Hi all,

Just a quick question, I couldn't resist getting my hands on a Tetratec EX1200 today after reading all the excellent posts on the forum ( from zooplus; great price!!!). I am currently running my Fluval 180 tank on a fluval 205 external, and need to know what the best way to reseed the new filter would be? The tank is a new setup and has only been cycling for a couple of months, and I presume the filter media in both filters is quite different? Any help and advice is appreciated.

If you can, I would take some of the media from the 205 to seed the 1200 and then run both for a few weeks. You can never have too much filtration so you can leave the tank with both if you can. If you need the fluval 205 move it to the other tank then. If you need it now, you may have a problem as it will take a while for the bacteria from the seeding material to colonise the tetratec enough.

some very good advice there from paulbohs, if you have time running both together is your best way forward! the simple way to this and how i personally would do this is to start the Tetratec at it lowest level to start with then over a few days reduce the fluval and gradually in crease the tetratec.

the reason for this is that some times a new filter can effect your pH, this hopefully would reduce this effect.

Yeh, thanks for the advice lads, will use some of the media in the new filter so and run both of them for a while together. Hopefully this will work!

Thanks
Ger

I don't mean to go off topic but Micky can you tell me more about how new filters can sometimes effect pH?

If you can afford to leave both of them running full time it is a good idea as then you have some redundancy if one goes belly up.

It only takes a filter to stop working for about 4 hours for the beneficial bacteria to die off & your tank to start cycling again (most likely killing your fish in the process)

If you run two at the same time you get the benefits of over filtration as well as redundancy.

Why not just dump all of the established media into the trays of the Tetratec.

Turn on the tetratec, Job done. (Keep it simple lads)

I would just add the tetratec to the system and let the fluval handle the bio load until mature.. then you have 2 mature filters.. ready for your next tank i have 3 spares going at anyone time.. 1 spare is essential for quarantine..