I was surprised how tough they are too. Mine fell 18" from the tank top to the counter top, then fell 40" to the floor, then crawled 30+ feet to my sons' closet and into a 6" tall cardboard box under some clothes.

I ordered some sponge filters a while back from Ebay and still waiting for them. The hob filter I have can't handle going any lower because of where the connection to the extension is. It is also annoying having the "waterfall" thing going.