I use a powerhead that pumps 800L of water every hour and attach it to a sponge filter. My tank is only 15 gal but I have 3 power filters(including the powerhead) running side-by-side with a total output of 1800+L per hour. With 3 filters sharing the workload in such a small tank, I can't believe that my sponge filter with the powerhead gets clogged with dirt every now and then.

I need to wash the sponge every 2 days to keep the powerhead at an optimum output. I do not overfeed my goldies as I do not want to add more workload to the filters. But my powerhead still get clogged so often that it's starting to get fustrating to clean it so frequently. With the constant cleaning, I don't think that the bacteria will have a chance to thrive in it. However, if I do not clean it, the powerhead will not be running at full force. So what can I do?

Wow, 31x turnover. That's pretty impressive, maybe even dangerous without dead spots in the water. Sponge filters aren't the most effective filtration systems, mostly used for fry tanks, qt tanks or tanks with bubble eyes where the fish might get sucked up in the filter intake. You can probably do without it. Also, having crud built up on it probably means you need to stock lighter.

Just a note for high turnover enthusiasts, media space also matters. Having more media increases the efficiency of a filter (which is why cannisters can filter more than a hob with a comparable gph output).

Yeah, it seemed a bit excessive, IMHO. Nevertheless, what is the sponge filter being clogged up with? Actual dirt from the fish or algae or what? I can't see how the fish can generate that much waste in 2 days. Another thing to conside is that sponge do deteriorate over time and they can collapse internally and allow less water to flow through and makes it easier to clog one on the surface. Maybe it is time to get a new sponge or convert one of the power head to a true biofilter with a container of ceramic tubes or some other biofilter media. Just a thought.

converting one to a biofilter? hmmmm.........never thought of that before though.....so you mean a biofilter filled with ceramic tubes and stuff would not clog the flow is it? maybe worth a try.