Running pumps with or w/o sponge?

[Bugsy_Barboza]

Who runs their pump using the sponges or who doesn't use the sponges?

 

[Joeganja]

I use my sponge just in case. It doesn't hurt

 

[Joeganja]

If it's a circulation pump if you have an anemone then yeah but if you have nothing that will get up on there then no sponge. If it's a return or a feed line to anything then yeah it's always good

 

[redfishbluefish]

I have no sponges on any pumps.....on all powerheads and return/skimmer/biopellet/reactor pumps, Never had an issue...and that's with anemones.

 

[Salty1962]

Bad thing about sponges is you have to keep them cleaned out. They clog up quickly and are nitrate generators.

 

[Ebone]

I use prefilter on my return pump... I have 3 of them and rotate as needed.... my return section stays fairly clean however

 

[twilliard]

the only reason I use filters on my pumps is because I seem to raise trocious snails like crazy and the get sucked in without a sponge cloging everything up

 

[scardall]

Bad thing about sponges is you have to keep them cleaned out. They clog up quickly and are nitrate generators.

Yeah that's the set back and it bites, But I do it to protect the impeller mostly. I have sponges in my wet dry filter between the external return pump Bulkhead strainers and the rest of the WD filter. Knock on wood ,pump is 15+ years old and still has Original impeller too. A Gen-X pump that keeps on pumping. NO complaints here.

 

[twilliard]

Bad thing about sponges is you have to keep them cleaned out. They clog up quickly and are nitrate generators.

what if your tank is low in nitrates?

 

[Eckolancer]

I place a bunch of rubble rock around the return pump kinda acts like a sponge. About every month I rotate them around and place a few in the display tank to place the pods back in the display.