Swapping Tanks - Filter Question

[Jonno]

Hi there,

I'm swapping tanks with a user of this very forum over the weekend, both tanks have different filters, and my tank has a higher stocking than his.

Is there any tips we could use to ensure that the filters have enough bacteria to cope with the (3 hour ish) journey and the increased load in my case? I've suggested temporarily overfeeding the fish to create more waste and hence raise filtration? Anything else?

Thanks!

Jonathan.

 

[ellena]

So you're swapping tanks, but keeping the same fish? You should ship the filter in a container of tank water, should be OK
I presume the fish will be staying behind in some sort of makeshift container?
You shouldn't feed your fish more. They will be producing too much waste for the filter anyway, without overfeeding. The bacterial colony can only grow so fast, the higher bioload will mean there will be an excess of ammonia food for them. Overfeeding won't make them grow faster, it will just increase the damage to your fish.
You should feed minimally, and keep checking stats-you will probably have to do some big regular chages for a while until the bacteria catch up.
What's the reason for the swap? Must be good to merit a 3 hour drive?