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Pauline - I have been using this Marineland Sponge filter for years.  We tried several others over a period of several months, this way the only one that could keep up with amount of waste generated by our turtle.  I have noticed it in many pet store tanks.  A plus is that it is easy to clean.  Remove it from the tank and take it to a house or bathtub, take it apart and wash everything, wash the sponge, put it back together.  It takes about 10 minutes.  We have to replace ours once or twice a year, because the motor seems to burn out.  That is my only complaint.  But it's possible it would last longer if we cleaned it more often.

mndiggler - Had this Marineland sponge filter for 3+ years and am now just looking for a replacement sponge. The filter is still going strong in my 70 gal tank with 4 turtles. I do have a 2nd filter, a whisper 60 power filter, but the penguin does most of the filtering...

iamawesome - I've had one of these Marineland sponge filters in my turtle tank for the past 4 years, and it just broke down today. It's such an awesome filter. It keeps the water clean and clear, and I'm gonna buy another one and hope it lasts another 4 years.

ir-nm - I really like the Biofoam Single Sponge Fllter. My small pets are protected by the sponge from getting caught in the filter; the sponge is also good for breeding beneficial bacteria.  Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

diggler - Biofoam sponge is very good and compact shape comparing other brand. suction cup is big and strong. biological function still not proved..but as time goes, I may figure out how it is working. Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.

Ronald Russell - Hydro Sponge.  Most aquarium filters now use a motor to force water through some kind of filter pad which must be replaced at intervals. However, before there were reliably sealed electric motors, most home aquariums moved water using the "airlift" principle, in which a rising column of bubbles pulled water through the filtering material. This is an elegant and just about failsafe method. Debris in the tank cannot ever jam the external air pump which feeds the filter, and if electricity is interrupted, the filter cannot lose siphon, it simply starts bubbling again when power is restored to the air pump. Many fish love to play in the rising stream of bubbles.

Hydro Sponge III is intended for aquariums up to 30 gallons. Made of dense, strong plastic with a weighted base which holds the sponge up away from the aquarium bottom, they dismantle easily for cleaning of the sponge. The pores within the sponge provides an enormous surface area for colonization by beneficial bacteria providing very thorough biological filtration. They can be powered by an air pump with or without an airstone (using an airstone will give finer bubbles and make less noise), or with an electric powerhead for those with larger tanks or who simply feel the need for more energetic water movement.

It is difficult to imagine such a simple device working well. Surprisingly, they are excellent, and can be used as the only filter in the tank for many applications. I've used them on tanks sized from 10 gallons up to 75 gallons, always with good results. The local fish store where I shop has an expensive trickle filter for their dozens of tanks, and every single freshwater tank also has a Hyrdo Sponge or similar sponge filter as well. Apparantly the sponge is doing something which the trickle filter doesn't?

Maintainence is as simple as the filter. When you perform your periodic aquarium water change, (20% every week) save some of the old water in a bucket. Separate the top and bottom parts of the filter and remove the sponge from the tank. Squeeze it out in the bucket. See all the stuff which the sponge removed from the water? Reinstall the sponge and refill your tank. Go have dinner with the money you saved not purchasing replacement filter cartridges.  In sum, a clever and elegantly simple device which works very well.

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