How Long Does It Take To Seed An Extra Filter In A Running Tank?

[flix_cw]

I'm hoping to be getting a new tank in the new year, so i'm planning on buying a filter for it first and running it in my current tank.

How long does it take to seed the new filter, and when you transfer it across to the new tank, does that mean the new tank is therefore "cycled" ?

Is there a better way of doing this whole process?

Thanks!

 

[VaegaVic]

Usually, I'd expect at least 6 weeks.

I don't normally understand that process though.
If your tank is fully stocked, all water levels are fine and then you put another filter in there, why would the bacteria grow on the new filter? Surely, since they only grow when food (ammonia) is present in the water column, would they use up extra energy to expand onto a new filter, only not to get any more food.
Or is it, they move, rather than expand, effectively weakening the first filter?

Always puzzled me that.

I'd personally just chop off some filter media and throw it into the new filter, saves a lot of time and hassle.

 

[Westwood]

A eaiser way is it to put mature media into the new filter and run it for a short amount of time. but if you can't do this , the way you have described above would be the best.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

wow didnt think of it like that ive been trying to do exactly the same thing as flix

 

[Curiosity101]

Vaega you've pretty much covered it there. Bacteria will drop off the normal filter and colonise the new one. Then they'll probably continue to grow as the new filter has absolutely no nearby competition.

However as you suggested, chopping some media out and transferring it straight to the new filter on the new tank is the better way to do it. That way you aren't trying to get a bacterial colony to grow in competition to the original colony.

 

[flix_cw]

Very good point, Vaega. I always thought something similar but couldn't put my finger on it.

My new tank will be about 15USG, so i was thinking of having a small internal (like a Fluval 2+). My current tank is only 7.5USG and is an undergravel filter, so i don't quite know what approach to take. I want sand substrate capping a plant-friendly base in my new tank, but that's for another thread!

Any more thoughts then? Thanks!

 

[flix_cw]

By the way, how do you calculate filter turnover?

 

[drobbyb]

6 weeks seems to be the magic number. The old filter won't have any effect on cycling the new one. It pulls water from the same supply of ammonia allowing bacteria to grow just as in a fish in cycle. Eventually you will have an equal amount of bacteria in both filters, provided enough media is present. Some dieback on the old filter would result as the new filter builds up it's own colony. I wouldn't recommend cycling large filters in this manner since when you remove them to the new tank, they are taking 50% of the bacteria which could result in a mini cycle on the established tank. You never want to remove one third of the filter's media at any one time. It's best to take 1/3 of your media and put it in the new filter, replacing the old media with some from the new filter. You may have to cut it up, but that's perfectly fine as long as all of it gets in there.

 

[Geoff-]

A eaiser way is it to put mature media into the new filter and run it for a short amount of time. but if you can't do this , the way you have described above would be the best.

do this, put the mature media at the entry point of the new filter so the water runs through the old media and then into the new media.

 

[flix_cw]

A eaiser way is it to put mature media into the new filter and run it for a short amount of time. but if you can't do this , the way you have described above would be the best.

do this, put the mature media at the entry point of the new filter so the water runs through the old media and then into the new media.

Can i do this with gravel? Gravel is my current media with my UGF.

 

[Curiosity101]

Yeah you can. You just need to get hold of a filter media bag or some thin/small fishnet tights. Or if you make sure the gravel can't get into the impeller (by using foam) then just pop some straight in the middle where the carbon pad is when you first buy it.