Elite Sponge Filter

This is a great little sponge filter; I'm using mine in a little 5 gallon and it works great. It does take up about 1/3, maybe 1/4 of the tank, I see this filter more suited to a 10 gallon +. I bought this filter for my fry tank and it has done a great job, I've actually just ordered another one as supplemental filtration for another tank and would definitely recommend it if you need a basic sponge filter.

I bought several of these to add to tanks where I was having tank-cycling issues (due to lack of a stable bio-media in my HOB filters, I believe). After much research, it seems that many fish enthusiasts insist on added sponge filters for stability. There were actually not many brands that I could find, nor recommendations. I decided to try these in combination with my HOB filters and I am glad I did... I now have no more cycling issues in any tank that has one of these. These are suitable for 10-gallons and up (I do not think that they would fit in a rectangular 5-gallon)... though I would get the double sponge filter for overstocked tanks. As for maintenance, I only have to squeeze out the organic matter from the sponge once a month in the bucket with the siphoned water from the tank during a regular cleaning. I would guess that the sponges will need to be changed at least once a year as they are already much softer than when they were installed.

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This is a great bio and mechanical filter for the small tank. You just attach this to your air pump and stick it to the side and you'll get aeration, mechanical and biofiltration. And the suction is strong too, I could literally see debris get sucked into the foam filters.

The only drawback is the noise, it's the noise of air and water exiting the top tube. It's noisy whether you put the outlet above or below the water; it's a little quieter above the water, but still noisy. It's a design flaw to leave an outlet just like that. But if you have a loud environment maybe it won't bother you that much.

I'm planning to put stick a diffuser of some sort on it, it can be as simple as 1/2" tubing with a lot of little holes drilled in it and they should have designed something just like that.

But apart from that it's pretty good, works well and is inexpensive!

Update: I've now stuck a DIY moving bed filter to the outlet end and I'm happy with the noise level now. Overall, I'm extremely happy with this product and the price.

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The filter itself is working well. It is run by a very simple principle so much so that some people wonder how this simple sponges, tubes, and air bubbles actually filter water. However, this system works for both mechanical filtration (debris filtered) and biological (by beneficial bacterial living in the sponge).

However, because of the inverted L outflow tube, it makes bubble noise. But you can take it off, and the filter still sucks water through the sponges.

If you want a simple filtration system, this is a very good option. You might look into ATI Hydro Sponge Filters if you want a straight standing design sponge filter. I have used both Elite Sponge filters and Hydro Sponge filters. They are all working fine. Hydro filters are fatter but standing on the bottom without suction cups. Elite filters are placed on the aquarium wall. When you clean the tank glass, Hydro is easier. But if you want to utilize all the bottle space (ex. for plants), Elite sponge would be more useful.

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I was skeptical about sponge filters but this one has been keeping my water in great shape. This filter works great for this tank because Apistogrammas do no like flow.

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