdsong!

 

[Bette]

Here is an example of my sponge filter experience.... one of my tanks is a 30 gallon long with 2 Ati pro hydro sponge filters. I currently house 4 adult axolotls in the tank and have a very healthy tank. But mind you, I always do a weekly water change of about 25%.
(Everyone should already be doing weekly water changes.) I also like how I can easily keep floating plants in the tank because of almost no water disturbance.
All of my axolotl tanks have only sponge filters.

 

[birdsong]

Carbon removes all chemicals in a tank . Including those produced by fish and salamander waste . My recommendation was to fill HOB media cavity with filter floss or some type of reusable media essentially turning it into a mechanical sponge filter increasing its efficiency . Also you can do a combo of a sponge pre filter on an HOB intake with some type of reusable media effectively doubling its filtration via beneficial bacteria colonization . My humble opinion is to have as much filtration as possible even if it over exceeds the tank requirements. Especially in axolotl tanks where some people use bare bottom set ups where they eliminate the surface area of gravel and or sand for bacteria colonization . To sum it all up an HOB filter is much more customizable and versatile so is the better choice . Imho