Seeding External Filter With Sponge

[pyromad]

Hi there,

In the post today i received my new external filter, it has 3 trays 1 with bio balls, 1 with ceramic hoops and the last with carbon.

I plan on not using the carbon for now but were should i put each media and were should i put the sponge to seed the new media?

 

[Mowbz]

Are you upgrading to a better filtration system, or starting a new tank?

 

[Tizer]

mature media should go on the bottom tray so water hits it first, any bacteria that gets knocked off will then travel upwards and seed the media above, if it manages to take hold. If there is room, you could chop up the sponge and place it in with the cermaic media in the bottom tray, bio balls in the second, then some sponges/polishing pads on the top level to keep the water clean.

 

[pyromad]

Are you upgrading to a better filtration system, or starting a new tank?

Its a filtration upgrade

 

[Gvilleguy]

I donated a mature sponge to drobbyb and I liked what he did with it - he sliced it into horizontal strips and stacked it, alternating with new sponge slices. A great way to spread the good bacteria quickly.

If this is a canister type filter, the general recommendation is to start with a sponge that filters large particles (usually before the water hits the stack of trays), then in the first tray that water flows into you put a pre-filter particle like Fluval Pre-filter pellets. This helps to change the direction of the water as it moves through, slowing down particles and letting them settle out. Then in subsequent trays you can put bio-pellets with more surface area for growing bacteria colonies.

Agree on not using carbon - don't use it unless you need to filter chemicals/medicine out of the tank for a few days.