starting filter early?

[TheNamelessPoet]

So i was just thinking? i have a 20 gallon set up already with a crayfish and 7 tetra. I will be setting up a shrimp tank in hopefully a month and a half or so Thats a 29 gallon tank. Is it crazy to run my 20 with both filters at the same time to jumpstart my shrimp tank with n already seeded filter? I will just have rcs nothing to fancy. Probably 10-20 to start. Not for breeding or anything at least not for a year anyway.

[pejerrey]

That's is a great idea, I've done it twice and it works.
Beware of the substrate tho, what are you gonna use?

[TheNamelessPoet]

Something black. Not total sure what. The tank will be heavily planted with hc as a carpet. I was just thinking tho i might not put anything in it for a month or so because i want to saturate with co2 while i try and make it grow. So maybe start the filter in old the tank when i fill the new.one and then when i drop the co2 back down move it into the new tank? that all make sense?

[Kunsthure]

That's the best way to do it. Cycling a tank from scratch is for suckers if you've already got other tanks. I run two filters on every tank and they are crammed with as much media, especially biomedia, that will fit in case I ever get the chance to start a new tank.

I would take the biomedia from the old filter and put it in the new filter, then put new biomedia in the old filter. That gives the new filter an even better start.

-Lisa

[TheNamelessPoet]

Fantastic!!!

[CatB]

yeah, it is a really good idea.

[pejerrey]

Originally Posted by TheNamelessPoet

Something black. Not total sure what. The tank will be heavily planted with hc as a carpet. I was just thinking tho i might not put anything in it for a month or so because i want to saturate with co2 while i try and make it grow. So maybe start the filter in old the tank when i fill the new.one and then when i drop the co2 back down move it into the new tank? that all make sense?

I was asking because some active substrates leach ammonium. Like ADA.

[Kunsthure]

In general, IMO, running two filters on a tank all the time is the way to go. You've got a back up if one fails but then you also have extra media or a whole other filter ready to use if you need to. Like if you have to set up a hospital tank or impulsively buy something and need a filter (No, I've never done that, why are you looking at me like that?). You can never have too much filtration, especially when it comes to shrimp.

-Lisa