airstones/sponge filters

[nzac]

Due to recent events I want to ask those of you that know more than I.
Do you think airstones/air driven sponge filters are ok for use with puffers?
Do any of you run airstones/air driven sponge filters on your puffer tanks?
I actually just removed the airstone from the tank my new abei is in just in case. There is still plenty of surface movement, I believe, for a single puffer but I would much rather have the air running as well.

I run them in a few other tanks and have used them for years but as of yesterday am a little leery of running one in a puffer tank(not sure if it played a role or not).

[G S P Freak]

They're the most inefficient type of filter I've encountered, though they have certain applications. I'd definitely reccomend something motor-driven for a puffer though (even dwarfs), with a decent gph rate (around 10X is optimal). Why? Well first off - efficiency, they pick up more crap (no pun intended).. second - the surface area for bacteria is greater in a motor-driven filter, and third - circulation prevents water from becoming stagnant in "dead spots" where waste may accumulate. Overall A HOB or canister filter is your best bet for a freshwater puffer. Saltwater is a whole other world I'd rather not get into =P.

[nzac]

oh, no, no, no that would not be the total filtration although there really isn't much that beats a sponge filter for bio/cost of running, the picking up the crap does nothing really except allow people to wrongfully put-off their cleaning because its out of sight, they still keep the crap in the water, still causing the same pollution. I am a firm believer that bio filtration is what matters most, mechanical can be done while doing weekly waterchanges, and chemical is for removing meds only.
There are currently 2 ac20's or 30's(can't remember which at the moment) on the 15 gallon quarrantine tank. The air would just be an add-on.

[G S P Freak]

As an add-on it can't hurt, as long as you have proper flitration already in place (which you do). And if you regularly clean your filter, it shouldn't matter if you can see the waste or not, though most of us like to have our tanks looking nice, as well as maintaining good parameters.

[nzac]

My concern is about the "air bubbles" in the water and the puffer sucking them in. I run a combination of HoB's, cannisters, and added wavemakers on most of my 21 tanks I have a couple that I run on only sponges(fry/growout tanks).

[RTR]

All of my small fry first grow-out tanks are equipped with air-driven sponge filters only. IMHO & IME they are the only filters suitable for such fish. Most are based on the original Tetra Billi/Brilliant single and double filters, now manufactured by other firms. I have tried other techniques and these are IME the very best for such fish. The only adult fish used in such tanks have been DPs usd as breeders.

Inefficient? Not in my fish room. Irreplacable is a better term to me. I keep many spares to ensure that I have plenty for the rest of my life.