MagpieTear

Okay, I'm about ready to start seeding the Fluval 305 I bought at a used aquarium sale, but I gots questions.

1. Should I ditch the ceramic rings that were in it from the previous owner, or am I safe to use them for my tank since they've dried out and the old bacteria has gone the way of the wooly mammoth?
2. I'm pretty much clueless when it comes to filter media. All I've ever had was a combination of UGF and a HOB that housed the foam and occasionally a charcoal bag. What would be good options for a medium planted community tank that is borderline overstocked 55 gallon? Floss? Peat? Or would foam and ceramic be enough?
3. Is it wise to run the outfeed through a spraybar at one end and the intake at the opposite end to have a unidirectional flow versus a swirl current. I'm hoping to 'scape the tank to a woodland stream look and getting a straightline flow with a few rocks and bits of driftwood to provide quiet spots and eddies.
4. How long should I overlap the HOB and the Canister to seed the canister? Or will taking an old canister filter and putting it in one of the compartments be sufficient and make for a unplug one and plug in the other situation?

Sorry to be a pest, but I'm looking forward to ditching the risertubes and powerheads over Christmas Shutdown.

sirdarksol

Personally, I only worry about biological and mechanical filtration. So for me, filter floss and ceramic rings would be good. As long as the rings don't have a lot of dried garbage on them, I think that they would be fine.

When changing out from the HOB filter, I would suggest overlapping them for a couple of weeks at least. I'm not entirely sure how long it takes, but I would think it would be faster than actually cycling the tank, since there's other stuff in the tank carrying the bacteria as well.

susitna-flower

I am not familiar with the Fluval 305, does it have more than one compartment for media. If it were me, I would start with new media, since you know the bacteria was dead anyway. It would be better to start out with media that has not been "plugged up" with debris and you will know for sure it is 100% .
In my canaster filter I have 3 different kinds of media, and feel if you have this option you will get better all around service.
A good way to do instant change over would be to put filter media in the canaster from your current HOB filter, but if it were me I would also use some Bio-Spira in addition. It is up to you if you want to run your old filter for awhile, I agree there will be some bacteria in your tank and if you take the above precautions you should be OK.

Gozer_1

Just mecahnical and bio for the most part in mine. I use Purigen (carbon substitute) in my 150 Fresh and 55 Reef as well as PhosGuard in the reef. My planted tank is all bio and foam. I have had my intakes and outputs in various configurations including opposite ends. I use that unidirectional effect to push the surface water towards my skimmer in my 55. As far as the media you have, I think Susitna-Flower has a point. The old dried out media has been colonized and is now full of dead stuff. Not only could that restrict flow through but the decay of that dead stuff will likely add nitrates and such. Overlapping filters for a couple weeks and maybe some BioSpira or Stress Zyme to get things going in fresh bio media. As far as Bio media, if you should decide to get new, I highly recommend Matrix and deNitrate from SeaChem.

sirdarksol

That's a good point. I hadn't thought about the gaps being filled up in the rings, which means that they've got less surface area for the bacteria to grow on.

MagpieTear

Thanks all! Sunista, yes the 305 has 3 trays for media. Provided I can drill the hole through the sheving for the hoses without moving the tank, I may start the new one this weekend. That will give it a week before I remove one side of the UGF and probably three or four before I pull the second half. I'm going to leave the HOB on far at least a few days after pulling the UGF's to clear whatever muck I disturbed.

Though I will say, I tried Tim's UGF shop vac trick last water change and I didn't get very much crud out of them. I'm guessing the reversing of the powerheads for a bit before sweeping the gravel does a good job of keeping them clear of blockages.