How should I store unused filters?

[FishHobby99]

Slap, I love the song referenced in your avatar

 

[Slaphppy7]

Slap, I love the song referenced in your avatar

Might be aging myself a bit here, but I don't care....a timeless classic from the 70's, IMHO...we could use more songs like this nowadays...

[VIDEO]

 

[FishHobby99]

Not necessarily, but I know what you mean. That‘s a classic & commonly used on soundtracks.
I listen to Robert Johnson & wasn’t around circa 1930. Never saw him perform live.

 

[wgoldfarb]

How about removing filter inserts & oxygenating with an air pump?

It could work. My only concern with this is that I don't know if an air pump will provide enough water movement in the bucket to make sure the ammonia gets distributed throughout the bucket and filter media, or make sure there are no dead spots around the filter media. It probably will work, but i have little experience with air pumps so I just don't know. My guess is that if you place the outlet of the air pump at the bottom of the bucket, the upward flow of bubbles will create good water flow, but I am afraid this is just a guess.

 

[wgoldfarb]

But what I really want to do is use the cycled filter inserts to hasten cycling the big filters.

Ok. I'm lost there are just to many filters to keep track!

Let me see if I have this correctly. You currently have two New filters you just got for a new 125 you will be setting up. You put each of these New filters in a different established tank. Those tanks previously had two filters each, a Main filter and a Secondary filter. You left the Main filters in their tanks along with the New filters, and took out the Secondary filters, which are now in buckets. Yes?

So, you are using the bacteria in the Main filters to cycle your New filters faster while they are in the established tanks. But the part I'm confused about is what is going to happen to these Secondary filters once you put the New filters in the 125. Are these Secondary filters going back to their established tanks with the Main filters? Or are they going into the 125 with the New filters?

 

[wgoldfarb]

Sorry, after reading it again: when you say you want to use inserts to cycle New filters faster, which inserts are you referring to? The inserts from the Main filters, or the inserts from the a Secondary filters?

Your New filters will cycle faster because of the bacteria from the Main filters. When you took out the Secondary filters you removed part of the colony from the established tanks, so the colony needs to grow back to its original size. This will happen quickly because you aren't starting from scratch, and some of this growth will happen in the new filters. So each of the new filters will quickly have a "partial" colony.

Putting the Secondary inserts into the New filters while they are in the established tanks, to help even more, might be counterproductive. If you place the Secondary filters back into their tanks with the New filters and the Main filters, the tanks will have their full colony and there won't be a need for the colony to grow much in the New filters. Does that make sense?

I think what you've done (taking the Secondary filters out) is the best solution. It will allow the New filters to each develop a partial colony. If anything, if your media can be divided, maybe put a small amount of media from the Main filters in the New filters to ease transfer of bacteria.

Once the 125 arrives you put both New filters into it, and return the Secondary filters back to their original tanks. The two partial colonies of the New filters, together, might be enough to handle the 125's full bioload. Even if they aren't enough, you will probably only experience a short mini cycle while the filters catch up.

Plus, by returning the Secondary filters to their previous tanks you avoid a possible mini cycle in those tanks that could result from removing the New filters.

So I would leave the Secondary filters and media in the bucket, and maybe transfer a bit of the Main filter media into the New filters. Feed the bucket 1ppm ammonia every 3 days and get good water flow (by plugging the filters in so they filter the bucket water, or with an air pump).

I hope this all makes sense?

 

[itiwhetu]

Wow, Wow, Wow. Really reread this thread and see if you can make any sense of any of it.

 

[FishHobby99]

It could work. My only concern with this is that I don't know if an air pump will provide enough water movement in the bucket to make sure the ammonia gets distributed throughout the bucket and filter media, or make sure there are no dead spots around the filter media. It probably will work, but i have little experience with air pumps so I just don't know. My guess is that if you place the outlet of the air pump at the bottom of the bucket, the upward flow of bubbles will create good water flow, but I am afraid this is just a guess.

Knowing you, it’s an excellent guess!

 

[FishHobby99]

Sorry, after reading it again: when you say you want to use inserts to cycle New filters faster, which inserts are you referring to? The inserts from the Main filters, or the inserts from the a Secondary filters?

Your New filters will cycle faster because of the bacteria from the Main filters. When you took out the Secondary filters you removed part of the colony from the established tanks, so the colony needs to grow back to its original size. This will happen quickly because you aren't starting from scratch, and some of this growth will happen in the new filters. So each of the new filters will quickly have a "partial" colony.

Putting the Secondary inserts into the New filters while they are in the established tanks, to help even more, might be counterproductive. If you place the Secondary filters back into their tanks with the New filters and the Main filters, the tanks will have their full colony and there won't be a need for the colony to grow much in the New filters. Does that make sense?

I think what you've done (taking the Secondary filters out) is the best solution. It will allow the New filters to each develop a partial colony. If anything, if your media can be divided, maybe put a small amount of media from the Main filters in the New filters to ease transfer of bacteria.

Once the 125 arrives you put both New filters into it, and return the Secondary filters back to their original tanks. The two partial colonies of the New filters, together, might be enough to handle the 125's full bioload. Even if they aren't enough, you will probably only experience a short mini cycle while the filters catch up.

Plus, by returning the Secondary filters to their previous tanks you avoid a possible mini cycle in those tanks that could result from removing the New filters.

So I would leave the Secondary filters and media in the bucket, and maybe transfer a bit of the Main filter media into the New filters. Feed the bucket 1ppm ammonia every 3 days and get good water flow (by plugging the filters in so they filter the bucket water, or with an air pump).

I hope this all makes sense?

100% perfect sense! Thank you. I’ll post later in My 125 G Tank Project about yesterday’s work on building the supports for the new tank. ETA still unknown.