Swiss Tropicals Swiss Tropicals
Poret® brand quality aquarium filter foam made in Germany 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. Can other suppliers guarantee that?
Manufactured by EMW filtertechnik in Germany on modern equipment using an environmentally safe process.
Do other sellers publish their source and make sure that their foam is not made in a low-wage country?
Exclusively imported and distributed in North America by SwissTropicals, LLC!
We also distribute B&H Jetlifters™ the ultimate airlift tube;
you will never buy anything else!
Again, this product is made in Germany, we do not buy from low-wage countries that pollute and exploit workers.
See, who is using our products: customer references.
last updated November 2, 2010 11:22 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:
This tank divider model is designed for use in a 15-gal tank (24x12x12", uses a 13x13x2" sheet). It works as a filter and tank divider at the same time when placed in the middle of the tank and water is pumped across. Ideal for batches of livebearers.
Cube filters:
The cube filter is simple: a 4x4x4" (top) or 5x5x5" (bottom) cube of Poret® on heavy tile used as a base.
Universal replacement media for various filter models:
Replace the polyester foam used on commercial sponge filters, it will last much longer, try it! Below a 5x5 inch filter cartridge is used as a replacement for the ATI sponge.
Filter cartridges!
The cartridges can be used with power heads, lift tubes, or B&H Jetlifters™ or as replacement for ATI sponge filters (cut into 2 or 4-inch high pieces it fits every model), as pre-filter for canister filters or sumps, and for cube-filters, etc.
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! Or try our new T-profile that can be stacked and maintains large areas exposed to air! Feel free to download the 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.
39x39" sheets 4" and 2" 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 well 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 (I care 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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