FILTER replacement QUESTION!

[Raul]

I have on my 55G aqua-tech 30-60 and eheim 2215, and a friend of mine is selling his aquaclear 110, I was going to replace the aquatech soon since I am gong to run African Cichlid tank even that the aquatech 30-60 is not bad but I want to have a better filter, should I go with the aquaclear 110 it seems it is a very powerful filter for being HOB and very modular, besides he is practically giving it to me. I just don't want to start collecting filters too.

[algarciajr]

Ditch the aqua-tech and go with the AC 110.

[Raul]

yep I will do that, he is going to ship it to me, once I have it I probably will just put the current bio-filter sponges of the aquatech in the aquaclear, instead of the carbon so i do not loose all that bacteria.

[supadave]

I say go ahead and get the AquaClear 110 . Why not ? If you are getting it at an awesome deal....go for it . Don't worry about collecting filters because having a back up is always a good idea . Trust me....filters will always break on you at the most inopportune times . For some reason...they will always break at night......on the weekend...and when you are a little strapped for cash . I actually have a couple Aqua-tech filters in my closet that I had when I first started keeping fish back in 2006 . The filter actually did a great job on my 55 but I started using AC 110 because I got tired of buying filter cartridges . Plus the AC 110 is a " beast " of a HOB .

[Raul]

thanks, yep great idea to keep it as a backup when something happens to my canister and the aqua clear, i might just leave the aquatech biofilter sponges forever in the aqua clear so whenever i need to cycle a new aquarium or as a backup I will put them on the aquatech.

[electricblue]

+1 on what dave said, all my filters on small tanks even the slim aqueon with hardly any space is filled with a sponge and media

[Raul]

So I got the filter and getting ready to replace the aquatech 30-60 with the acuaclear 110, since I have the eheim 2215 I will assume it will not affect my cycle that much if I also move the Bio-filter fiber and cut of the blue-fiber from the cartridges and put them on the acuaclear 110 so at least most of the bacteria moves to that filter and helps it get established. Right now I go from 4ppm of ammonia to 0 in probably 6 hours, but still on the second phase of my fishless cycle, nitirites still high but nitrates building up, I will assume most of the bio filtering is happening on the 2215, i just want to replace the HOB filter before i put the fish.Is that assumption correct ?

[eklikewhoa]

You can ditch what little bacteria that could have built up on the old pad. I doubt you'll notice the difference.