changing filter , help please

[Animal fanatic]

today I'm buying a new external canister filter , as my old small internal filter broke , should I just set up the new filter straight away with the sponges from my old filter for bacteria or just scrap the old one please help me ASAP as I don't want to harm my fish thanks all

 

[CraigMac]

Do not throw away the media from your old filter, and keep it wet! If need be, put it in a bucket of tank water. When you set up the canister filter, use the old filter media so that you will have the beneficial bacteria going. You probably can put all of the media from the old filter into one basket and still have room for more media in other baskets, depending on the size of the new filter.

Be sure to rest your water over the next few days and be ready to do water changes if needed.

 

[LyndaB]

+1 to the above advice

When I switched from an HOB filter to a canister when setting up my 75 gallon tank, I took all the media, even the biowheel, from the HOB and crammed it all into the canister, beside the new biomedia and sponges. It gave me an instant cycle.

As mentioned, the important thing: KEEP FILTER MEDIA WET!

 

[Animal fanatic]

Thanks , this helped me a lot I bought a fluval 406 canister filter , I put all the old media into the canister and it's running like a charm I would highly recommend for anyone looking a canister filter but seeing its my first ever canister I cant compare it to any other canister I also got my first ever discus there rally nice fish , one is a light blur colour the other is brownish red with blur spots

 

[LyndaB]

Be sure you keep up on water changes with the discus. My understanding is that you'll have to do multiple water changes per week, some do a w/c every day to keep the discus healthy. That's the only reason I don't have any. I love them, though. They're gorgeous.

 

[Animal fanatic]

Be sure you keep up on water changes with the discus. My understanding is that you'll have to do multiple water changes per week, some do a w/c every day to keep the discus healthy. That's the only reason I don't have any. I love them, though. They're gorgeous.

Alls fine in the community at the moment discus are settled in and eating out of my hand