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Change the filter in a tank

parotet

parotet

Member
Joined
12 Oct 2013
Messages
1,695
Location
Valencia, Spain
Hi all

I've been asking lately about suitable filter options for my nano tank (24 liters, but really 20 liters on it) and the decision is made, I will change it this week. I will replace a corner filter for a canister with much more muscle. Now my doubt is how to do it. The normal procedure (what can be read everywhere) seems to be running the new filter with the old one for some weeks until it gets colonized by microbes... But not sure if this also true/necessary for a (densely) planted tank where plants uptake ammonia. Additionally the stocking is very low and hardy, two endler females and some fry. To be honest I fear that both filter working together can be definitely too much flow. The new one has a theoretical output of 450 lph (let's say 225 lph with media and tubing) and the corner one is theoretically 250 lph (so 125 lph)... Both together would mean 350 lph which I'm sure it is not a problem but maybe to much flow in a quite reduced volume of water (cube tank, not long tank).
Any suggestion is welcome.

Jordi
 
NC10 said:
I'd just put the media from the old filter into the new one. Job done :D
Click to expand...
Sounds reasonable. It's really a tiny amount of media (a few bio balls and a small sponge) to fill a large canister (2 liters), thus I think some time will be needed for having a good microbe population, but it won't be less microbes than there used to be.
Thanks for the quick reply.

Jordi
 
If your tank is well established the hole tank will be loaded with beneficial bacteria. I doubt if it will even notice the corner one gone. If anything the tank colonised bacteria will be glad of the extra food and oxygen ;) less media in canister = more flow so its a win win situation for you :)
 
parotet said:
Sounds reasonable. It's really a tiny amount of media (a few bio balls and a small sponge) to fill a large canister (2 liters), thus I think some time will be needed for having a good microbe population, but it won't be less microbes than there used to be.
Thanks for the quick reply.

Jordi
Click to expand...

Exactly, worse case scenario is you have exactly the same bacteria as you have now. There's nothing that's going to kill it off, the only way is up :D
 
Have to agree with the others, the media you already have already has the sufficient amount of bacteria to digest the ammonia nitrites etc, so all your doing is moving it over to the new filter :)
 
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