Top 23 How To Hide A Sponge Filter All Answers

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Matte-black poster board offers a benefit. Many types of aquarium pumps and filters have black housings, so a black background can help camouflage them. Additionally, any type of backing on the back of the aquarium can hide any filters or wires behind the aquarium.Can You Turn Your Filter Off at Night? It is not a good idea to turn off your aquarium filter every night. The filter plays a key role in the health of your tank, and shutting it down for hours at a time can eventually lead to problems.

How to hide a sponge filter in your aquarium
  1. Buy a smaller sponge filter. …
  2. Position your sponge filter behind stem plants. …
  3. Hide it behind broad leaf plants. …
  4. Position your sponge filter behind a rock feature. …
  5. Position the sponge between two rocks. …
  6. Consider using a hang-on-the-back filter.

How can I hide my aquarium filter?

Matte-black poster board offers a benefit. Many types of aquarium pumps and filters have black housings, so a black background can help camouflage them. Additionally, any type of backing on the back of the aquarium can hide any filters or wires behind the aquarium.

Can you turn sponge filters off at night?

Can You Turn Your Filter Off at Night? It is not a good idea to turn off your aquarium filter every night. The filter plays a key role in the health of your tank, and shutting it down for hours at a time can eventually lead to problems.

How do you hide equipment in a fish tank?

Ideas for Hiding Equipment in an Aquarium
  1. Sump Filters. Saltwater tanks feature sump filters, also known as trickle filters, more often than their freshwater counterparts. …
  2. Aquarium Background. You can also use aquarium backgrounds to hide cords and hang-on filters. …
  3. Moss Wall. …
  4. Rockwork.

Do you need an air stone with a sponge filter?

Do I Need an Air Stone for Sponge Filters? An air stone is a small weighted accessory that diffuses the air from your air pump into smaller bubbles in the water. We recommend adding an air stone to the inside of the sponge filter to lessen the bubbling noise and make the filtration more efficient.

Does sponge filter clean fish poop?

As water passes through the sponge, it catches and traps debris, such as fish poop, uneaten food and decaying plants, filtering it from the water. Filtered water then passes through the lift tube and back into your tank.

Does sponge filter release oxygen?

Sponge filters do not increase an aquarium’s oxygen levels in the way you might think. A sponge filter’s bubble do not inject oxygen into the tank.

How often should you clean sponge filter?

Yes, a sponge filter helps to clean your aquarium, but it’s essentially like a trash can that collects waste and needs to be emptied out every once in a while. We recommend cleaning your sponge filter once a month or whenever you see a decrease in bubbles (which is caused by the foam getting clogged up with detritus).

Can fish survive overnight without a filter?

A fish live without a filter for a maximum of seven days and a minimum of three days. A filter helps clean the water over and over again, so the toxins in it don’t settle down.

Can fish hear filters?

The goldfish’s hearing was masked by all filter noise types and most affected at 0.1 and 0.3kHz by the external filter noise (threshold shifts of 15–19dB). Pond noise had no effect on the hearing threshold.

Should I turn off the bubbles in my fish tank at night?

Generally, fish should be able to sleep without being bothered by bubbles or water agitation created by air pumps. Besides, if you want, you can turn off your air pump at night, but make sure the filter continues to run, so it fulfills the required aeration in the aquarium.

How do I hide my aquarium heater?

Screens. With the right color choice a back screen can cover up heaters, filters and such, even if you do not have the possibility to hide the technology behind natural decoration materials. A black filter and heater combined with a black screen in the back of the tank form an optical unit due to having the same color.


HOW TO: Hide Sponge Filter in Nano Tank | Dennerle 30l Cube
HOW TO: Hide Sponge Filter in Nano Tank | Dennerle 30l Cube


How To Hide An Aquarium Sponge Filter (Plants, Rocks, More)

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How to hide a sponge filter in your aquarium

Does it matter where your sponge filter is positioned

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How to silence your sponge filter – YouTube

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How to Reduce Aquarium Filter Noise

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How To Hide An Aquarium Sponge Filter (Plants, Rocks, More)

Many freshwater fish keepers buy sponge filters because they are inexpensive and because of the benefits of added aquarium aeration. But as soon as they place their filter inside their tanks they become a little disappointed with how it looks.

