Sponge Filters

THE BEST SPONGE FILTRATION FOR YOUR AQUARIUMS! Most efficient form of air driven sponge filtration on the market 5x the surface area of standard sponge filters Easy to install, pre-cut to size Clean 1-2 times per year* Black, so livestock pops against the filter Proudly Made in Ohio Lift tubes included, not extra! Sponge filters have been around for a long time in our great hobby and have been unchanged for the most part. Until now.  We took the idea of the sponge and made it better.  A sponge filter works by providing a lot of surface area for aerobic (beneficial) bacteria to colonize and do the filtering of your aquarium water. A typical sponge filter that measures 4″ round and  5″ tall has a surface area of about 50 cubic inches that can house bacteria. Our smallest Hydrodynamic Mattenfilter has a usable surface area of 239 cubic inches! That’s almost 5 times that of a standard cylindrical sponge filter. The filter itself is a 2″ thick black reticulated foam material made in the USA and assembled in Ohio. The foam is equivalent to the Poret foam that other Mattenfilters use. We CNC cut each Hydrodynamic Mattenfilter to size prior to shipping so that you have a nice exact and tighter fit.  The filter is designed to fit very tight side-to-side and leave about 1/4″ – 1/2″ gap between the black frame of the tank and the top of the filter.  We drill the output holes in each filter before shipping also. You put the lift tube in place, drop the air line in the tube, and you’re set!   The lift tube creates enough flow to keep water moving through the filter efficiently enough that you don’t have to clean these but every 6-9 months. The filter works using hydrodynamics, which is a branch of science that deals with forces acting on or exerted by fluids. So what’s that mean exactly?  Sponge filters all work the same way which is taking air and forcing it to a point lower than the sponge and turning on a pump. The air creates bubbles which travel up a lift tube and out of an opening. This upward lifting of air through water is what makes the filter work. Our lift tubes are 3/4″ I.D. plumbing to allow the most upward lift within the tube. Because of the extreme efficiency of these filters, there are stores that run heavily populated aquariums with the Hydrodynamic Mattenfilter installed and they only have to clean the sponges about once every six months. *This will vary based on your tank's biological demand.

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For fresh and saltwater systems meet the CAF series sponge filters. Simple, economical and so easy to install, these offer excellent filtration while oxygenating the water. You simply can't beat the price and performance of the CAF Series which can be used as a stand-alone filter, a breeding filter or for extra biological filtration in heavily stocked aquariums. Even add it to your external or top filters as a pre-filtration unit! Another neat feature of the CAF Series is the airlift system for excellent biochemical filtration and pleasantly quiet operation. The foam materials support the colonization of bacteria, allowing for mechanical and biological filtration, which will break down harmful ammonia and nitrite.  Features: Excellent for breeders and hatcheries Install with an Air Pump or Powerhead Less maintenance than traditional filters Easy and fast to clean Economical and longer lasting   CAF-10 (up to 10 gallons) Up to 10 Gallons 60 Pores/Linear Inch Base Diameter: 2.00 inches Sponge Diameter: 2.00 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 1.50 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 1.75 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 3.50 inches Uplift I/D: 0.56 inches (9/16) CAF-25 (up to 25 gallons) Up to 25 Gallons Base Diameter: 2.75 inches Sponge Diameter: 3.125 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 3.00 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 3.50 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 6.75 inches Uplift I/D: 0.75 inches 40 Pores/Linear Inch   CAF-40 (up to 40 gallons) Up to 40 Gallons 40 Pores/Linear Inch Base Diameter: 3.25 inches Sponge Diameter: 5.00 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 3.00 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 3.50 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 6.75 inches Uplift I/D: 0.75 inches CAF-60 (up to 60 gallons) Up to 60 Gallons 40 Pores/Linear Inch Base Diameter: 3.25 inches Sponge Diameter: 5.00 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 3.00 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 5.50 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 8.5 inches Uplift I/D: 0.75 inches   CAF-180 (up to 180 gallons) Up to 180 Gallons 35 Pores/Linear Inch Base Diameter: 3.50 inches Sponge Diameter: 6.50 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 6.00 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 7.75 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 13.75 inches Uplift I/D: 1.00 inches   CAF-250 (up to 250 gallons) Up to 250 Gallons 35 Pores/Linear Inch Base Diameter: 3.50 inches Sponge Diameter: 8.50 inches Uplift Tube Height from Top of Filter: 6.00 inches Sponge Height, Base to Top: 7.75 inches Full height w/ Sponge and Uplift Tube: 13.75 inches Uplift I/D: 1.00 inches

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