Tank transfer- when to remove old filter

[Bhor217]

hey all

I recently upgraded my 40G breeder to a tank with same footprint but is reef ready with a sump and protein skimmer added. My old tank had a HOB filter with a sponge and Carbon inserts in them.

I have transferred all the existing sand, LR, and water. I have been running The old filter since the 13th and was just looking for guidance on when I can safely remove my HOBfilter and not risk and damage to the bacteria.

Thanks in advance!

 

[KrisReef]

How often did you change out carbon or totally clean the Hob on your old set up?
Did you add new livestock to the tank after the move?

Waiting won’t hurt, but removing it could if it is still doing a lot of bio filter work in the system?

 

[Bhor217]

Deleted

 

[Bhor217]

How often did you change out carbon or totally clean the Hob on your old set up?
Did you add new livestock to the tank after the move?

Waiting won’t hurt, but removing it could if it is still doing a lot of bio filter work in the system?

@KrisReef Washed the filter about a week or 2 ago. This included washing the sponge and carbon bag in old tank water and reinserting it back in the old tank at the time.

No new livestock has been or will be added, it is a peacock mantis tank with two yellowtail damsels in it.

Happy to leave on the filter for as long as it takes, just wondering if having legit all the old contents (substrate, LR, water) would counteract the need of using the old filter to “seed” the new tank, even though only new thing about the tank is the actual glass/filtration equipment.

 

[KrisReef]

Good question, and answers!

A tank that size should be fine since the biological filter would be preserved on the rock and sand, especially with the minimal biological load you have had in there.
Never hurts to feed light and keep an eye out for cloudy water or funny smells from the tank that can indicate bio problems for the next few weeks.

I keep a bottle of bacteria in my fridge for this purpose. ( last week the skimmer or socks were getting funky so I added a squirt of bacteria and cleaned the socks and cup and the bad wate smell was gone by the next morning.)
Your rinse of the sponge in the new tank should have worked the same trick. When you remove the filter, keep it wet, maybe running on a 5gal bucket and watch the tank for a few days for any biofilter issues. If none show, dry up the old HOB.

 

[Bhor217]

Good question, and answers!

A tank that size should be fine since the biological filter would be preserved on the rock and sand, especially with the minimal biological load you have had in there.
Never hurts to feed light and keep an eye out for cloudy water or funny smells from the tank that can indicate bio problems for the next few weeks.

I keep a bottle of bacteria in my fridge for this purpose. ( last week the skimmer or socks were getting funky so I added a squirt of bacteria and cleaned the socks and cup and the bad wate smell was gone by the next morning.)
Your rinse of the sponge in the new tank should have worked the same trick. When you remove the filter, keep it wet, maybe running on a 5gal bucket and watch the tank for a few days for any biofilter issues. If none show, dry up the old HOB.

Thanks for advice, I will follow!