Swapping power filters

[octanejunkie]

It seems our tank after 2 months has not fully cycled... see this thread on the subject

It was suggested that the power filter with our tank is too small. I am thinking about upgrading to a larger filter... Looking at the Azoo Mignon 150 (good for 20-30 liter tanks (5-8 US Gallon))

How would I go about doing swapping filters and is there a better or worse time/way to do this?

Not sure we have any BB in our current filter media... but I could squeeze it in there to "seed" the new filter media (sort of)

Thanks in advance!

 

[BBradbury]

Hello oct...

All that's required is a filter with a minimum gallon per hour (gph) rating of 4 times the volume of your tank. So, if you have a 30 gallon tank, you need a filter with a gph of 120. If your current filter is 120 or more, then it's sufficient to cycle your tank. You can do the math for your particular tank, by using this example.

B

 

[octanejunkie]

Hello oct...

All that's required is a filter with a minimum gallon per hour (gph) rating of 4 times the volume of your tank. So, if you have a 30 gallon tank, you need a filter with a gph of 120. If your current filter is 120 or more, then it's sufficient to cycle your tank. You can do the math for your particular tank, by using this example.

B

Thanks for the quick response, B!

The tank is a 6-Gallon, probably closer to 5 or 5.5 actual volume when accounting for substrate and decor.

The current filter that came with the "kit" can be seen in this link, very few specs out there for it other than 45 gallon per hour flow. It does provide a nice current for our neon tetras and seems to aerate adequately, but it is loud in doing so.

I wouldn't mind a more quiet filter, personally.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Hello oct...

All that's required is a filter with a minimum gallon per hour (gph) rating of 4 times the volume of your tank. So, if you have a 30 gallon tank, you need a filter with a gph of 120. If your current filter is 120 or more, then it's sufficient to cycle your tank. You can do the math for your particular tank, by using this example.

B

The minimum is not 4x. A tank will be good with a filter 2x the volume of your tank. All my tanks have around 2x the volume and they all look good. But of course there is no such thing as over filtering so the more filtration the better.

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again oct... A 6 gallon tank needs a filter with a gph of roughly 30. That's pretty small for a filter that would hang on the back of the tank. Whisper has some very small filters, but they typically have to work on the inside of the tank. If you're the creative type, you might be able to make one of these work.

B

 

[octanejunkie]

Hey BB - so our current in-tank microfilter claims to move 45gph. The water in our tank is really clear... other than the volume this filter operates at it does seem to work.

I'm second guessing swapping filters and might throw some SafeStart in as was suggested by another forum member in my other thread called "tank not cycling?"

 

[FishCr8zy]

Hey BB - so our current in-tank microfilter claims to move 45gph. The water in our tank is really clear... other than the volume this filter operates at it does seem to work.

I'm second guessing swapping filters and might throw some SafeStart in as was suggested by another forum member in my other thread called "tank not cycling?"

SafeStart really is a hit or miss for people. Some people claim it works great and others say it doesn't work at all and was a waste of money. I myself have never used the stuff so I can't really relate any personal experience.

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Filtration

Hey BB - so our current in-tank microfilter claims to move 45gph. The water in our tank is really clear... other than the volume this filter operates at it does seem to work.

I'm second guessing swapping filters and might throw some SafeStart in as was suggested by another forum member in my other thread called "tank not cycling?"

Hello again oct...

A filter that will turn over 45 gallons of tank water per hour is more than sufficient for a 5 to 6 gallon tank. You do need to change half the tank water every week too.

Never used Safe Start. It's probably the same as Seachem's "Stability". I have used it.

B

 

[Chsguy88]

Since that ones an internal, you could always get a small hang on back with bio wheel and run both. I like running two filters personally, and there's no such thing as over filtering! I have two emperor 280's on my 28 gal bow front lol. A
Combined 560 GPH on a 28 gal.... My water is sparkling and chemistry is great.

I've always had good luck with bio wheel style filters though.

 

[octanejunkie]

Thanks Chs
I have a spare Azoo 150lph HOB I can, and might, switch to but then I can't use the hood without modification.

I think the internal 45gph is working well actually, it's just really loud, my water is also super clear, but for some reason I am still seeing ammonia in my tests. It was suggested to "upgrade" the filter but I'm no longer sure that is the problem.

 

[Rivercats]

What is your Ph? If you have a low Ph of under 6.5 biological activity slows and a Ph of 6 or lower biological activity stops. So check first to see if this is a problem.

If you decide to add another filter leave the old one run along with the new one as that will seed your new filter.

 

[Rivercats]

Just looked at your other thread and your ph is fine if it's still that high but since you have nitrates but still have a small amount of ammonia have you tested your tap water to see if it has ammonia in it?

 

[octanejunkie]

Hey RC, all good questions!

Yes, my tap water has a trace amount of ammonia in it. As of yesterday my tank water test read:
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 0-5.0

I could use my current tank+filter to jump start the BB colony in a new filter. How long would it take to seed using this method?

 

[Rivercats]

If you use a lot of seeded bio-media and have an ammonia source in the tank it can go very fast. Sometimes almost immediately and others up to a few days. Just depends on the variables.

 

[octanejunkie]

Ok, stupid question, partially related:
Would I want/need to pre-seed a new shrimp-and-plants-only tank?

Methinks yes, why not...

 

[Rivercats]

I sure would.

 

[octanejunkie]

UPDATE: filter seeded and swapped, no problem

So I setup a few of the same make/model filter the same way

We're using an Azoo Palm filter and set it up with AquaClear 20 bio max bags and two grades of foam, the Azoo black foam that came with the filter, and AquaClear 30 Foam cut to size. I seeded these in our grow bucket with an excess plants and old filter media from our 6-gallon tank's original filter.

I recently added an inline thermometer to our filter after testing various placements in the tank to compare. Using this digital thermometer for $3 from amazon via Hong Kong, the unit is mounted to the filter housing

and the probe is placed inside the filter like this

The lid goes right over this and the probe sits in the intake chamber with a constant flow of incoming tank water.

I was so pleased with this setup, I ordered 5 more of this digital thermometer after testing it against a known accurate thermometer.


Filter swap = success
.