Re: sponge filters-Tetra vs. Jungle

[IDMiamiBob <IDMiamiBob@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-01-14 21:59:22 EST, you write:

<< 
 Erik,
 Just curious - why don't you like Jungle sponge filters?  I've been
 using them for around 25 years and have always had good luck with them. 
 The ones I don't like are the Tetra ones, since the suction cups never
 seem to work for more than 6 months.
 Mark >>

I'm with Erik.  Two reasons:
1)  The sponge tends to "shrink away" from the base, and water leaks past the
sponge into the uplift tube.  Not 100%, mind you, but enough to reduce
efficiency, and that worries me.
2)  I've lost fry that have gotten caught under dirt magnets, and their
generic brothers.  Isolved this particular problem, however, by gluing 3
marbles to the base in a triangular pattern with silicone.

The Tetra is also easier to clean.  It slips off the tube easier, and goes
back on without disrupting the placement of the assembly.

I used to have trouble with the suction cups when I lived in Western NY.  Also
the suction cups on thermometers and submersible heaters.  Here in Boise, they
are all working fine.  It is my guess that there is something in the water in
Buffalo that interacts with the rubber, and which is absent here.  Hmmm.....
In light of the number and nature of toxic waste sites and chemical plants in
Western NY, I wonder what I was drinking.

Bob Dixon