Upgrading fliter....Do you need to "cycle" it?

[STONEDFISH]

I want to get a small canister filter and get rid of the hang-on box filter i have now. Can I just switch them out or do I need to let them both run until the filter media gets all biobacteriafied and such? Isn't there all sorts of beneficial things in the old filter?
STNDFSH

 

[rallysman]

Let them both run for a while and when you remove the HOB put its media in the canister (if you can)

 

[dacox]

Let them both run for a while and when you remove the HOB put its media in the canister (if you can)

Do that and you shouldn't really see any cycle. You could even just leave them both running as long as there isn't too much current and you didn't have any other use for the HOB.

 

[guppy]

Running both for a while would definitely be the best way, you can even squirt some sludge from the old one into the intake of the new one using a baster to speed the process.

 

[RadleyMiller]

Good idea guppy! Yes, you will have to cycle it because it doesn't get seeded over night. If you can put the old media into the new canister. If you have a seeded sponge filter, put that right under the intake to help with seeding the canister.

 

[Bderick67]

I would run both for at least a month, then if you can reduce the bio media in the HOB over a couple weeks. This will allow more to build in the canister. Don't know your exact set up but you don't want to cut your biofiltertion in half suddenly.

 

[rhinod56]

run them both for awhile, and if you wanna speed it up, just add some PRIME, or STABILITY, both made by seachem....