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Tank: 29 gallons
Planted with anubias barteri, duckweed, java moss
Fauna: various cories, bristlenose plecos, male betta, peacock guedgons, a few kuhli loaches, and banjo cats


Here's my problem. I have an Aquaclear on this tank, and the sudden cleaning of said filter has left me with a problem: the current is too strong for the plants, whiplashing the duckweed layer into a snowstorm, plugging up the filter intake, and variously causing havoc. Twice a day, or more, I need to clean off the intake from the mass of duckweed.

Now since getting rid of duckweed entirely is nigh impossible, and the stuff is great for nitrate sucking up, I'm wondering of changing my AC filter over to getting two or three sponge filters in the tank instead. Admittedly they will also stir the duckweed blanket, but they shouldn't get clogged!

However, I have been told that sponge filters are bad for planted tanks. My 10 gallon cory breeding tank has two sponge filters and masses of duckweed and java moss, but I'd like input still. And has anyone run a well stocked tank long-term on sponge filters alone? My ACs usually only have sponges in them anyway; I don't use carbon or zeolite.

I have cherry shimp in some of my planted tanks... and the babies are very small. I use sponge filters on the intake of my Aquaclear to keep them from sucking up cherries. I also use a sponge filter over the intake of a whisper filter in a 5 gallon shrimp only tank. I clean the sponges every water change. I use Marineland Penguin Reverse Flow Sponges, they seems to work great.

I got rid of my duckweed by every few days collecting all I could find. It took a few weeks, but now I have no duck weed in my tanks, except the tank I want to have it in.

Cheers, Whitepine

What I am wondering though, is if having two or three sponge filters and plants in the tank will be enough filtration, as opposed to plants and the AquaClear on said tank now.

I love sponge filters! I think the only reason they are bad for planted tanks is when you are using CO2. I don't use CO2 and have live plants in all the tanks with sponge filters except for the oscar/jack dempsey tank. I especially like the sponge filters that Hagen sells because you can slide the sponge off for cleaning or to use to seed another tank.