It takes up space and contrasts the bright green of aquarium plants. Simply put – it’s an eyesore! This article provides a few techniques for easily hiding your sponge filter.

How to hide a sponge filter in your aquarium

The best way to hide an aquarium sponge filter is by buying a smaller size and simply cleaning it more frequently. The smaller size makes it much easier to hide amongst decorations. You can also hide it behind tall stem plants or medium-sized broad leaf plants, or by placing rocks or driftwood in front of it.

Buy a smaller sponge filter

A smaller sponge filter will obviously take up less space and be easier to hide in any aquarium. What you might not have considered is that your tank can use a smaller sized sponge filter than you probably think.

A smaller sponge will have less capacity to suck up dirt from the water column. But you can simply clean your sponge a little more frequently and get away with having a smaller one.

The size of the sponge does not change how much oxygen is added to your tank because all sponge filters are powered using your air pump, which is a separate device.

Position your sponge filter behind stem plants

The easiest method for hiding a sponge filter is by positioning it behind things in your tank. Stem plants are a great option because they grow tall and upright. What’s great is that they will easily cover both the spong itself and the airline tubing coming out of it.

Rotala rotundifolia and limnophila sessiliflora are a couple of our favorites. We’ve found that limnophila sessiliflora is especially easy to grow in low-tech tanks with low light.

One challenge with this option is that you will need to have background stem plants in front of your sponge filter. Some people might not like the look of taller plants in the mid-ground of their aquascape.

But there’s another solution if that’s an issue for you:

Hide it behind broad leaf plants

You can both hide your sponge filter and maintain aquascape depth by hiding your sponge behind mid-ground broad leaf plants. These plants will not grow to the full height of your tank, but will easily cover up your sponge with their broad leaves.

Anubias varieties are a great option.

Position your sponge filter behind a rock feature

Rocks are a great feature to place in front of your sponge filter because they look beautiful and enhance the aquascape. Similar to stem plants, the drawback is that you must move the rocks forward in the tank to allow the sponge to fit in behind.

This may not suit the look you’re trying to achieve and may make the tank feel a little cramped if there isn’t a lot of width from front to back.

Also, this will create a void of space behind the rocks where your fish and shrimp may hang out. This might cause you to see your fish less often.

Position the sponge between two rocks

If you’d like for your rock features to be at the back of your tank, then what you can do is hide your sponge filter in front of large background rocks but behind smaller mid-ground rocks.

This allows you to maintain depth in your aquascape while still hiding your sponge out of sight. You could consider getting a little creative and creating a volcano-like formation with your air bubble coming out the top.

You want to make sure the sponge filter is not too smothered so it can adequately filter the tank though.

Consider using a hang-on-the-back filter

If you’re really not happy with how the sponge filter is making your aquarium look then you can consider replacing it with a hang-on-the-back filter. This will sit along the rim of your tank, which is often a little less unsightly. But it frees up some more space inside your tank and allows your aquascape to stand out.

Does it matter where your sponge filter is positioned?

The location of a sponge filter inside of an aquarium does not matter. The sponge will effectively collect debris from pretty much anywhere in the tank. Most fishkeepers tend to position it towards the back so it can be obscured by plants, hardscape or decorations.

How to Hide the Filter Tube & Heater in an Aquarium

Many saltwater aquariums employ a piece of equipment called a sump filter, also called a trickle, drip or wet/dry filter. However, there’s no reason you can’t use one of these filters on a freshwater aquarium. These filters consist of a separate water container plumbed back to the main aquarium with gravity drains and water pumps. One of the fringe benefits of the sump is that you can hide all of your equipment in the sump, usually concealed with the aquarium stand. You only have to worry about hiding the drain and the return valve, substantially decluttering your aquarium.

Can You Turn Off an Aquarium Filter at Night?

Eric is an aquarium enthusiast with over two decades of experience caring for a wide array of tropical fish.

Can you turn off your filter at night and still maintain a healthy fish tank? DefenderRegina [Public domain] wikimedi commons

Can You Turn Your Filter Off at Night?

