Filter Media Question.

Reid. · Apr 19, 2008

right just now i have a fully cycled and stocked 160l tank which ive had running for ~4months. ive just bought a 380l tank and want to set that up as my main tank while keeping the tank i have just now (with everything thats in it just now).

in order to speed of the cycle in the new tank i know i can run the new filters in the old tank (alongside the running filters) to build up bacteria and then transfer the new filters into the new tank with a bacteria food sourc after a week or so.

what im wanting to know is do i have to run the entire new filters in the setup tank or can i just leave the media from those filters in the set up tank and then transfer them into the filters and into the new tank?

hope that makes sense lol!

tibby25731 · Apr 19, 2008

can't you just take some mature filter media from your current filter and put that in your new one? this will speed things up and is much easier to do!

Reid. · Apr 19, 2008

tibby25731 said:
can't you just take some mature filter media from your current filter and put that in your new one? this will speed things up and is much easier to do!

the new tank wont be set up for about a week or so, so dropping the media from the new filters in just now and taking them out in a week seemed pretty simple if that'd be ok.

andywg · Apr 20, 2008

Wait until both tanks are set up. Then take a quarter of the media from the old tank and swap that into the new tank. Stock immediately with roughly a quarter of the bioload of the old tank and away you go. Instant cycling, or cloning.