Need to replace filter -- worried about loosing too much good bacteria

[bettaworldforbettas]

Hi -- I had an Aqueon Quiet Flow filter for my 13 gal tank which stopped working after a power outage. I bought another one and put my old sponge and cartridge into it to keep the same bacteria, but this one is unbearably loud.

I am thinking of trying a different brand to see if I can find a quieter hang-on back filter, but I am worried that I will lose all of the bacteria my tank has built up.

Does anyone have experience switching a filter in their tank with their fish still in it? Should I try to squeeze my old cartridge and sponge into any new filter brand that I purchase? Or would it be safer to keep the Aqeuon filter that I have?

I have one betta and mystery snail. Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Fishiemang]

Most of your bacteria at this point, provided your tank is established, are in the substrate and water column. You will lose some, but you will be fine. I completely clean all of my filters periodically, otherwise they would fail from crud. Never had an issue.

 

[Colin_T]

AquaClear do good external hang on the back style filters.

You can put the old filter media/ materials on the new media and leave them together for a couple of months. The bacteria, which lives in the filter media, will transfer from the old media to the new media.

Reduce feeding to every second day for a couple of weeks and do a big water change every couple of days or whenever you get an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.

Keep live plants and they will help use some of the ammonia and reduce the amount of nitrite that is produced.

 

[Fishmanic]

Just stuff as much of your old media as you can fit into the new filter. Cut it up if necessary. Add a piece of new media in front of the old media. Then you may gradually remove the old media over a few months and add more new media. I replaced my cartridge in my marineland 200 with sponge and floss.

 

[AbbeysDad]

In a new tank, beneficial bacteria (BB) tends to develop in/on the filter media first. It's a great place as 'food' is constantly delivered in the flow. However, as a tank matures, BB colonizes in/on the substrate and other hard surfaces in the tank.
When changing filters, you can transfer media or even just float old media in the tank until the new filter media becomes seeded...but as mentioned, in an established tank (six months or more), the filter becomes less important.
Cycling a New Aquarium