🔍 Optimized Search: Slim Power Filter with Marina Intake Strainer Sponge Review

I was expecting a finer quality from the image but it still helps my filtering purposes. I use it as a pre-filter for the inlet pipe of an add-on filter. It holds back larger particles well and thus reduces the cleaning process of the filter material in the mounted filter. It also protects small fish from being sucked into the filter system.

This item is actually not a sponge. It's more of a mesh material. The holes in this sponge aren't much smaller than the filter inlets themselves. I bought this to protect the shrimp in my shrimp tank but I wouldn't trust it at all. It fit nicely in the inlet of my 10 gallon filter and would have been good for protecting small fish but definitely not for fry!

As the name suggests my AquaClear 20 filter intake hose fits snugly but to be safe I put a small rubber band around the top to secure it on the Pipe. It has a hole going all the way through. So if you need to close it, just use another rubber band, a piece of stainless steel wire, or a small zip tie. It seems to have good flow even with moderate dirt, it doesn't restrict my filter at all. But I do weekly maintenance like I should. Too bad the hole was closed at one end but that's how it is.

My tank doesn't have any tiny critters that could get into the air intake, so I use a Marina strainer sponge to catch loose dirt. I've been using the same one for over a year and it's only now showing some signs of wear. Twice a week I take it off, rinse it under running water, wring it out and replace it. I rarely find food or feces in the filter itself because it got into the intake filter. This makes the sponges and media in the filter last longer. I have a Marina S-20 with a 5.5 gallon tank