Reddit mentions of AQUANEAT Aquarium Bio Sponge Filter up to 60 Gal Breeding Fry Betta Shrimp Fish Tank

Thats pretty big, i mean you can always turn down the air but it may take up a lot more room than it needs too. One like this is pretty popular for your size tank. https://www.amazon.com/Aquaneat-Aquarium-Sponge-Filter-Breeding/dp/B071HVZVMP/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=sponge+filter&qid=1549773125&s=gateway&sr=8-6

Seems a bit overstocked IMO

I’d recommend skipping the barbs as they can be a bit nippy especially when overcrowded or in a community tank, from experience. In a tank that small, the loaches will be your main fish so I’d just go with the schools and tetras and rasboras, and you could definitely get away with bigger schools as long as you add them slowly.

The 2 most important factors when pushing stocking levels is biological filtration and surface agitation. If you add a sponge filter like this or this, you’ll be in much better shape. Since you didn’t mention compressed CO2, your fish and plants will thank you.

I gotta be honest with you, I can't imagine why it would be necessary to spend that much money for a pump for a 10 gal tank. Not stirring the pot, just sayin. I have 2 tens and they both have HOBs but they both also have a sponge filter as well. I simply bought the super cheap, super quiet, Tetra Whisper 10 on Amazon for $6.

These are combinations I've had in a 10 before and would feel comfortable only having a sponge filter:

• 10-12 Chili Rasboras + 8 Rosy Loaches (sand substrate needed)
  
• 6 DWARF Corydoras habrosus (sand substrate) + 10-12 Chili Rasboras
  
• 6 DWARF Corydoras habrosus (sand substrate) + sexed pair of Sparkling Gourami
  
  The Chilies and the Dwarf Cories have an almost negligible bioload, so it may work with a sponge filter as long as you get one that is rated for at LEAST a 30 or 40 gallon aquarium. I would try putting the stocking in Aqadvisor.com and see what the filtration capacity % says (not the stocking %) and see if it is well over 100%.... It SHOULD be ok. I'm not 100% sure what to put in for sponge filters, butpicking this one, says yes when you put 60 in the User Defined, but I think I have this one in my 29 and it's huge so if you can find something smaller that works for a decent filtration capacity.... as long as you pick a sponge rated for a 30 or 40 gallon tank, you should be fine. You'll need to put in 5 Dwarf Chain Loach instead as they don't have the smaller Rosy Loach when you test that group, I don't know why they haven't updated it.
  
  No to Purigen. It needs the water to flow thru the bag.
  
  You'll need to run them simultaneously for 1-2 weeks and test. If you want to speed it up, use Seachem Stability.

The sponge would lower how much the intake can pull in so it will lower the intake, yes.

I think there's a bit of confusion. An aquarium sponge is not the same as a sponge filter. A sponge filter, as you can see here, isn't connected to anything - so you would need airline tubing and an air pump to pump air into it so that it can flow. In my experience they work great. Minimal flow and it doesn't suck the betta in.

This is a great start man, and I'm sorry you decided to post on this sub, as people here are pretty toxic to new people.

Your tank is a little small, and even in a ten gallon, it will be extremely cramped, so I definitely wouldn't get any more fish. My advice would be one of a couple options:

1. Move the Betta, Rosies, and Dwarf frogs into the ten gallon, but make sure it is heavily planted and has extra filtration and hides. Some good things to do would be adding river rocks in formations to form caves, so that all the fish had hiding places, and adding plants to allow the top layer to be broken up. Narrow leaf java ferns, amazon swords, and aponogeton are all great choices for this task. As for filtration, I'd run two sponge filters, and make sure to do weekly gravel syphons.
   
2. Move the Betta and the Dwarf frogs into the ten gallon, and keep the rosies in the 3.5. In this option, the betta and the dwarf frogs will actually be perfectly fine - the stocking is not too much, but i'd still run the dual sponge filters, and make sure there are caves. The Rosies probably won't live their full lifespan, but will probably be happier if they aren't harassed by the betta.
   
3. Move the dwarf frogs and rosies into the ten gallon, and keep the betta in the 3.5. This option is probably the safest all around, but also the most boring. No matter what some people on this sub will tell you, a 3.5 is perfectly fine for a betta, and it will live a happy, full life there as long as you rearrange the tank often, use the proper decorations, and clean often and well. Meanwhile, a ten gallon will happily hold your school of rosies, and your frogs will live their entire 1-2 decade lifespan chilling in your ten gallon. I can't stress this enough though - get at least one sponge filter for the ten gallon!
   
   One other thing I've noticed is I think your tank doesn't have a heater. Betta fish and African Dwarf Frogs are tropical creatures, and require temps between 76-82. Because you have rosy reds in there, I'd recommend keeping the tank at about 78, and the best way to do that is through a 50 watt heater with adjustable temperature, which usually is about 20 bucks.
   
   Don't let the negative people on this sub get you down, everyone makes mistakes with their fish, and as long as people work towards fixing it, there's no problem. People on this sub also don't realize that nuance is a thing sometimes, and rarely understand stocking requirements and why you usually don't put two things together. These fish can do well together - you just have to put the extra work in, and I hope that you will!

Sure, sponge filters are great for fish that don't like flow in the tank. All you need is an air pump like this, some airline tube, and the actual sponge filter. The air stone pulls the water through the sponge. The sponge provides surface area for bacteria to grow on. Dead simple. Safe to use in any aquarium type I can think of. They're pretty simple to DIY together too, but they're so cheap, I don't see the point. Your LFS probably has them sitting in their tanks.

I would not worry about the substrate, I've just drained and bucketed mine before since almost none of your beneficial bacteria lives in it. Set up a sponge filter in your aquarium as soon as possible to start it cycling. When its time to move hook the air pump up to your power inverter, this is the one I have used. I would be careful about putting the fish in the uhaul just because of temperature. I have done it in my car before so I could keep the cabin at a stable temperature the whole way.

Also, put the plants in the tote with the fish. Will give them some hiding spots to help reduce stress, and as a bonus they should help produce some O2 for the fish!

Looks like this one. if he’s in a 20 gallon tank. I just got one of these, they’re very big.