It is not a good idea to turn off your aquarium filter every night. The filter plays a key role in the health of your tank, and shutting it down for hours at a time can eventually lead to problems.

Why You Should Leave Your Filter On

Of course, you probably know that the filter removes debris such as uneaten and decaying food, fish waste, and dead plant matter from your water. Getting that junk out of there is vital, but it is only one of the important duties performed by your filter.

They Support Good Bacteria and Aerate the Water

Did you know that colonies of bacteria live in your tank, and they convert toxic chemicals in the water to safe chemicals? This is known as the nitrogen cycle.

There are two reasons your filter is a key part of this process. First, the filter is one of the main places in your tank where those microbe colonies thrive. Second, your filter helps to aerate the water. Oxygen is very important in your tank, not only for the fish but also for the microbes. Without it, they would perish.

New aquarium keepers often install an air pump to create bubbles in their tanks, believing they are adding oxygen to the water. It will add a little oxygen, and it usually doesn’t hurt, but a good filter will circulate the water enough to provide all the oxygen your fish require. If you turn off your filter, so that the water is no longer flowing over the elements inside, you deprive the microbes that live there of the oxygen essential for their survival.

Like your fish, the microbes in your tank are pretty hardy. Turning off the filter for a night now and then isn’t going to hurt them much. But if you do it every night you are depriving your fish and the microbes of oxygen for eight hours out of every twenty-four, and that will eventually catch up with them.

Turning Them Off and On May Make Your Tank Dirtier

The final reason not to turn off your aquarium filter at night has to do with what happens when you turn it back on. Depending on how recently you’ve cleaned them, some filters will regurgitate a mess of dirty water and debris back into your tank during the priming process.

If you go through that every morning you are basically dumping all the garbage your filter removed from the tank the day before right back in. This is not only a good argument for keeping your filter running, but also for keeping up with good tank maintenance practices.

How to Reduce Aquarium Filter Noise

If you are thinking of shutting off your aquarium filter at night I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume it isn’t because you want to provide some kind of sadistic survival challenge for your fish. Instead, I am going to guess it is because your filter is too noisy. There are a few things you can do about that.

You’ll want to figure out if the noise is due to water movement or the filter mechanics itself. If it seems to be water movement, check the water level in your aquarium. Low water levels can cause a waterfall effect and an increase in gurgling noises.

With most filters, you will want your water level right up to the lip of the filter outlet (be careful not to overflow your tank, of course). This allows water to gently flow out without a lot of turbulence. Some filters have an adjustment knob that lets you change the flow rate, which can help reduce noise.

Sometimes the noise is caused by the filter components themselves. Most filters can be taken apart and cleaned. Sometimes gunk builds up on the impeller, or the impeller itself becomes damaged, causing a rattling noise. Sometimes gunk prevents the plastic tube pieces from fitting together properly or joining with the impeller section properly. This can cause a rattling or grinding noise.

Keep these points in mind before you mess around with your filter:

Always unplug an aquarium filter before cleaning it or working on it. Always! You are working around water and electricity, and that’s a bad combination.

Though it is probably obvious, if you are unsure please check with the manufacturer to see which components can be taken apart.

It is very dangerous to take apart the electrical components of a filter and you should never try to do so.

Some filters are just designed in a way that makes a little sound. I loved my Penguin BIO-wheel filter on my 55-gallon tank. It made a soft gurgling sound I found relaxing, but my wife did not like it so much. I had to find another alternative, and I eventually went with an Aqua Clear filter, which I found to be very quiet (and my wife didn’t complain.)

Can You Turn an Air Pump Off at Night?

This is not nearly as much of a concern as turning off a filter. If your air pump is driving you nuts, you can get away with shutting it off at night, as long as your filter is running and doing its job.

But what if your air pump is your filter? Some of those small aquarium kits use an air pump with an air stone and a tube and call it a filter. It is supposed to work as a kind of an undergravel filter. If your “filter” meets this description, it is actually an air pump. While it may not clean the water very well, it does keep the water moving and provide an oxygenation effect.

