fionah

I have been cycling my tank for a couple of weeks and have just bought 4 corydoras who are settling in nicely.

I have an UGF but would like to change this to an internal filter instead.

Is it necessary to remove the UGF plate? I'd have to take out all the plants, ornaments and gravel.

Is it safe to replace the UGF directly with the internal filter or does it require some sort of transition period? I'm worried about affecting the bacterial growth that has built up on the UGF so far.

Also, I was hoping to find a filter with an inbuilt air pump so that I can get rid of the existing noisy external air pump. Any recommendations?

Lucy

Hi fionah
I think it would easier to vacuum without the plate. I've seen how nasty they can get underneath. As far as losing your bacteria, maybe you could run both filters for a while.
I'm sure someone with more experience can give you a better answer.

MagpieTear

I just switched from a UGF to a canister in my 55. The process was pretty painless, albeit messy. Yes, the plate will need removed. otherwise, you'll have that dead space of water under the gravel going stagnant and potentially creating anaerobic pockets of gas, which will slowly leach through and poison the fish.

If your tank has two plates, remove a half at a time, with a week or two in between. If it's a single plate, sweep the gravel as good as you can before removing, do a quick search here for timandkarens shop vac trick to clean before you pull it. that way you're removing any gunk trapped under the plate before you start digging. It will set off a mini-cycle, but since you said the tank is still cycling, it shouldn't be a terrible set back.

Sorry that's not better news, but, better that than you not removing it and having bigger problems down the line.

COBettaCouple

I would run both for a week or so and I'd recommend Prime for treating your tap water along with 25% water changes every 2-3 days since you have fish in there. Corys are sensitive to water conditions more than a lot of fish.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=12320 - we've been buying these lately and would recommend the one that gives you at least 10gph per gallon for your tank.