Moving filter from SW to FW

[maxwell1295]

I got lucky and found a good deal on a Eheim filter. The owner is running it right now on a SW tank. He's going to disconnect it tonite and I'm picking it up tomorrow morning.

My plan is to just rinse it out and then run it for a while on an empty tank. Do I need to do anything in particular other than just giving the filter and media a good rinsing? Are there any health issues for the fish if I were to switch to this filter after a quick rinse? I have an empty 20G tank that I can run it on for a while if need be to clear out the hoses.

 

[Menagerie]

If the media is new and the hoses and housing are rinsed, I do not see any problems.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

I have a small 4 gallon tank on my desk at work with a couple platies in it. It was previously my girlfriends nano reef before she up graded. I did as you say, give in a good rinse and it should be fine. I ran the same filter media for awhile because i couldnt' find replacements and I have had no problems

 

[7Enigma]

Nope you should be fine. I'd really get in there and get all the crud out, but switching to freshwater and washing the filter out with tap water should kill any microbes present that MIGHT have been able to adapt to a freshwater system (not likely however).

 

[rich311k]

One of my fluvals came from a friend with saltwater. I cleaned it and put in new pads, never had any problems.

 

[maxwell1295]

Cool.....thanks! I'm going to pick it up in a few. Nice to find a 6mo old 2217 for $60.

 

[Reefmonkey]

I transfered a canister filter from salt to fresh, no problem. Just rinsed everything out, put in new activated carbon, and seeded it with floss from another fw tank I had.

 

[maxwell1295]

I picked it up a little while ago. The previous owner was kind enough to rinse it out before I got there. I'll finish it up when I get home and run it for a while on the empty tank. I can't believe how big this thing is compared to my 2213.

 

[rich311k]

Congrats that is a great filter.

 

[Menagerie]

Nice to find a 6mo old 2217 for $60.

What a deal!!!

 

[maxwell1295]

Tell me about it! When I saw the price I couldn't dial those numbers fast enough! I found it on craigslist. The seller had it running on a 210g tank and said he didn't need it for bio (live sand/rock takes care of that). he had just installed a sump on his tank over the weekend so the Eheim was no longer needed. It was running as of this morning. He disconnected and runsed it before I got there to pick it up. I guess it pays to be lucky...