A number of people have asked where you can purchase sponge filters. Here is an affiliate link: bit.ly/2CH8Uiz Want to learn more about filtration? Check out these awesome videos! Everything You Need to Know About Sponge Filters: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r7eDfJBk17vXeac.html Matten FIlter vs Sponge FIlter: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q5l8fJSAm9bTlGw.html UGF vs Sponge Filter: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g5iqkqSHt960nWg.html HOB vs Canister Filter: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oJlmf6qIvpnOaXU.html If you want to see more behind the scenes stuff, exclusive videos and support the channel consider becoming a member! kzfaq.info/love/YVN7EN0ALL6CE4U7NpMUTAjoin Also, our new shirts can be found at: www.primetimeaquatics.com/merch For the latest in the fish room check us out on Instagram primetime_aquatics

My husband bought me a goldfish 5 years ago, we now have 17 tanks and breeding fish is now my hobby. I use sponge filters in all of my tanks with the exception of a few show tanks we have in our dining room and living room in which case I use both. It’s easy to “hide” sponge filters in planted tanks and the benefits they offer are priceless.

Sponge filters are probably the greatest and most unnoticed work horses ever!

use them both together , and you will have a lovely clean tank

Thanks!! You just helped me a lot!! with the better perfection of water clarity with hang on back filters. Basically I almost went fully sponges and thereby determined to ditch my hob filter! But water beauty is really at top of my list with aquatic design. Thanks you saved me trips and having to find out myself. Kudos ! keep it up.

I use both: I like the flexibility with media that the Aquaclears give me, but, if I had a large fish room, I'd go with sponges and an air pump, too.

I use sponge filters in all my tanks except the really big ones. Great job explaining the differences and pro's & con's!

Thank you so much sir thanos of tankworld, i felt like i studied biology when i watch ur vids. Cool stuff everything

Okay, I thought I had enough channels to follow. Silly me. Great video! No bias, just the facts. New subscriber. Like just now. Thank you, because I am on disability, I have to rub the face off of every penny I spend. Y'all helped me make the right decision for my Bettas I will be getting. Bless you!

Nice job - great info. Will be waiting for info on canister filters.

Excellent vid! Enjoyed watching! Thank you for sharing!

Great video. As somebody who’s used Marineland Emperor filters for about 20 years, I’ve been slowly switching to sponges on my smaller tanks and as second filters to my larger tanks. I will say, the Tetra whisper air pumps are the QUIETEST, they don’t run off your stand, and would highly recommend those for sponge filters.

Hi, Thanks for this video. I'm getting back into tanks, AND researching all the different types of filtration etc. I am a retired zoo keeper, AND really enjoy breeding animals. To prevent fry from being sucked up, I guess the sponge would be best, then use HOB on larger tanks, or combine. You explained this so great....! Cause it gets confusing. I'm 69 yrs young LOL, but technology is going very fast....even in the aquarium world. Keep up the GREAT videos, IM a new subscriber....All the Best....Ron Shook

Your videos are fantastic. I really appreciate the preparation and editing - great cadence and smooth, logical progression. A real pleasure to listen to. I run H.O.B. on my carnivore tank for (as you mentioned) better mechanical filtration. Otherwise, sponge, every time.

Wow! What an excellent and precise explanation between the pros and cons of both sponge filters vs power filters. Very informative and the presentation was easy to understand. Thank you!

Gosh I love all your videos so informative. Thank you for teaching us that are new to fish keeping and to some novelists always can learn something new.

another outstanding video I think I have used every type of filtration out there at one point or another.

I use a hang on back filter smaller than you’re example,and I found it was inadequate so I moved a double heeded sponge filter into my 11l nano tank and the water quality is a lot better

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Brand new sub, and I was just given the "go ahead" for my upcoming birthday to get another, larger tank (50 gal or so). This was very informative. I am using HOB filters in my existing two 10s and one 20 and love them. I was basically unaware of sponge filters so when I ran across this video I immediately watched it. I don't plan to do any breeding, so will stick with the HOBs for the reasons you stated - mainly look better, and keep the water crystal clear. I'm using Fluval and have no problems keeping them maintained. I will be following this channel for sure. The more information I gather, the better. Again, thank you!

Very impressed with the clarity with which you convey your knowledge.Much appreciated and warm greetings from New Zealand.

HOB filters work great. I recommend changing out the cartridges and insert your own media, filter floss etc. Also a sponge on the intake hot-rods the filter extending the time between maintenance

very well explained we love the spongebob filters i like those better than the hangy backs thanks!

