Getting Bateria Built Up In New Filter.

[julia298]

Getting new filter for quarantine tank ready. Have done whats suggested below.

yes; I would take the current filter media out and place in a bucket of tank water, give it a good squeeze (so water goes mucky) then immerse the small world cartridge in the mucky water. this will transfer a lot of bacteria to the sterile cartidge.

I have taken out the coarse blue sponge of my jewel compact filter. Is this one ok or should i have used one of the fine blue ones from lower down in the filter? Didn't want to take these out as its only been in 7 weeks.

I also wondered whether the water has to be a certain temp for bacteria to build up???

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I Think you would of done better putting your new filter in your old tank for 2weeks, you would of transferred more bacteria that way. Bacteria builds up in goldfish tanks as well so id guess that it doesn't really matter what temp the water is unless it is boiling.

 

[julia298]

I Think you would of done better putting your new filter in your old tank for 2weeks, you would of transferred more bacteria that way. Bacteria builds up in goldfish tanks as well so id guess that it doesn't really matter what temp the water is unless it is boiling.

I did do that to start with, but someone said there isnt much bacteria in the tank water itself its mainly in the filter..

Would course blue sponge be providing any bacteria>

 

[rdd1952]

You were told correctly that there really isn't any bacteria present in the water but there will be bacteria present on any surface in the tank. Just hanging it in the tank will work as there will be bacteria present on any surface in the tank, just not as much as in the actual filter. The best way to do it is run the new filter in the water flow of the existing established filter (actually in the filter if at all possible). I try to keep an extra filter pack in my 29 gallon filter all the time just in case I need it.

 

[ncjharris]

A (much) quicker way is to put some of your filter medium into the filter.
This only really works if you have a filter with medium you can rip apart, like a sponge or filter floss.

For example, I have a fluval 4 in the main tank and am running a fluval 2 in the q tank.

When setting up the 1 tank, I took one of the sponges from the 4 (there are two in the housing), cut it in half and used it in the 2, putting a new half in the 4 (if that makes sense). Saves you having to wait a week or so to seed a new filter, esp if you have to set up the q tank asap!

 

[julia298]

Does anyone know if it is ok to take out one of the fine blue sponges from juwel filter in my cycled tank. Already took out the blue coarse. (Are juwel the most complicated filters?)

Juwel recommends you change (one of them at a time) between 3-6 months. Mines been in 7 weeks. I dont want to mess with my cycled tank - its doing good & fish are happy.


New filter still in bucket with coarse blue sponge. Am willing bacteria tomultiply!