Switching filters, need advise

[Srkoe]

Currently I have a HOB and canister on my F8 tank. The canister has been there for about one month now. The HOB needs to be moved to my SAP tank. Has the canister been on there long enough to remove the HOB? The Sg in the F8 tank is at 1.005, do I have to rinse the filter/whole unit off before moving it to my freshwater tank? How long should I run the new filter and old filter along side before I can remove the old filter completely from the SAP tank?

[Blaine]

As far as removing the filter and having the canister completely take over,...I would wait another month before doing so.

If you are switching the filter from the F8 tank just to use the filter on the SAP tank then you will need to clean it all out to remove the salt residue from it. You might even need to change the media out in order for it to cycle effectively in fresh water.

If you are wanting to transfer the filter over to the SAP tank to shorten or eliminate the cycling process in the SAP tank then this is not possible. You can only alter the sg by .002 per week to maintain the bio-filter...and SAP's are not brackish.
This means you will need to cycle the tank from scratch....unless you have another filter on the SAP tank already, in which case I suggest 2 mnths for the transfer of the bio-filter.


HTH

[Pufferpunk]

I agree--it usually takes about 6 weeks to develop a healthy filter.

[Srkoe]

The SAP tank is already cycled, has been for about 4 months. Just need to put the other filter on it because the current filter sucks. I'll wait a bit longer to do the switch. I won't pull the old HOB off the SAP tanks for a few months until the new one builds up enough bacteria. Thanks guys

[RTR]

The filter should be rinsed in aged or dechlorinated/dechloramined tempered water for some hours, but completely breaking it down to move from 1.005 specific gravity to 1.000 specific gravity is no needed. If you rinse it on a 10 gallon tank or on even better with a 5 gallon tank with two refills of a 5 gallon tank or bucket, any salt residue will be trivial. The rinse may shock the nitrification bacteria just a tad. but no more than cane be recovered in 24 hours.

During my period of lots of F-8s, I moved a number of filters from FW to 1.003 -1.005 of from that salinity down to FW by rinsing in two changes or water with few problems. But I have to admit that many more of my F-8 tanks were at 1.003 than 1.005.

If you can leave it on the rinse tank or bucket 24 hours, you can check the original tank to be sure that the donor tank still has no detectable ammonia or nitrite before the final move to the alternate tank.

HTH

[Srkoe]

Thanks RTR. I'll clean up my old 10 gallon and run it on there to rinse it. I've been needing to get the 10 gallon set up and ready for a quarantine tank anyway.

[RTR]

All of that juggling filters only works because the bacteria are still the same as FW, and is is rather like moving a biofilter from soft-acid FW to hard-alkaline FW, which most folks would not even think twice about doing. There may be a bit of osmotic stunning, but the bugs recover quickly.

Once you hit 1.008 specific gravity, all bets are off - as with GSPs ramping up to mid-level BW of full marine. That is the start of the change-over to SW bacteria. But we never take F-8s up that high.

[Srkoe]

I plan on staying at 1.005 salinity...less salt, less $$$. And if they are healthy no point in going higher.

[Flutter]

Yep, there's no need to go higher

[RTR]

I really cannot read any lifespan or health difference in 1.003-1.005, but the 1.003 requires aragonite substrate or routine KH (and possible GH) supplement for stability.

[Srkoe]

I have Aragonite, but still need a kH test kit.