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How to transition from sump to canister filter

919 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  talontsiawd 
#1 ·
I currently have a sump in my aquarium, which is great. It has massive filtration, I can hide my heaters and probes in there, etc. I am having trouble with keeping my CO2 levels up though. I think I want to switch to a canister filter.

What's the best way to transition? Could I throw the canister medium in my sump for a few weeks and then do a hard cutover? My tank is very lightly stocked (about 15 small fish in a 90 gallon aquarium).
 
#2 ·
My scenario was different in that it was a 180G and I have lots of larger angels in there, but I ran both for about 4 weeks and just removed the sump. When I cut the sump loose, I also made sure I cleaned up the canister and put in fresh purigen. No losses, no issues. Don't know what fish you have, but if they are small enough, you may need to diffuse the canister intake.
 
#3 ·
I've just got 15 neon tetras. Another motivation for getting rid of the sump is that my fish and shrimp keep getting sucked into the overflow. Any attempts at putting a sponge or something in the overflow hasn't worked too great as it disrupts the balance of my Herbie setup.

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#4 ·
If that's what's got you ready to "dump the sump", think about wrapping the teeth of the overflow box with netting. You may find several sizes at a craft or fabric store. Shouldn't alter waterflow at all.
 
#6 ·
Honestly, with your stocking I don't think you will have too much issue if you are heavily planted. Can you run the canister and the sump at the same time? I have done that many times in the past with no issue. I like doing it that way because it's just really simple and it works. I do see all new filters with old media but I like to run both for a week or two and get the new filter going before taking off the old.
 
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