Here goes a stupid question!

[BryanCaruso]

So I am making up water right now for a water change. Every two weeks I do water change. Here is the question I have a sponge in my sump a.r.t. I usually rinse it out ever day in tank water. But doing so drops my salinity over the course of the two weeks. Would it be a bad practice to reserve some water that I am taking out only to clean the sponge and if so would stagnant water or even circulated water do more harm then good. Would the bacteria die off if left in a bucket. I hope this makes sense but I get a ton of crap out of this sponge everyday and I know they can build up nitrates even though mine are very low I want to keep it that way

 

[Scubareefman]

Like a fake sponge or a coral type sponge?

 

[BryanCaruso]

Sponge as in black sponge. Deitritus collector maybe bubble stopper

 

[Pife]

Wash it in saltwater.

 

[BryanCaruso]

Wash it in saltwater.

Then won't I kill the bacteria on the sponge

 

[Pife]

Then won't I kill the bacteria on the sponge

Who cares. It isn't they're for a biological filter is to catch detritus. You should buy several of them so you can bleach them. Or that's what I would do.

 

[BryanCaruso]

That's a good idea thanks

 

[Scubareefman]

When I used them I would wash/bleach them with my filter socks. The small impact of removal of the micro-life is outweighed by the removal of the larger bio-mass of trapped crud/muck (only IMO, zero actual evidence)

 

[BryanCaruso]

I actually like the idea of the sponge itself and last time I had the tank set up 5 years ago. I was buying water and it was always such a pain going to the stores lugging the jugs around etc that I didn't want to use extra cleaning the sponge. I also had a filter sock. I don't know what happened to it but have been doing some reserch on them it is sorta like white castles either you love them or you dont. I don't think I am getting another one. The sponge is easily taken out dipped in water,wrung out,tapped on the side of the bucket and done.