Cloning A Filter

[Ed Green]

Hello

i am going to clone a filter today can somone explain the easiest way of doing so?


im thinking either


a) put the whole new filter in an established tank and leave it for a week or two (if so do I need to turn it on or just have it in there?)

or

b) cut half of the established filter and swap with half of the new one (if so is this ready to use right away?)

or

c) just set up the new tank and wash my old filter media in the water (again if so is it ready to stock right away?)


which option is best?


thanks for the help


Ed

 

[DutchKev]

im guessing you meen swapping over some of the media over to the new filter to help with cycling? best method would be to use some of the old media in the new filter to help speed up the process

 

[Ed Green]

im guessing you meen swapping over some of the media over to the new filter to help with cycling? best method would be to use some of the old media in the new filter to help speed up the process

ok, thanks - i am looking to find out how long i need to then leave the set up new tank before introducing fish once the new filter had mature media put in?

 

[aly_starh]

im guessing you meen swapping over some of the media over to the new filter to help with cycling? best method would be to use some of the old media in the new filter to help speed up the process

ok, thanks - i am looking to find out how long i need to then leave the set up new tank before introducing fish once the new filter had mature media put in?

Hi, it would be around 2 weeks once the media was swapped, but you will have to still add an ammonia source, a prawn or even fish food flakes will work!

 

[Darkerwhite2]

B! I have used this in the past. Just make sure your doing many checks on your water stats. Bacteria can be tricky sometimes and die off causing mini cycles.

If your going to use the b) option make sure have an ammonia source like stated above.


Good luck.

 

[OldMan47]

I always clone my filters by cleaning an established one in a new tank and then treating the tank as if it was going through a fishless cycle. It usually takes less than a week to cycle after that treatment. The idea of running a filter for a couple of weeks on an established tank is one I have tried before and I was not impressed with the result after using that method for a full month. The new filter had a hard time coping with 4 juvenile livebearers and I ended up cleaning a filter in the tank to jump start that filter that had a 4 week head start on cycling in an older tank. It took 4 more days to cycle while the fish were swimming in some nasty filter cleaning water for the first day and I did 90% water changes for the next 3 days. By then, the filter spike I had given the filter with my cleaning had caught up with the fish load and the chemistry settled down. The cut sponge is a technique that makes sense to me but I have never used it personally.

 

[snowflake311]

I also just add some filter stuff from my old filter to the new one. Then I add a few fish to feed help the Bactria grow. You just can not add a full load of fish to the tank all at once. One at a time or 2 at a time is fine.

Adding the filter to the established tank works well too you have to have it running in order for it to work. I alway add some old filter stuff to the new filter to help. Once you have the bactria growing it grows fast.