Replacing HOB filter - best course of action

I have a well established 29 gallon tank (years and years).

I'm replacing a failing and noisy Whisper EX filter with a new Seachem Tidal filter.

Wondering what I should do to lose the least amount of beneficial bacteria. My thought was to take the filter cartridge from the Whisper, rinse it really good in removed tank water, empty the old carbon out of it and then fold it in half and put it in the basket of the Seachem and just treat it like an establish sponge. Is that the best course of action? The HOB filter is my only filter on that tank.

 

Not sure i would go with a really good rinse, but yeah, just transferring it is what i would do.

 

Great, thank you!

 

Yes just do as you said. The tidal shave a big media area and are great filters.

 

I have the new Tidal 55 set up. I used the included blue coarse sponge, and vertically along the rear wall of the basket I put the old cartridge back from the Whiper, then the bag of Matrix on top / in front of the top part of the Whisper cartridge. I'm getting a little bit of the bypass indicator peg popping up, should I assume it's because I've got that Whisper cartridge back in there? To be clear, no water is bypassing, but the water is running a little high, enough that it's popping that peg up a bit.

 

Unless your old Whisper filter has failed completely, I would run the new filter alongside the old filter for a month or two until the new filter is cycled. If the old filter dies completely, then that is not possible. The problem with adding the old Whisper cartridge to the new Tidal filter is that the water flow through the old cartridge might not be sufficient for good biological filtration. Thus, if you have not thrown your old filter away, hook it back up for a few weeks.

 

Unless your old Whisper filter has failed completely, I would run the new filter alongside the old filter for a month or two until the new filter is cycled. If the old filter dies completely, then that is not possible. The problem with adding the old Whisper cartridge to the new Tidal filter is that the water flow through the old cartridge might not be sufficient for good biological filtration. Thus, if you have not thrown your old filter away, hook it back up for a few weeks.

Thanks. I appreciate the advice. The issue is the Whisper filter is really, really loud. It's in the living room and it's too much to bear for any of my family. I did cut a piece of the Whisper cartridge to the shape of the basket in the Tidal 55, so though flow is impeded ever so slightly, it's running well.