Love your videos! Simple, to the point and very informative. I can't wait to get another tank lol. I'm trying out aquaponics for the first time.. I'm a gardener/plant collector in florida and I love the beautiful life that you can create underwater. So peaceful and shows you how much beauty is really out there

Thanks for sharing this information. I've been using both types of filtration together for years and it has worked out great. I use AquaClear HOTB filters as I like being able to swap out any media I choose to use in these filters. Sponge filters are great too, I use them in all of my tanks. One added benefit of a sponge filter is if you have a power outage you can simply hook them up to a battery operated air pump. This will have many benefits, it helps keep beneficial bacteria going along with adding air to your tank plus the bubbles will create some surface agitation so your tank remains nicely oxygenated. Sponge filters are cheap and very beneficial !

I've used AquaClear HOB for more than 10yrs, absolutely prefer them the best, I often times run with undersized or no carbon depending on my tank and add more sponger or biological matter to the filter. I also keep live plants in my tanks to help keep the tank going well. I definitely see the upside in the sponge filter though now. I would only use it in the case where I would be running multiples of tanks and HOB would be a huge investment.

I use them both in the same tank, they work well together, and I do put sponge around the intake of the hang on back filter.

Keep up the great work! Thank you for the videos and awesome content, editing, and thoughtfulness!!!

Thank you for explaining how sponge filters work. I'm currently planning my future 45-50 gallon puffer aquarium and this really helped!

I have an Aquaclear 500 (they changed the name to 110 at some point) that has been running for 17+ years. It was $25 new. Now they are $75, lol

Very cool video.i agree to use Spong filters if you have lots of tanks. But for me in my small fishroom.only Aquaclear 70, or 110. You allso get mutch more water movement compared to a Spong.the Aquaclears come w a Spong inside plus bio media & carbon.or whatever your heart desires.

I needed this tonight. As I look to add a tank or two I now know that I want to stick to the hang on the back filters. Had thought about sponge for the cost, but I like crystal clear water. Thank you Jason and a great job as usual. Not many explain things in the same detail that you do.

Very informative, thank you!

IMO, HOBs are the better choice. Not only do they look better and do not take a lot of space inside the tank but they are also very customisable and provide a good flow in the tank. And as you mentioned, there really is no comparison when it comes to chemical and mechanical filteration. HOB for the win!!!

Great video man! I love sponge filters for extra filtration in a breeder/growout tank. It’s definitely a cheaper source of filtration👌🏻

Love your channel, when ever I have a fish question you always pop up!

Perfect video was slightly confused by the two you've have cleared it up well

Thanks a lot .helpful video i have a aquaclear filter and it's doing a great job but why not add a sponge filter .having both would be even better .

I certaintly prefer hob because it is so customizable and the returning of the water is so peaceful in my opinion. I also like on a hob you can keep some pothos in the filtering compartment, that does wonders for the tank and look really cool.

Nice job Jason, I use sponge filters for all my tanks!

Thanks so much for this information. Very informative. I think sponge filters were so new to many of us we were hesitant to use. As it relates to cosmetics, I think an HOB is great however for utility purposes for breeding, I definitely think sponge is ideal.

I just put a $2 sponge on the intake of my aquaclear. It keeps the crap from going up into the filter and clogging it, plus it helps filter out a lot of the gross stuff so the media in my hob doesnt get clogged up and i dont have to clean it out as often.

Nice Video Jason. I use both, but because of economy in the fishroom, all of those tanks run on sponges and one central pump.

Excellent video and information, just bought my first 20 gallon aquarium and setting it up in my office. Thank you for your videos.

Great Post! You got my attention. Enjoyed watching. Thank you for sharing! I subscribed, and put notifications on!

I've never tried sponge filter. I've used the whisper filter and hang on the back top fin. I have tanks with bettas

Sponge filter fish trap solution... buy long pieces of lift tube and cut to match water water level of tank. Nosey small plecos, loaches, etc., won't be swimming down the the tube. PLUS, the longer the bubbles confined in the tube, the more pull of water up and hence through sponge. If you're old enough, think about the under gravel filters that used to be standard. You did not see the lift tubes be only 1/3rd up the water column. Finally, use a small piece of airline tube on the bottom of the airline attachment piece, to hang a noclog airstone inside the sponge. More bubbles rushing up the tube, pulling more water through the sponge and more water circulation. Just a few hacks I use on my sponge filters and I combo sponge/hob filter my tanks. Except a 10g with a single male beta which gets a sponge only and some Pothos cuttings using nitrates up. Speaking of plants, I vacuum gravel into a 5g bucket, rinse out sponges (and rinse HOB filter pads), then fill milk jugs and save for house plants. Summer... tank water goes to container plants outside, roses and/or veggies. Plants will love you for it AND no other fertilizer required. Organic, recycled, goodness. I know of a guy who took a cannabis from seed to harvest outside in a 3 gal container on nothing but aquarium water and it was rather astounding.

