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yep, or as I have done fill the tank with water and just completely clean the old filter in the new tank water. That way you get some in the filter and some on the substrate. It looks awful until the water clears but it works like a charm.
For me it was an instant cycle and I never had any trouble. I did keep an eye one the water parameters for a few days but after that I stocked it and it ran like a champ. This was on a 75g tank.