Seeding filters

[Danno]

My girlfriend just got a fish tank. It's a 5 gallon all set up ready to go. Minutes the fish. We are going to do a fish less cycle and I figured getting a new filter for my tank wouldn't be a bad idea because then I could use my old established one in her tank to get the cycle moving. My question is how long should I leave my current 3 month old filter and my new one together before I give her my older one. I've heard that when switching to a new filter cartridge you should seed the old one with the new one to get the good bacteria transferred. Is this true? Am I on the right track? Anything helps, appreciate it.

 

[bigbanker]

That is correct.. you can run her filter with yours on your tank or slide her filter pad behind yours in your HOB. you can also cut some of your filter pad and put it in her HOB.

I would wait as long as possible. With pre seeded media I'm not certain of the actual timeline. I'd say two weeks or so. Maybe someone who knows for sure will answer

 

[librarygirl]

What size tank do you have and what fish? What filter do you have now and what are you planning on getting? If your tank is stable and cycled you could just take a filter pad or a portion of the media from your current filter and put it on the 5 gal; this should go a long way in cycling it for a 5 gal tank---which can't hold much fish anyway so it won't need much bacteria. What fish is she planning on getting? Then when you upgrade your filter just move the rest of the media you have now into the new filter. I instantly cycled my 5 gal betta tank this way with a portion of media from my cycled 40 gal. Just test both tanks daily and do extra water changes if needed.