# Filtering a 24 x 12 x 12 - 15gal with air/sponge alone?



## mattstevens (Jun 17, 2009)

Hi,

Just a question regarding a breeding/separation for holding mother tank.

The the tank is the size listed above.

If you were using an air pump w/sponge filter only, what size air pump would you use?

Or, do you think this filtration type is insufficient for this size tank? If so, what would you use?

My main concern is limiting water circulation/movement in the tank as I understand the fry don't deal so well with strong currents.

Thanks in advance,
Matt


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Filter sponges alone would work great for a tank like this. I like to oversize the pump and bleed some off if needed using air valves and tees, etc. You never know when you're going to add another tank and could use the extra air. The price difference from upsizing usually isn't that significant.


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## mattstevens (Jun 17, 2009)

Ok, well I kind of have no idea how much output the pump should have? Any ballpark figures for me to aim at?


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Take a look at these. Often hobby pumps are rated by recommended tank size or number of air devices and depth. I'd go with something like the Whisper 100 because it's not that much more than the smallest one. The Whisper 20 for a 20 gallon would probably do fine, but like I said, I'd get the 100 for the extra $12.

When you get up into the central air pumps for fish rooms, then they start with the LPM @ PSI ratings. But, these are obviously overkill for what you need. And really, those types of ratings aren't helpful to most. The number of air devices that it'll handle is what you should look for. If they give devices at certain depths, even better. You'll need one to drive two devices at about 12" depth. Almost any hobby pump out there will handle that.

I'd recommend that you check the reviews section here before buying.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

I run sponge filters on all my smaller tanks, ranging from 5.5 gallons to 40 gallons. The 40 gallon utilizes a powerhead to really move the water (due to the higher water volume). They all support huge colonies of bacteria, and do a better job of bio filtration than HOBs IMO. For a 15 gallon tank, you'd be fine with a sponge filter running off air.

I would also second what Prov said...generally the price difference is very tiny to upgrade to a bigger air pump, and it is always nice to have the option to run a T connector or gang valves to split up the air.


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## mattstevens (Jun 17, 2009)

Thanks for the info guys.

Vaypourus - when you say you use a powerhead to move water around are you meaning a powerhead driving a sponge filter, or do you mean you use an air driven sponge filter and also a powerhead just to move water around the tank?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *mattstevens*,

I have a 24"x12"x12" tank that I use as a grow out tank. I breed dwarf SA cichlids so I only need a small tank for grow out purposes.

Anyway, I use an Eheim 3704 air pump to run two Eheim spunge filters in my 15 gallon tank.


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## vaypourus (May 20, 2008)

I have a hagen 301 powerhead running an ATI Hydro-Sponge V. I went to Lowes and rigged up a couple PVC fittings to connect the sponge filter to the powerhead input.

Jehmco has some really cool ATI units with powerheads connected directly to them.

http://www.jehmco.com/html/hydro-sponge_filters.html

They are a great deal. For that price, you can't buy a sponge filter and a powerhead separately for less money. My setup with powerhead, sponge filter, and PVC ran me about $35 w/ shipping.


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