I need help, Just purchased a fluval fx6 to add to my 75gal heavily stocked tank. Currently I have a sunsun 704b canister running. My question is since the sunsun is running and has been for over a year. Is there any danger in loading the fx6 up with all new media, adding some bacteria then letting it colonize or take some from the sunsun.
New filter
- Thread starter Billyb
- Start date
Just install the fluval with new media and let it run alongside with the sunsun filter and your good to go. No need to add bacteria since its a established tank it will be an established filter within some weeks.
No problem. As long as you keep the sunsun filter on its aint gonna be any problems at all. You are just adding on to the filtration of the tank.
With an established filter already running you have options. You could do either one, let the new filter alone to develop beneficial bacteria over time or seed it with some media from the established filter to speed the process. Personally, I'd do the latter if there was a real need to add filtration in the first place.
Your beneficial microbe colony won't outgrow the available nutrients, either way. In other words, if filtration, substrate, etc. weren't enough to support sufficient beneficial bacteria, an added filter will improve that, but if your bacteria colony population was already in equilibrium with available nutrients, more filtration won't increase it beyond that equilibrium. The new filter would eventually just share whatever beneficial bacteria is supported by the available nutrients, oxygen, etc. Doesn't mean more filtration can't increase water polishing capacity.
I'd say you could be increasing capacity for additional bio-load in the future, but if you're already heavily stocked, that's probably not an option.
Your beneficial microbe colony won't outgrow the available nutrients, either way. In other words, if filtration, substrate, etc. weren't enough to support sufficient beneficial bacteria, an added filter will improve that, but if your bacteria colony population was already in equilibrium with available nutrients, more filtration won't increase it beyond that equilibrium. The new filter would eventually just share whatever beneficial bacteria is supported by the available nutrients, oxygen, etc. Doesn't mean more filtration can't increase water polishing capacity.
I'd say you could be increasing capacity for additional bio-load in the future, but if you're already heavily stocked, that's probably not an option.
Thanks for the input, everyone has been a great help with advice.With an established filter already running you have options. You could do either one, let the new filter alone to develop beneficial bacteria over time or seed it with some media from the established filter to speed the process. Personally, I'd do the latter if there was a real need to add filtration in the first place.
Your beneficial microbe colony won't outgrow the available nutrients, either way. In other words, if filtration, substrate, etc. weren't enough to support sufficient beneficial bacteria, an added filter will improve that, but if your bacteria colony population was already in equilibrium with available nutrients, more filtration won't increase it beyond that equilibrium. The new filter would eventually just share whatever beneficial bacteria is supported by the available nutrients, oxygen, etc. Doesn't mean more filtration can't increase water polishing capacity.
I'd say you could be increasing capacity for additional bio-load in the future, but if you're already heavily stocked, that's probably not an option.
I've done this on a couple of tanks. Just add the second filter with new media, and keep the old one running too. Keeping two filters running on a tank gives you a safety margin if one of them eventually breaks down. And more filtration is usually better. Running something like an FX5 only adds an extra $5 a month or so to your power bill - which seems a small price to pay for peace of mind.