simple question :)

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Ali1

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 12, 2005
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Okay, i have this small 10gallon tank that i would like to use as a feeder fish (guppies or convicts) tank. The filter it came with is this wack tetra HOB filter, but no wheel for bacteria buildup for these filters. So i inserted scour pads as a prefilter, then added one sponge infront of it for the bacteria. Is this sufficient for bacteria buildup? What do you guys think?


* All i can fit is one sponge in that small HOB
* I have a rena XP2 from another tank currently running on this 10G to transfer the bacteria
* I dont wanna spend money on a fine filter just for feeder fish.
 
well i think since you have the bacteria you can transfer and its such a small tank i think you should be alright.is your other tank fully cycled?
 
yes, been running well over a year with no modifcations to the baceria department
 
If i just throw in bioballs in the tank and let them float around, would they collect the bacteria and Ill just use the HOB as a mechanical filtration full of scour pads????
 
well i would guess ud have to let the bioballs float around for a while to establish the bacteria on them.then i guess after a while you could put them in your new tank.i think that would work,but im not sure how long you would need to keep them floating around in your new tank
 
well, i currently have the xp2, crappy tetra filter, and the bioballs on my 10G tank now. Im just asking if the bacteria will work on my sponge that is sitting in my tetra filter and will the bioballs collect bacteria if they are just floating at the surface of my tank.
 
The bacteria will colonize absolutely every available surface including gravel, tank decor, the inside surfaces of your filter, etc. As long as your filter provides sufficient flow/turnover, I doubt the bioballs would even be necessary. Especially if your tank has gravel as it adds a lot of surface area.
 
I do have a test kit and do plan on using it once i let go of my XP2 and let the tetra do all the work.


the tetra I have has a slit opening for one scour pad. I jammed in a pot scrubby right infront of it. I'm just wondering once I remove the XP2 filter, that one sponge should be able to carry the majority of the bacteria correct?

When can i pull the plug on the XP2 and let the tank heavily depend on the tetra? Is there a certain amount of time I should let my old filter continue running on my new tank to seed the tank/newfilter with bacteria?

I don't have gravel. In fact, I barely have enough sand to cover the bottom of the tank. Reasoning is to ease water changes :)
 
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