Filter Media

[Welshweeks]

Hi all

Just started to fishless cycle a 40ltr tank in the view of starting a shrimp tank. It's a second hand tank and after giving it a good clean and using the filter supplied by the previous owner I was hoping there would have been some good bacteria left in there but not looking too good. Anyway, the internal filter is a aqua flow 100 it basically has one sponge in there that has a hole in the middle that you can put carbon in if you or want. I'm thinking of cutting the filter down to about 40 precent of original size leaving that at the bottom end of filter and putting some mature ceramic media from my 180ltr tank. Trouble is I won't be able to put much ceramic in due to it being a small filter. What do you all think?

 

[Mikey1]

i would just put as much foam in there as u possibly can.....nothing else

 

[Becks1985]

Well if someone can give u water from a mature tank an even a bit of gravel an even if u don't want to use the gravel hang it in ur tank in a pair of tights are something like that.. That will speed up ur cycle.. Would be even better if someone can give u a bit of filter media from der thank.... If the filter media from the filter ur using dried out before you set up this new tank all the beneficial bacteria will have die of from it....

After reading ur message again der I think what I wrote isn't what u were getting at

 

[This Old Spouse]

Becks, you wouldn't get enough bacteria from the water or gravel to make much of a difference. If you get some actual filter media (mesh, cotton, ceramic noodles, etc.) that's well established, you can cycle your filter immediately.

 

[Welshweeks]

Becks, you wouldn't get enough bacteria from the water or gravel to make much of a difference. If you get some actual filter media (mesh, cotton, ceramic noodles, etc.) that's well established, you can cycle your filter immediately.

I already ave a mature 180ltr tank (1 year old) that's what I referred to in my original post. What I'm asking is would it be ok to reduce the size of the sponge in the 40ltr internal filter down to 40%or so, so I can fit some ceramics in from my mature external filter used on the 180ltr tank?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Becks, you wouldn't get enough bacteria from the water or gravel to make much of a difference. If you get some actual filter media (mesh, cotton, ceramic noodles, etc.) that's well established, you can cycle your filter immediately.

I already ave a mature 180ltr tank (1 year old) that's what I referred to in my original post. What I'm asking is would it be ok to reduce the size of the sponge in the 40ltr internal filter down to 40%or so, so I can fit some ceramics in from my mature external filter used on the 180ltr tank?

Sorry ... my post was directed at Becks. And I think you should be able to do what you suggest with no problems. I'd just be concerned about how much of the ceramic media you could fit. But as I see it, media is media.

 

[Welshweeks]

OK, thanks. Will give it a go over the weekend hopefully and post my results as things progress on my original post I started on the 40ltr tank.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/414813-just-picked-up-a-40ltr-tank/
 
I always find it interesting to follow these type of threads! 

 

[Welshweeks]

I was just thinking if I do put some media in my tank and it is ready for fish, I won't really be ready for them yet, will I be able to just keep dosing with ammonia for a week or so (or for longer) until I'm ready for fish?

 

[This Old Spouse]

That shouldn't be a problem. Just keep testing the levels to make sure your bacteria is doing its job.

 

[balajake]

I always have filter Wool mine so I can transfer it to another filter should I need to. I put it in the top, middle and bottom to try and colonise it faster. The gunkier the better and when I put new floss into a filter I always leave in some of the gunky old stuff

 

[Welshweeks]

As I've not opened my external filter from my main tank for a couple of months I'd say the wool in there's probably pretty guny so I'll put some of that in with the ceramica and cur the sponge down to around 40% of it's original size.