Just ordered my first sponge filter to complement my Cascade 1000 canister in my 75 gallon. I love the option of chemical filtration when wanted or needed

I just got my first sponge filter and am so happy. The water is much clearer and fish seem to like it with the amount of air bubbles. The problem with hang on the back filters is the amount of maintenance and expense. Right now I only have two tanks, a 15 and a 37. My fifty gallon is not at the time set up but will soon and will get a sponge filter for it. I think the look of the sponge is not pleasing but can be dressed up with plants, real, and some nicely placed rocks and or wood. I really appreciate your helpful video.

A lot of my tanks have both. The extra filtration from the sponge that is tied into aeration seems like to much of a win/win to skip.

Use sponge filter and use nylon over tube so no fish can go into tube. Same with over intakes of filters. Not only does it cover the larger holes fish can enter in; it also holds algae and beneficial bacteria as well

Thank u, very informative

Thank you for the clarification on the two filters.

I use both, but really don't like the way the sponge looks in the tank. But then again I still use the old UG filters too.

I have my aquaclear hob's filled with bio-sponge material (and often a coarse sponge pre-filter on the intake tube, making them HOB sponge filters. :-)

Nice vid I loved it now my cruise ships have lots of nice aquarium

Great video! So informative!

Great video. Personally, I like HOB filters best (Aqua clear). I also have a question, what camera did you use to record this video with? The quality is fantastic!

I use sponges, HOBs, and a canister. The main thing with HOBs, in my opinion, is to avoid the cartridge based ones. I swapped out my marinelands for aquaclears for that reason.

Love your videos. I’ve wanted a fish tank for sometime, and your videos give me confidence that I can manage one. I’d love to have live plants in a nice little 20-29 gallon community tank.

Also I use the Marineland brand with the bio-wheel. They work great. The filters that go into the back of the filters have charcoal in them. After that wears out I remove the blue filter material and replace it with no woven filter pad by sizing and gluing it on with hot glue. To clean it all one has to do is to spray a high pressure source of water and it will clear the pores in it. It really keeps the water clear. I use a variety of sizes of filter pads to replace the blue on the original, from 50 to 300 microns.

Aquaclear 110's are $149 here...I use both sponges and HOB's..also like hamburg matten Filters.

Ive never used either one. I use under gravel filters and canisters.

I watch a lot of your videos and you are an excellent teacher!

Nice presentation. I use a canister filter on my 75g Cichlid tank, hob filters on my 55g Angelfish tank and on my 29g quarantine tank. I use sponge filters on my breeding tanks. All are very useful. I like that you didn't beat up or put down either of the options as they are all practical depending on your setups.

put a sponge on the intake of a HoB :)

I think what the subject really is about is how anyone can run a multi-dollar business of selling multi-numbered fishes with the least amount of cost to your business expenses by running the bare amount of equipment to get by without losing a lot of fish before they go to market...IE it doesn't make sense to spend millions of dollars providing for a product when the product is only worth the fraction of the expense...Sooooo in a business setting yes sponge filters with a central air pump would be the best way to go expense-wise and pray the fish sells quickly but at home in an aquarium made for the fish to live in multiple filters would be the bomb diggity for that fish or fishes for several years to come. great vid Prime Time Aquatics and big thumbs up for the comparisons, for all you other people start out with what ye can afford and raise the bar more as time goes on, more is better but we are all not millionaires but would like to be, LOL. Fish More and Have More Tanks...Tanks Prime Time Aquatics.

I have recently learned of sponge filters and now run a small sponge filter along with my hang-on filter. I have a 75 gallon African Cichlid tank and seemed to always have an ammonia issue. Was never terrible, but higher than I wanted. I also used to have a slightly cloudy bacteria bloom. Since I have ran both filters, both issues have been eliminated. The sponge filter has definitely added an additional benefit for the tank. Thanks for the video.

Great info. Ty!!

Sponge all the way!

Thank you i’m going spongey 😂

Good video! It is noteworthy in my experiments with sponge filters over the last few decades that not all sponge material is the same. Many of the Chinese models hold only about ¼ to 1/3 the organics of the better sponge material such as the AAP Hydro Sponge Filters. Also as per mechanical filtration the AAP Hydro Sponge Combo filter utilize both the fine and coarse sponge filter media and provide better over all mechanical filtration and bio filtration without clogging. These sponge combos with the PRO and standard media will easily go head to head with most HOB filters. Even the PRO Hydro Sponge Filter by itself will do better when there is more larger organics in the water column with large fish such as Oscars (although these are not as good by themselves with small particulates)

Thank you for the awesome video! I learned a lot 👍

Thanos?

