How to clean a sponge filter without losing beneficial bacteria?
Take out the mechanical filtration media & wash it with fish tank water to wipe out any collected gunk. Avoid using tap water because it contains chlorine that will kill all good bacteria spread over the mechanical filtration media.
It is harder to clean fine sponge than coarse sponge because the former has small pores that collect more waste than the latter, & it takes more time to take out the gunk from the small pores of the fine sponge. If you do not regularly maintain your fine sponge, then there is a higher chance that the gunk will completely block the pores of the fine sponge, & will reduce its mechanical filtration efficiency. Sponge is very good for biological filtration too because it offers heaps of surface area for the growth of beneficial bacteria. Fine sponge offers slightly more surface area than coarse sponge due to its compact structure. If pores of the fine sponge are blocked, then it will stop water from flowing through the sponge, & will stop nutrients from reacting with the useful bacteria. For breaking down the waste, oxygen is required that upon interaction with ammonia, break it down into nitrites, & further into nitrates. Nitrates are not as harmful as nitrites, & nitrites are less harmful than ammonia. Fish can live with nitrates in the water; however, higher levels of nitrates are still toxic for the fish. For removal of nitrates, it is recommended to change partial water on a frequent basis. If the sponge is clogged, oxygen will not be able to reach the tiny pores containing microbes, & microbes will die. Remember, good bacteria only grows over the material, & they do not grow on the gunk. Therefore, it is recommended to clean your fine sponge regularly to save it from clogging. Coarse foam should be cleaned regularly too because its pores can be blocked if you stop maintenance. However, it is easy to clean the gunk collected by coarse foam compared to fine sponge. The frequency of cleaning filter media is based on multiple factors, such as the size of the filter, the quantity of filtration media, the number of fish in your tank, & the amount of food you offer your fish tank inhabitants.
Make sure you gently clean your
sponge with dechlorinated water as during the maintenance, you might lose heaps
of beneficial bacteria too. Add some aquarium water to the bucket. Gently
squeeze the sponge in the bucket water. The sponge will release the gunk in the
water. If bucket water gets dirty, then replace it with clean aquarium water.
Repeat the process until all gunk is removed, & the bucket water does not
change its colour.
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