can i cycle new filter in cycled tank ??

[TASHANCRAIG]

can i put a new filter in my tank that has cycled and the filter be ok and cycle itself without putting toxins back in the water lke ammonia and nitrites ????

 

[Roscoe Jackson]

If you are planning on running a new filter on a tank that has a cycled filter on it,yes. The new filter will cycle as long as it runs for a few weeks with the established filter.

 

[cabezon]

Are you asking if you can add a filter to seed for someone, or replacing? Either way unless your bioload is large you should be fine.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

can i put a new filter in my tank that has cycled and the filter be ok and cycle itself without putting toxins back in the water lke ammonia and nitrites ????

Yes, this is one of the best ways to cycle a filter!

What are you looking to do with it? Use it to replace an existing filter, or cycle it there for use on another tank?

 

[Vircomore]

I think you need to be more specific with this question.

What type of filter is the new one?

What type of filter is the old one?

1. Are you going to leave the old one on, and just add the new one?

2. Or are you going to add the new one and take the old one off?


If it's #1, you shouldn't have an issue, but if it's #2, you could end up having a small cycle because you're removing all the bacteria from the old filter before the new one can set up.

 

[BigJim]

You definitely can. Just keep an eye on the established tank after removing the newly cycled filter. You may experience a mini-cycle.

 

[TASHANCRAIG]

cheers everyone well im cycling a new tank at the min to house some zebra plecos its a juwel tank and has an internal filter i wanted to add another filter to this tank as they like very clean water with lots of movement so 2 filters will keep it very clean and lots of water movement.
is it ok to put 2 filters in 1 tank ?? and do they have to be upto the volume of the tank ??

 

[spoonman]

My 140G has 2 canisters that are rated for 170G each. I also have an HOB filter on the same tank that is rated for up to 100G. You can't overfilter.

 

[BigJim]

Real zebra plecos? I'm jealous.

Two filter on one tank is fine if the fish can handle the water flow.

 

[TASHANCRAIG]

Real zebra plecos? I'm jealous.

Two filter on one tank is fine if the fish can handle the water flow.

yes real zebs already waitin for me just waiting onmy tank to cycle and they will be housed cant wait such lovely fish

 

[SpyGuy]

I'm still a bit mystified about the apparent critical nature of the filter media. Isn't most of the biological filter in the substrate and on items like rocks and wood inside the tank? It seems those items would have much greater combined surface area, and thus keep the "bio fliter" & cycle active, even if the filter media is replaced.

 

[mudraker]

Once cycled, there is some beneficial bacteria on every surface in the tank. However, the filter media contain the vast majority of it (I've read 90%) because the fish waste in the water contantly passes through the filter media, where as it is passive on the surfaces of the tank.

 

[BigJim]

I think you underestimate the surface area of the filter media, especially if you have ceramic biomedia. I do doubt the 90% number though. It seems high to me.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88677

This link explains a lot about filter media in detail.

 

[aprilp]

What if you have two filters in the one tank? Can you change the filter media of one of them without an issue since there will still be bacteria and such on the other? Then weeks later, change out the other one? would that keep everything stable enough if you rotated in that manner?

 

[BigJim]

Why do you want to change your filter media? There's really no need unless it's completely falling apart. Just rinse it out in a bucket of old tank water every once in a while.

If you do need to replace media, replacing only part of it at a time as you suggested is a good idea. You may experience a mini-cycle, but not a full cycle.

 

[aprilp]

Why do you want to change your filter media? There's really no need unless it's completely falling apart. Just rinse it out in a bucket of old tank water every once in a while.

If you do need to replace media, replacing only part of it at a time as you suggested is a good idea. You may experience a mini-cycle, but not a full cycle.

Old habits die hard? lol. Years ago with my other tank when the filter got crappy I tossed it and got another. Never had any issues. Am beginning to think that was a magic tank which will never be replicated. lol. I've been so careful with this one, though, trying to do everything right(I say trying because I still make mistakes). Made a mistake earlier on in cycling because I rinsed my filter when it got gunky...in tap water. I guess having the other filter in helped because I didnt have any issues, thank goodness. But I figured since it killed all the bacteria anyway why not just change it out, since I would still have the bacteria on the other filter. Regarding, just rinsing it off.....If you rinse it in a bucket of aquarium water, how do you get the stuff off since you dont have a water stream? use your fingers to loosen the gunk from the filter media?

 

[aprilp]

One last thing...forgot to add that one of my filters came with a sponge-type thing which sits in with the filter media to collect the bacteria so that when you take out the filter media the bacteria is not all gone. The other filter did not come with a sponge (though I've noticed the newer ones do), so I added one myself. This may have been why I had no issues when changing out the filters one at a time before. Not sure if the sponges collect as much bacteria as the filter media, though. Anyone know?

 

[BigJim]

Regarding, just rinsing it off.....If you rinse it in a bucket of aquarium water, how do you get the stuff off since you dont have a water stream? use your fingers to loosen the gunk from the filter media?

I squeeze the sponge out in a bucket of water and use the stream of water from the gravel vac. I'm not happy until the sponge rebounds from its crushed state quickly after I let it go.

One last thing...forgot to add that one of my filters came with a sponge-type thing which sits in with the filter media to collect the bacteria so that when you take out the filter media the bacteria is not all gone. The other filter did not come with a sponge (though I've noticed the newer ones do), so I added one myself. This may have been why I had no issues when changing out the filters one at a time before. Not sure if the sponges collect as much bacteria as the filter media, though. Anyone know?

Is it sponge or ceramic? Ceramic biomedia has a lot of surface area for the volume. Sponge doesn't have as much.

 

[aprilp]

BigJim: Sorry to keep bugging you about this, but I want to make sure I do everything right! My filter media is on a rigid back so I can't squeeze it. Well, one is. The other has the rigid part in the middle, but I can't squeeze that either. I guess maybe a toothbrush would probably do it, provided that it was a new toothbrush that had not ever been used?

Re: sponge or ceramic....I believe it is sponge, but I will check. I can always get ceramic for the one I added the sponge to. The other one that has it built in, I'll read up on that one and see which that one is. Thanks for the info!

 

[BigJim]

Keep asking away.

Can you disassemble the cartridge? Some just have a clip at the top to keep the fiber attached. If so, take the bag off and clean it. If not, just use the stream of water from your gravel vac to blast as much out of the cartridge as possible.

What filters are you using? Often times there are DIY alternatives to the factory cartridges that work better.