The humble sponge filter is the unheralded hero of aquarium keeping which first made it possible to both filter and aerate aquariums in the early days of aquarium keeping. We can think of almost nothing that has changed about sponge filters for decades but a new design called the BioSPON from Korea is endowed with a few eye-catching features.
Now normally to service and clean a sponge filter you more or less have to take the thing apart, disconnecting the circulation and generally making a mess. The BioSPON hybrid sponge filter overcomes the messiness of cleanup with a nifty magnetic base that snaps on and off for servicing all without having to disconnect the air supply.
Most normal sponge filters rely on the sponge’s own high surface area to serve as the biological filtration section of the filter – this means that you need to be somewhat careful in cleaning the sponge as to not destroy the bacterial population. The BioSPON incorporates a dedicated biological section which receives water after the sponge meaning that mostly clean and prefiltered water comes into contact with the biomedia.
Sure there’s a slew of corner bubble-up filters that include both mechanical and biological medias but the BioSPON is the first we know of that does so and still maintains the classic appearance and function of a sponge filter. Another cool thing about the BioSPON is that is perhaps the more “high tech” sponge filter on the market yet it’s still a sponge filter after all, and only costs under $30 to buy in.
Of course none of you will be jumping up and down for the BioSPON in a reef tank. However there’s plenty of accessory aquariums such as hospital and quarantine tanks, as well as breeders or marine fish, whose interest will be piqued by a new and improved take on the humble sponge filters. [B-Box Aquarium]
