Can you use a new filter?

[OuchWorm]

Hi all! I am wanting to move the plants/decorations/rocks/shrimp from my 3gal into the new 6gal that I bought. I was told that I can move everything + some of the water and the new tank will still be cycled. However, is this also true if I have a brand new sponge filter in the 6gal? I am also adding new substrate. Will the water + decorations be enough to cycle the new tank?

 

[MasterPython]

If the old tank had no filter that should be fine. You are only losing a small amount of bacteria on the glass if you keep everything else.

 

[OuchWorm]

If the old tank had no filter that should be fine. You are only losing a small amount of bacteria on the glass if you keep everything else.

The old tank did have a filter, but it was a very small filter and I am upgrading to a better one! I don't currently have two airpumps, so I can only run one of them at a time. I might be able to put the sponge from the old filter onto the new filter, though!

 

[JustAFishServant]

Well...yes! Cycling with a non-established filter is called "fish-in cycling."

My favorite method when switching to another filter is to move to the new tank everything that might have beneficial bacteria on it (put the old filter media in the new filter, add the old plants, decor, and substrate. Remember that old water only helps with acclimation. Water doesn't have nitrifying bacteria floating around in it. They live only on hard surfaces like the glass, filter media, substrate, plants, rocks, wood, and other decor.

 

[Noroomforshoe]

An aquarium cycle, in most cases is really a filter cycle, you have to keep the old cycled filter ar at least the parts of that filter that house the bactiria. If you can put the old sponge on the new filter do it! I have never tried to cycle a tank by putting filter media in the tank rather than in the filter. I think that you will lose a lot of bacteria because it is not as well airated. But IDK. I never tried that.

 

[OuchWorm]

I ended up putting the new filter into the old tank in order for it to build some beneficial bacteria before moving everything into the new tank!

 

[Edsland]

old filter is the best for cycling new tank, decorations help but old water doesn’t matter bacteria doesn’t live in just the water

 

[OuchWorm]

Sounds good! The new filter has been in the old tank for about 1 week, so in another week I'll move it over.
My shrimp fry are about 1 week old, and they're just barely starting to get color. Do you think it would be safe to move them in another week, or should I wait longer?

 

[FishDin]

I ended up putting the new filter into the old tank in order for it to build some beneficial bacteria before moving everything into the new tank!

Give it several weeks if you can. The longer the better. Maybe move the old filter to the new tank for a while when you make the switch as well.

As said, the old water will not help with the cycle. Removing all the substrate is concerning because of the beneficial bacteria it houses. I would keep a close eye on parameters for a week or so after you make the switch, just to be safe.

 

[SparkyJones]

If you wanted to just get the move to the bigger tank over with, You could move everything to the new tank including that smaller cycled filter and run both filters in parallel for a month, the colony on the smaller old filter will do the work,for the stocking you had, while the new filter will build a colony with a head start off the older colony that's larger, then remove the old filter in a couple weeks to a month, basically the same thing as starting the new filter on the smaller tank really.

when it's done you can move the small filter back to the small tank and use it for QT or start another type of small fish or shrimp or something you want to do.

If I were to be doing this, it's what I would do, move everything from the 3g to the 6g ansd run the two filters in parallel and clean up the 3g to the bare tank,
buy what I want for the 3g for the new set up while waitng for that new filter to establish a colony off the old filter, and when that's done, set up the 3g new and put the 3gs old filter back on it and both tanks are cycled and good to go.

the one thing you lose switching tanks though is biofilm that takes time to build up. with shrimp the biofilm is quite helpful so they can graze when they want to, but not much you can do about it when you are switching tanks.