dirt magnet filter

[doodlbug]

has anyone used a dirt magnet filter for raising small fry. i have baby batta and i was wondering how it works and if it will hurt them.?thanks.

:)

[AquariumPro]

Hi and welcome to the boards!

Sponge filters were originally invented for use in raising tiny fry, and today, they are still the most widely-used filter for that purpose. They are very simple to operate, you squeeze out the air in the sponge under water, attach an airline to them, and valve down the air until you get a gentle (very gentle for Betta and other Anabantoid fry) steady stream of bubbles. Water is pulled through the sponge and cultivates nitrifying bacteria in the sponge material. They are cheap enough so when they start to fall apart (about a full year of use), you simply buy a new one.

Once they get a little "seasoned" and older, they also provide another benefit, which is kind of cool really. I discovered this by accident when I was breeding Bettas, Gouramis and Angelfish. I used ten and five gallon tanks with the Dirt Magnet seniors.

As you may already know, Betta, Gourami and Angelfish fry are too small to take live baby brine shrimp, so an infusoria culture must be used as a food source for the fry (a one-celled animal and microscopic fauna soup made by boiling dried hay in water and allowing it to sit - aerated by an air pump - in a sunny window for a week, which is then dripped into the rearing tanks).

I had some unexpected batches of Gourami fry and I was caught off-guard, and had not prepared any infusoria for food. I did have some older rearing tanks set up with dirty sponge filters, left-over from other broods, so I did a water change, added a little Methylene blue to prevent disease and siphoned the fry (after they were free-swimming) into the tank, hoping I could get the fry to feed on a commercial liquid mixture. I didn't clean the filters, as I was afraid of getting an ammonia spike.

The next day, the tiny fry all appeared to be stuck to the sponge filter. I watched them for a while through a magnifying glass, and to my surprise, it looked as if they were actually eating the sponge! They weren't really eating the sponge, but they were feeding on the excellent infusoria culture that had formed on the outside surfaces of the filter! I took a scraping of the outer scum on the sponge, and under a microscope, saw literally billions of Paramecium, rotifers and other "goodies" which the fry had been feeding on. The old sponge filter bought me the time I needed to prepare a culture, and by the time the culture was ready, the sponge had been picked clean and the fry had actually grown slightly! Turns out that the porous sponge, with particles of food attached to it had become a perfect breeding ground for infusoria.

[doodlbug]

so it wont hurt them..good.. now i dont remember seeing a hose or motor for air.. does it come with it? i do not have a control pump. one that you can adjust flow.. is this something i would need with it? this sounds like the product i am looking for so far.. right now i have a air pump pumping air though a hose really slow.. i just kinked the hose some and twist tied it so the current wasnt too fast. the water is getting cloudy fast. thank you for your reply. :)

kim

[AquariumPro]

Sounds like you have the air pump, which is what will run the sponge filter. Now what you need is called a gang valve, which splits the air flow from your pump into several valved outlets. This will allow you to run the sponge filter, and adjust the air flow to the filter by opening one of the valves that is not connected to the filter. This is a much better method for turning the flow down on the air pump. The solution you are currently using will eventually damage the pump.