Huey Hung Filters

[mlgt]

Has anyone had experience with these filters?

Im kinda torn at the moment, I have an Eheim 2217 filter and internal Juwel filter inside my 180l tank. The Eheim has a spray bar attached to it currently.
My friend suggested that I abandoned both filters and install a Huey Hung sponge filter.

My tank consists of 25 cardinals, 2 rams, 10 corys and 1 discus. Its a low tech set up and has plants within it.

However his knowledge is based on keeping discus fish as I know they prefer less disturbance in the water.

He commented on this because I was sourcing a more powerful filter as my Eheim 2217 I felt wasnt giving me enough over flitration as some people have mentioned.

What are your views or experiences with the HH Filters?

 

[Steve Smith]

I honestly don't think the sponge filter would be suitable. We like to have a reasonable amount of flow in our tanks to get nutrients and CO2 all over the tank, to all plants. A sponge filter uses air bubbles to draw water through the sponge as I understand it. You would have a serious drop in flow in my opinion, and I don't really see how a sponge filter can give you as much mechanical and biological filtration as your current setup.

If you think that you'd be replacing your biological media where your good bacteria lives and your mechanical filtration that filters out the detritus - two separate processes handled by two separate things - with a single lump of sponge... As I say, I can't see it being any advantage, and more likely a disadvantage.

Just my thoughts

 

[mlgt]

No thats fine. Thats my opinion as well.

But I guess it works for the discus fish as long as you do the water changes etc.

He also commented that the spray bar was wasting away my plants because of too much surface agitation.

I dont usually dose my plants with any ferts, but I will trial it during December to see any changes in my plants.

On another note, what types of filters can you suggest if I wanted to upgrade my external filter and remove my internal?

 

[Steve Smith]

For a fully planted tank with CO2 and fertilisation, the trend is for 10x turnover. You can achieve this with a filter that can do literally that (so in your case rated at 1800lph or higher) or with a filter and power heads. It's really about the flow and distribution of CO2 and nutrients around the entire tank

Eheim and Tetra are always good places to start, but SuperFish aren't bad filters, as well as the JBL Crystal Profi series.

 

[mlgt]

Luckily mine isnt high tech for now.

Im thinking of trialing dry ferts for now and then later if I am feeling richer I will try co2 with LondonDragons help LOL.

Im off to Thailand for my honeymoon so maybe come across some cheap filters and fishes out there

 

[Ed Seeley]

You need to separate out the two functions filters perform in our tanks.

Air powered sponge filters will process fish waste in most tanks perfectly adequately (I use them on a number of tanks). They won't remove large amounts of debris or move lots of water around though.

However in a planted tank the filter also contributes to the flow rate. This isn't filtration though - it's water movement - and could be performed by any pump separately.

We all tend to have more media in our tanks (especially with oversized filters) than we actually need in our filters. I've seen breeders and even a former cichlid shop where almost all the filtration in every tank was by air powered sponge filters in pretty heavily stocked tanks and the fish did great in both set ups.

 

[roadmaster]

Could always attach a powerhead to the sponge filter. Have done so in tanks containing loaches,catfish ,and plecos for a few years now. I would think they would provide current as well in this way.

 

[mlgt]

It is an interesting discussion, I always tend to see sponge filters in breeding tanks and for discus fish as its usually better for less water disturbance and also less likely to suck the fry into the external filter.

Im in two minds over this as I have the oppurtunity to try a huey hung filter plus air pump for free but unsure of stripping my external from my tank and removing the internal filter to trial this.

If in a planted tank a sponge filter how will this affect growth? I always assumed water movement = good, as I have a spray bar which generally promotes good water movement to the plants below.

Im hoping someone can answer my (probably noobish) questions and I can decide over the next weekend

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I use sponge filtered powerheads on my smaller tanks (2'). I started using Huey Hung sponges, but when I had a think about it I realised that any large aquarium sponge block would do, I also prefer the ppi10 and ppi20 sponges rather than the fine pored ppi30 ones. I now buy black "Kettering Koi" 12" x 4" x 4" sponge block (about £10) and use these on a maxijet 600 powerhead, just cut them to the size you want and fix them to the strainer with a cable tie (or you can drill a bit of tubing with holes). If you want them to sit on the bottom, you can silicon a glazed tile onto the base of the sponge. I usually have 2 per tank, but that is overkill really, it just gives me a spare sponge filter if I need one.
I have also used Hamburg Matten Filters with Poret foam, and one I've sourced some more Poret I will go back to these.

All these sponge filters have the advantage of being very low maintenance (just a good squeeze every month) and offering a large amount of biological filtration. They are also much easier to hide than you might imagine, I just place them in a back corner, and screen them off with some java ferns and moss planted on bamboo canes, but any planted branched wood would do for those who are more aesthetically inclined, and you can also plant the tops of the filters (Xmas tree moss is good for this, but you could use any small leaved plant). I also let mine grow a good covering of "biofilm", but that might not appeal to everyone.

cheers Darrel