Swiss Tropicals Swiss Tropicals
Poret® brand aquarium filter foam for freshwater, saltwater, and pond filters!
Use it as a background in terrariums and as a false bottom/substrate for paludariums.
This stuff is fabulous for many applications and guaranteed free of toxic chemicals.
Manufactured by EMW filtertechnik in Germany on modern equipment using an environmentally safe process.
Exclusively imported and distributed in North America by SwissTropicals, LLC!
Go here for convenient online ordering.
last updated June 17, 2009 0:48 ET
Here are some application ideas:
Hamburg Mattenfilter (HMF):
Material cost for an HMF for 10-, 15-, or 20L-Gal tanks run ~$20 but provide over 5 quarts of filter volume.
Compared to popular sponge filters that is a 3-10 fold larger filter the lasts at least 12-18 months between maintenance.
Corner foam filter:
Tank divider:
Tank Divider Filter (TDF):
This TDF model is designed for use in a 75-gal tank (48x18x21 in, use a 19.5x19.5x4" sheet). It works as a filter and tank divider at the same time when placed in the middle of the tank like the dividers above. Ideal to set up breeding pairs of discus or angelfish, or batches of livebearers. The PVC lift tubes are covered with screen to prevent curious fish from entering. A small piece of foam was cut out to accommodate the horizontal part of the tube at the top and a large knife was used to cut a pilot hole into the foam for the vertical part. Of course, you can add even more lift tubes if needed. This filter costs about $60 for all the parts but has 5 gallons of filter volume and lasts at least 12-18 months without maintenance. Compare that to any canister, hang-on, or internal power filter!
Cube filters:
The cube filter model is very simple: a 4x4x4" (left) or 5x5x5" (right) cube of Poret® was glued with silicone onto a heavy bathroom tile used as a base. You can use any stone plate as a base but silicone sticks much better to the glazed surface of a tile. This particular porcelain tile is heavy and has worked well for me. A 3/8" CPVC pipe drilled on the side for the air line is used as a lift tube, which is stuck into the middle of the foam block (use a sharply pointed knife to punch a pilot hole first). I don't use air stones because they cake much too quickly. Make your own sponge filter in any size you want.
Universal replacement media for various filter models:
Replace the polyester foam used on commercial sponge filters, it will last much longer, try it!
Below 5x5 inch power filter cartridge used as a replacement for ATI sponge filter.
Power filter cartridges!
This black 19.5x5x5-inch cartridge in 30 PPI with center bored 1-inch hole can be used with
Sumps:
Poret® foam is also unbeatable in sumps. I have drawn up a standard wet-sump filter and a wet-dry sump filter. Both models are low maintenance filters with a service life of >5 years! Feel free to download these pdfs and print or design your own!
Proper care:
Do not wring or squeeze the foam when washing. It will destroy the structure more quickly. Better smack it against the side or bottom of your sink/bath tube and rinse. Repeat until clean. With the long maintenance intervals you can even pick a nice day in the summer and do filter maintenance once a year in the yard or driveway. How is that? Do not use bleach.
100x100 cm sheets 10- and 5-cm thick with a paper towel role for size comparison. You can judge the strength of this foam from how the plates stand up without support in the right picture. Try that with any competitor's product!
What is Poret®?
Poret® foam is the stuff the professionals use all over Germany and Europe! I have used the Poret® foam for over 15 years myself and would never buy anything else. It is washable and can be re-used for many years. I have foam sheets that are in continuous use for over 5 years.
Poret® is a waterproof polyether foam with a particular open-cell structure. The reticulation process produces well defined open pores. This product is not your usual mattress, isolation, or packing foam, which are closed-cell foams. Even so, many sponge filters on the market come with closed cell foams because they are much cheaper. Well, price matters. However, these foams have closed air bubbles that are inaccessible for filter bacteria or water. Hence, they really do not work.
Polyether is resistant to hydrolysis and has outstanding aging, temperature (up to 250 °F/90 °C), and chemical stability when compared to other foams. The physical properties of Poret® such as compression and tear strengths, and elongation are greater than conventional polyurethane foams, while polyester foams are acid and alkali sensitive. These characteristics are important because of the chemical reactions during bacterial degradation in the filter. Poret® is also highly ozone and oxygen resistant, which are crucial for marine aquarium applications. Poret® foam does not contain toxic chemicals such as plasticizers. Poret® is specifically manufactured for aquarium and pond use and has a much larger inner surface than other filter materials (about 1800 sq inch per quart of volume), which permits more rapid and superior growth of bacterial cultures. The foaming process is fluorocarbon-free and the foam can be disposed safely by incineration (Swisstropicals cares about the environment). The size of pores is calculated in pores per inch (PPI) and the foam is made in pore sizes from 10-45 PPI in several colors.
The original blue foam (the famous "blauer Schaum") is extremely popular in Germany and the rest of Europe. You will hardly find any fish store over there that does not carry it! We also have black, blue, and green.
4" 10 PPI (coarse) on the left and
2" 30 PPI (fine) on the right.
Go here for convenient online ordering.
Cutting Poret® is simple: a very sharp large knife and dry wall ruler are all you need!
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