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Should I get rid of my filter?

Ags11

Member
Joined
9 Sep 2020
Messages
99
Location
Netherlands
I have a 30 cm cube tank with a small sponge filter. I clean the filter once a month but it doesn't seem to collect anything. In my old tanks from the early 2000's the filter would get full of sludge in a couple of weeks, but this little filter just feels like sponge and no dirt comes out in the cleaning bucket. Possibly the flow is not enough and the filter is surrounded by thick grass that probably intercepts most dirt.

The airstone built into the sponge filter isn't very good and the bubbles are quite coarse. I am thinking of replacing the entire filter with a good airstone. I suspect that the lush growth in the tank including rampant surface plants would provide enough biological filtration.

The tank is stocked with 5 CPDs and two Nerites. I do 40% water change every week.

Attaching two pictures of the tank - once when it started showing the little filter unit and another showing the current level of plant growth.

img_20200911_174444263-jpg.jpg


20201218_194310-jpg.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks - nice to know my tank is in complete oxidation (I am assuming it is a good thing). I never got plants thriving in my earlier tanks, so that explains the sticky goo in my old filters.
I may look at buying or making a filter with a better airstone.
 
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