How to make a Sponge Filter on the cheap!

How to make a Sponge Filter on the cheap!
By TheeMon AKA, Shawn Snyder

Materials Needed:

1 giant car washing sponge (1$ to 1.25$ at a dollar store)

Any small tube, I used a 1/2-diameter piece of PVC pipe. But any tube will work.

Silicone. A tube costs like 3 to 4 dollars.

Something to weigh it down, I used a piece of slate, marbles or small rocks will work also if you modify my design a bit.

Some kind of knife, and possibly something to cut the PVC pipe/ tube

A drill and a drill bit slightly smaller then airline tubing (sorry don't know exact size I just held them up to the airline tubing)

How to:

Step 1: Take your sponge and cut a slice half way threw the sponge in the middle of the sponge. (The middle of the sponge when it is laid down properly, also like a shoe box, rectangle in shape)

Step 2: Cut your PVC pipe to the size you wish, a foot to a foot and a half is good. Or if you want it to be more effective measure your tank and sponge and have the end of your PVC pipe end about 2" below the water line when finished.

Strp 3: Take your drill and drill a hole 2" above the end of the PVC pipe.

Step 4: Next take your PVC pipe and put silicone at the bottom of the pipe (same end you drilled the hole), smear it on up to about 1" of the pipe.

Step 5: Put the PVC pipe into the slice you just cut into the sponge.

Step 6: Next you can do a few different things, I had slate available for free so I silicone that to the bottom. If you don't have that available you can either silicone something else heavy to the bottom OR you can cut little slices into the sponge and put a few heavy rocks in there.

Step 7: If you don't have any slate/rocks and want to skip Step 5 you can, you will just have to weigh it down in the tank (hard to do)

Step 8: Step 7 can be done two ways, first way (and the way I did it) is just push the airline into the hole you drilled in the PVC pipe, if your hole is too big you can silicone the airline in place.

Step 9: Let it cure for 48 hours and you are done!

Now a few other small changes can be made. Say you don't want the plain yellow sponge, they make multicolored car sponges for a few cents more, I have a sponge filter I made that is neon green with a light green and white swirl threw it. Also say u don't want a white tube sticking out of your sponge, on the same green sponge mentioned a few lines above, I took some non toxic paint I found and painted the tube the same neon green. There are also plenty of other changes that can be made, after you get the hang of it you will probably want to try other little things you imagine up.

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