I’ve always found air pumps noisier and more abrasive than filters. But the good news is, aside from choosing a different tank with a good filter, there are a few things you can do.

Your first step might be to place something soft under the pump. Air pumps vibrate, and if they are placed on a hard surface they often rattle.

You can also try putting your air pump in a lidless box (the lidless part is important, as you’ll soon see) which may help absorb some of the sounds.

If your air stone is old consider replacing it. A gunked-up air stone makes your pump work harder.

Caution: While you may be tempted to do so, I do not recommend wrapping the air pump in a towel or similar item. Pumps produce a little bit of heat, and it’s important to let it dissipate. Otherwise, you could overheat your air pump, or worse.

What About Betta Fish?

Can you turn the filter in your betta fish tank off at night? After all, these guys can live in unfiltered setups, so what difference could it make?

Bettas do best with a filter, just like any other tropical fish. But they also have an evolutionary advantage over most tropical fish. They are anabantids, which means they can take gulps of air from the water surface as well as breathe through their gills. This helps them survive in the wild, living in nasty, stagnant puddles while they wait for the rainy season.

So, if you are a betta keeper, one of the most important questions to ask yourself is: Do you want your tank to replicate the nasty, stagnant puddles of the dry season? Or, would you rather replicate the clean, oxygen-rich habitat of the rainy season? Which do you think your betta would prefer?

We know the answer, right? So that means it is best to follow the same practices for a betta fish as you would with any other tropical fish. Keep that filter running.

Will Your Fish Die If You Turn off the Filter?

Your fish probably will not die as a result of turning off your filter for one night. If they do, you’ve got something else going on that has them in a weakened, unhealthy state.

It is also a false belief that turning off the filter for one night will kill off all of your healthy microbes and you’ll have to re-cycle the tank. Those little microbes are tough.

However, if you make it a habit to shut off your filter every night, you are putting both your fish and your microbe colonies in a bad situation. Filters not only remove waste from your tank, but they also provide important aeration. Remove the filter from the equation for a third of every day and, eventually, your tank will suffer for it.

Other Problems

If you have been turning off your filter each night you may have noticed other issues such as algae blooms, cloudy water, and snail outbreaks. In addition to running your filter 24/7, here are some ways you can deal with those issues:

Turning Off the Aquarium Filter at Night

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

© 2019 Eric Dockett

Eric Dockett (author) from USA on May 29, 2020:

Hi Stephen – Glad you like the site! You can sign up for HubPages and follow me if you like. Then you can get an email whenever I post a new article. You can also follow the topics you are interested in and you’ll get an email whenever another writer posts articles on those topics.

Stephen Tang on May 28, 2020:

How do I join/subscribe into your group? I really like all your postings especially on goldfish and pet dogs.

Eric Dockett (author) from USA on September 14, 2019:

@ Richard- Are you using the correct size filter? Healthy fish should be able to escape the pull of the filter. You can try making or buying a pre-filter sponge which might help.

Richard Heinz on September 13, 2019:

I have an Aqua-Tech power filter and my fish are getting caught in the intake tube. The force of the intake is too much for the fish snd they are dying.

Eric Dockett (author) from USA on August 29, 2019:

@Catherine: You should really check the directions or contact Tetra. From just a quick online search it appears the bag goes in front, as in the water flows first through the bag and then the grid. But please check with the manufacturer if you are having issues.

Catherine on August 29, 2019:

I am a little confused hear. I have a tetra 600 crystal filter. So do i put the grid behind the crystal bag or in front. Please help.

Eric Dockett (author) from USA on April 16, 2019:

@Aldrien – That’s fine. It won’t hurt anything and is sometimes a necessary step in cleaning the tank. You do not want to replace filter elements that often though, as you can would reduce your bacterial colonies and cause a mini cycle.

Summernole on April 15, 2019:

Never turn your filter’s off. Not with tropical fish or saltwater fish. Big mistake.

Aldrien Tan from Bukit Mertajam on April 15, 2019:

I usually turn the filter off every week for half to one hour while changing the water (usually 50% tank capacity) and cleaning up the filter. .

Would this impact the ecosystem or the balance?

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