New Filter, how to switch over?

[Genhawk]

I'm currently fishy cycling a heavily planted 29g using an old (enormous) fluval canister filter (305, I think). It's a little decrepit and noisy and I'm using a vice-grip in place of a broken latch, so I got a new, more appropriately sized eheim to replace it with.

But if the beneficial bacteria live in the filter media, do I have to wait until the tank has cycled to swap filters? Should I try to run them both at the same time for a while (the fish might not enjoy so much outflow current!). Or can I just put the media from the old one into the new one and go?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Flying_Diamond]

You can run them both until the new one builds up bacteria, or you can put the media into the new filter... either way is fine, but running them both together until the bacteria builds up would be safer.

 

[musho3210]

if possible, just put the old media in the new one, if not possible, run both of them in the tank for maybe a month or so. What fish do you have in the tank, some fish may like the strong current from the fluval or even both of them.

 

[snickle]

I would get the new one up and working then move all the meia from the old to the new if possible and then you can get rid of the old.

If you can't move all move what you can and run both for a couple of weeks.

 

[Genhawk]

There are four danios in there, and they don't seem to mind the current.

But also two corys (yes I know these are not fish to cycle with, but it's a long story) - I have no idea whether they care about the current flow. They're a little weird so it's hard to tell.