How long should I run a new filter on an established tank?

[Rbishop]

And you still could have a mini cycle on the old tank....running extra filters on a tank does not get you more bacteria. It will spread the bacteria you have over a larger area, but it is still only enough to handle the load in that tank. When you move one of the filters, your level in that tank goes doen and the filter on the new tank only has some small amount of bacteria.

It helps in establishing the new tank, but both tanks will bear monitoring.

 

[TMDragon]

2 weeks is ok, but 4-6 weeks would be ideal. When I help establish tanks for my friends I leave a medium to large sponge filter in my tank for 6 weeks. Then when he/she gets his/her new tank I just move it over and it is basically instantly cycled. My friend then runs the sponge filter in his/her tank for another 6 weeks and by then, the permanent filters have accumulated enough bacteria of its own so he/she is free to remove the sponge filter.

This is especially usefull if the new tank you want to establish does not have the same filtration system. Also the regular air-line sponge filters are super cheap, around 1-5 bucks depending on the size and brand.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Mg- people just don't want to hear what you are saying. More filters does not = more bacteria. More waste is what creates more bacteria. In a normal tank there is a constant process of some bacteria dying off and new ones crrated to take their place. Where the bacteria colonize is a funtion of where the most readily available supply of food and oxygen is. Normally its in a filter.

The result is the longer one runs a 2nd new filter on an established tank, the greater the odds will be that given identical size filters with similar flow rates and media volume will each have about half the bacteria that lives in the media. (Not all bacteria lives in filter media- it is all over a tank from the glass thorugh the decor and the upper levels of the substrate.)

A much more effective method is to run the new filter for a couple of days- long enough to encourage starter colonies of the desired bacteria- then move the new filter to the new tank and begin dosing ammonia. The new filter colonies will start to grow immediately while the old tank will suffer little or no mini-cyclicing problems. This also allows you to crank up the temp in the new tank which also accelerates the bacteria colony growth.

All of the above becomes moot if one is running planted tanks. Such tanks have less bacteria than a similar unplanted tanks because the plants eat ammonia. The ammonia the plants eat is not available to feed bacteria, so the colonies in a planted tank will be smaller than those in the similar unplanted tank.

One last note. Below is a quote from a well known fish site regarding the growth of bacterial colonies in a tank:

Under optimal conditions, it takes fully 15 hours for a colony to double in size!

Its not rocket science- just a little bit of knowledge and common sense.

 

[mostlycichlids]

Mg- people just don't want to hear what you are saying. More filters does not = more bacteria. More waste is what creates more bacteria. In a normal tank there is a constant process of some bacteria dying off and new ones crrated to take their place. Where the bacteria colonize is a funtion of where the most readily available supply of food and oxygen is. Normally its in a filter.

The result is the longer one runs a 2nd new filter on an established tank, the greater the odds will be that given identical size filters with similar flow rates and media volume will each have about half the bacteria that lives in the media. (Not all bacteria lives in filter media- it is all over a tank from the glass thorugh the decor and the upper levels of the substrate.)

A much more effective method is to run the new filter for a couple of days- long enough to encourage starter colonies of the desired bacteria- then move the new filter to the new tank and begin dosing ammonia. The new filter colonies will start to grow immediately while the old tank will suffer little or no mini-cyclicing problems. This also allows you to crank up the temp in the new tank which also accelerates the bacteria colony growth.

All of the above becomes moot if one is running planted tanks. Such tanks have less bacteria than a similar unplanted tanks because the plants eat ammonia. The ammonia the plants eat is not available to feed bacteria, so the colonies in a planted tank will be smaller than those in the similar unplanted tank.

One last note. Below is a quote from a well known fish site regarding the growth of bacterial colonies in a tank:



Its not rocket science- just a little bit of knowledge and common sense.

Well Said TTA!

 

[rsanz]

Well, the new tank is going to be a planted one...so once I am ready to move the fish from the 10g to the 20g, can I simply move BOTH filters running on the 10g (the established one and the new one) to the new tank? Will that suffice?

Second question: The new tank will be a planted tank, so will I need filtration on the 20g or can I plant the new plants without the filter attached?

Thanks!

 

[StereoKills]

Well, the new tank is going to be a planted one...so once I am ready to move the fish from the 10g to the 20g, can I simply move BOTH filters running on the 10g (the established one and the new one) to the new tank? Will that suffice? If you plan on tearing down your 10g and putting it in storage, yes.

Second question: The new tank will be a planted tank, so will I need filtration on the 20g or can I plant the new plants without the filter attached? Yes, you will need filtration. Stagnant water is nobody's friend.

Thanks!

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