Seeding New Filter Media, Quick Question..

[ech0o]

Not sure if this is the right place for the question, but I have recently removed the Fluval Chi filter box from my 5g Chi.   I purchased a Marina s10 compact filter, and wedged all of the old filter media into the channels in the filter.  I had no ammonia or nitrite readings, it is now day 3 with the filter media still inside the filter, but it all is REALLY restricting the flow of the filter.
 
 I am wondering how long it will take until i should be able to take out the old media so the filter can run at its normal flow?  Could I just squeeze the old filter pads into the water before the new pads, inside the filter box, so the new pads catch all of the slime, and remove them? 
 
 

 

[Sophie]

I'll be interested to know about this also.
I would assume you take out bits little by little, and I mean very little bits. Cut small chunks out of the sponges or remove a little biomedia once a week and then let the bacteria bounce back or something. Again, just a guess. What I've recently done when it came to removing an internal filter and just leaving it running off the external.

 

[ech0o]

Well, I run an internal filter as well, so it has always been a 2 filter tank, and I am still using that filter, which I am sure has helped pick up the slack on this filter change.  Alright so I should just cut pieces off little by little, that seems like a pretty smart idea actually. 
 
I really do love this filter and cant wait until it's running at full flow!!!

 

[Sophie]

Just keep testing your water and make sure if you enter a 'mini cycle' you can deal with it asap.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

When I am ready to replace bio media in a filter I always use the same method. I remove the old filter media and put it in the tank and then put the new media in the filter. I give it about two weeks and then remove the old media. Has always worked fine for me.
 
The last place I want the old media is in the filter as that will only serve to keep the bacteria in the old media rather than encouraging new colonies in the new media. Remember, bacteria tends to be most concentrated where the sources of "food" and oxygen are best.

 

[ech0o]

Oh snap!!  I didn't think of that at all, so you never have an issue with ammonia/nitrite spikes with that method?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Not that I have noticed. I almost never test tanks, I have no reason to unless something goes wrong. I do weekly maint. and water changes. I have used this method on tanks with discus, on tanks with some expensive plecos and plain old planted community tanks and never lost a fish.
 
I also tend to run 2 or 3 filters on most tanks, so I never really worry about problems unless the whole tank shuts down.

 

[TekFish]

I agree with TTA on this one.
 
Tek oot.