Upgrading Filters

drufly · Jul 16, 2008

Hi all. i am soon upgrading from a 90ltr hexaganal tank to a 240ltr juwel rio. I am moving all the fish in the tank, but was wondering this. When i get the new filter(tetratec EX1200) would it be OK to put the filter media from the old tank into it and run it in the 90ltr to build up bacteria before moving to the new tank.

If so how long would you recommend I keep it running before switching, getting rid of the 90ltr as i have no room for it.

Cheers forany info

Dru

SJ2K · Jul 16, 2008

Just do it all in one go, add the mature media to the tetratec and run it straight away on the new tank with the fish in

drufly · Jul 16, 2008

Will there be enough bacteria for to cope with the extra volume or should it be OK

martyn21uk · Jul 16, 2008

There will be enough bacteria to cope with the current load of fish as their waste wont change moving into a bigger tank. If you are increasing your stock you'll need to do this gradually as to allow the bacteria to grow as your stocking grows. Depending on the fish, the equivalent of say 6 neon tetra's every two weeks as you increase should be fine as to minimise any mini cycles.

Essjay · Jul 16, 2008

Just put the old filter media into the new filter. There are already enough bacteria in it to cope with the fish you already have, the water volume makes no difference. Just keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrite for a couple of days in case you get a mini cycle. I did this when I upgraded and never had a problem.

Edit: Martyn beat me to it, I'm a slow typer!