I Hate to Ask Another One of These Questions

[pwmin]

On one of my established 55's, I added a filter to the one that was already there 3 weeks ago. Would it be safe to take the old filter out now? I have another one of the same filters running on another established tank. Should I risk the chance of losing same bacteria in the other filter/tank by swapping some bio-media at this point or is that plenty of time? I just want to make sure it will be okay, because I need the other filter for another tank and don't want any problems w/ the newer filter. I have a pretty light bio-load in the 55 - (7) 2-3" Loaches and (4) 2-3" Polypterus.

 

[Dr Joe]

How's the water chemistry?

What's the bio-load?

3 weeks isn't much so your going to get an ammonia spike.

Can you take part of the filter material out of the filter and put it in another filter in a different tank to keep it alive, and reduce the amount of filtering capacity where the new filter is and making it work harder (actually juat making more nutrients available to it)?

Then in two more weeks remove the rest of the old filter.

Dr Joe

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[pwmin]

How's the water chemistry?

What's the bio-load?

3 weeks isn't much so your going to get an ammonia spike.

Can you take part of the filter material out of the filter and put it in another filter in a different tank to keep it alive, and reduce the amount of filtering capacity where the new filter is and making it work harder (actually juat making more nutrients available to it)?

Then in two more weeks remove the rest of the old filter.

Dr Joe

.

Water is 0/0/5 (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)

I have 11 2-3" Bichirs and Loaches/Botias in 55 gallons

I'm a little confused, so tell me if this is right...
1)Take half the media out of the established (old filter) and put it in another filter to keep it alive. I could actually put it in the new filter.
2)Take the old filter out, put it in the other tank and put the media I took out back in. I would be putting the old filter in another tank w/ an established filter and "old" water.

 

[Tommydeal]

The best possible way to switch filters is to take the media from the old filter and put it in the new filter. What filters are you using?
The new filter has to build up the necessary bacteria to carry the bioload of the entire tank by itself. Right now the bioload is split between the two filters and will stay that way until you take the old filter out. From my experience in a similar situation, 1 month is enough time to seed the new filter with nitrifying bacteria. When you take the old filter out, there will be a little break-in period where the new filter builds up more bacteria but if the tank has been established for more than 3 months, the ammonia/nitrite spike should be so small that it won't affect the fish much unless they are very sensitive. So, I'd give it another week if you don't want to (or can't) switch the media.

 

[pwmin]

I will put some of the media from the old filter in the new one, then. I actually have another week until I need the old filter in another tank.

 

[pwmin]

any more help?

 

[Bderick67]

Paul, what type filters are these?

 

[Dr Joe]

The best possible way to switch filters is to take the media from the old filter and put it in the new filter.In essence removing one filter and cutting the ammonia processing in half, causing an ammonia spike. Fish really don't like that and sometimes they prove it by dieing. What filters are you using?
The new filter has to build up the necessary bacteria to carry the bioload of the entire tank by itself.Which you state is approx. 1mo.(it can take alot longer) Right now the bioload is split between the two filters and will stay that way until you take the old filter out. From my experience in a similar situation, 1 month is enough time to seed the new filter with nitrifying bacteria. When you take the old filter out, there will be a little break-in period (read... ammonia spike)where the new filter builds up more (any) bacteria but if the tank has been established for more than 3 months, the ammonia/nitrite spike should be so small (why, it's not the tank your cycling it's the filter, the tank is just a nutrient source) that it won't affect the fish much unless they are very sensitive. So, I'd give it another week if you don't want to (or can't) switch the media.

Dr Joe

.

 

[Tommydeal]

Good info Dr.Joe, thanks. I meant switching all the media from the old filter into the new one would be the best possible way. If the new filter isn't established yet, that wouldn't affect the amount of good bacteria. Of course that only works if the filters are identical or have similar media chambers.

 

[pwmin]

Paul, what type filters are these?

i'll get flamed for saying it , but here goes. the "old" filter is fluval in-tank and the new filter is a penguin 350. i had only 2 fish in there when I put the penguin in and did water changes every other day and monitered the parameters every day in case I needed to move the fish out if the bio-load was too high. I had to do a little rearranging yesterday, so now the loaches and bichirs are in there, but the other 2 fish are out. I can fit the media from the fluval into the penguin, no problem.


Joe, are you saying I need to give it longer than they month I was planning (3 weeks already plus one more).

So, i'm confused on something else. Should I put all the media from the fluval into the penguin or half?