Tank Has Cycled And Thinking Of Upgrading The Filter

[marleth]

Hurray!!! I finally tested the tank and Ammonia and Nitrite were both 0 and the Nitrates were at 10 ppm.

The filter I'm using is what came with the starter kit. A Tetra Power Filter rated for a 5-15g tank. I'm considering geting a Penguin BioWheel with a 100g per hour flow. My hope is that I will be able to keep more fish in the tank with the better filter.

What is the best method for switching over to the new filter? I read some where that you cycle the filter, not just the tank.

 

[Corleone]

The filter is where the bacteria live. When you replace the filter, remove all the media from the old one, keep it wet, and put it in the new filter. Depending on how much space the new filter has, you may have to replace some of the new media instead of adding the old media alongside it, but the general goal is to shoehorn it in somehow. Watch the tank, since a mini-cycle is possible, however, you'll be keeping the vast majority of your bacteria.

 

[petertr]

You can always run both filters at the same time, either just for a month, or even permanently, if you're looking at overstocking the tank