For aquascape/planted tanks HOB for aesthetics. I don't see where a sponge has an advantage in regards to maintenance. Pulling a sponge from a tank can cause a cloud of detritus in the water. Using Aquarium co-ops method of putting the sponge in a fish bag before removal is more work and cumbersome. Otherwise agree with your other points.

thanks for sharing great vid man... 👍 very well defined

Thank you, very well put and completely unbiased.

Nice video 👍 thank you for sharing 🙏

I 1st found a small sponge filter at the local fish shop and I was running an airstone anyways that I kept having to replace..Generally things like that seem overpriced in a fish store but it seemed fair and sounded like it worked well in the description so I figured why not,air stones are cheap but everything adds up.I could tell when I rinsed them in the water during tank changes they really did a lot besides adding air to the tank.The Tetra pump I got in some kit at some point got loud and weak so I ended up getting a pump off Amazon that could drive two of them.They are black so you barely see them with a dark background , even if they were grey I wouldn't mind because they work so well.Even after water changes my water is crystal clear in a very short time :)

I needed this video, thanks!

Thank you, you have answered all my questions.

Awesome video! I love sponge filters ✊🏻

This video and the previous one comparing canisters were so helpful! I am upgrading to a 65 gal and was concerned that I may need to change my filtration habit (I've used only HOBs and really like them), but I see that I don't really have to go to canister. I think I will stick to what I'm most comfortable with for now, the HOBs. I'd rather feel confident in what I am doing with a new tank, then anxious and unsure. Thanks again!

Nice video! Great information. I use both types of filters. Subbed to your channel

A very informative video! Thank you!

I love sponge filters, especially for people who are just getting started because they are dead nuts simple. There isn’t many things you can say “get this, put it in your tank and your fish will do better” and sponge filters are one of them. I keep one running in my sump at all times in case I need to quickly set up a tank for whatever reason, their utility as an instant cycle filter is awesome. My experience with hang on back filters is not the same. They rattle, gurgle, slurp, splash, they have expensive cartridges that always seem to get clogged up whenever you don’t have spares, necessitating a trip to the fish store to buy another, breaking them down and cleaning them is a chore. I would rather having that sponge filter working in a corner with a few bits of val in front of it than a hang on back. You take it out, you squeeze it in some tank water, you put it back. Simple and easy.

Thank you I will continue with water change. Thanks

Love your videos, keep up the work

Thank you!👍👋

Super helpful video. Thanks for your content

Wow!!! You know your stuff!!! Excellent!!! Thank You!!!

I use a simple rule in my home, display tank(s) get hidden HOB or cannisters. All other , sponge filters which are great for production and breeding. Excellent video, thanks

I like my hang on filter but they can be a hassle to clean, I've never been able to get in the pipe bends for example. I'm trying a sponge filter as they're highly recommended, and am considering placing a small aquaponic pot inside the HOB.

Thanks for the info Prime Time Aquatics I just started my and my son first aquarium and more to come later on. We are new to the fish life and we want to succeed thanks for videos like this to help.

thank you for your reply back awsome vids keep up the great work

I use sponge filters for all but one of my tanks (my nano reef) and ive used HOB’s from many different brands like tetra, aqueon, aqua clear, and marine land. But ive never had one last more than 5 years, so i tried sponge filters, and i love them! Ive been able to moddify them to some extent. So thats a big plus, and i have 2 large airpumps that have been with my dad for almost 10 years, and they haven’t failed on me yet. Compared to 1/2 of that by HOBs. Love the video!

Awesome info

Thank You, we are designing a fish room right now and the debate was over: Canister filters (our bigger tanks will stay with them), HOB filters, and as a last thought I saw this video and I was like well what about sponge filters? Well in short you came up with the answer. Use a large compressor, build PVC lines and drop lines from each one in to a tank. I remember as a kid (not about to say what decade lol) we had these clear box filters that had carbon, a tank floss, and not sure what else and they did the job well. This is back when a water change was "Oh the tank is getting low I should ad water" days. I think what I may do look at some DIY videos figure out what I should use for a great filtration design a clear plexi box and build it all based on that. I will need to do 30 of them so getting it right the first time is the most important part. lol Thank You again for the video and I subscribed and I will get to my happy hunting so I can start designing now.

Great video. I personally use hob filters and canisters, but I resently got a breeding pair of angel fish and was looking for another type of filtration. Sponge filters was the answer. They are good for the fry and allow a tube for the angels to lay there eggs on.

Very well done video! subbed

I’m coming back it the hobby. Your videos are informative . I like your fish profiles and tank set ups . I will be using a Fluval 50 with a pre filter from aquarium co-op for a 20 long .