[bigbites]

Hey guys.. if you have been following any of my other noob questions you will see I am having some difficulty with my Filstar XP..

I am at the point where I think I may have to assume I bought a Lemon and either get a new one or swap brands all together.

My question is this:

Is it as simple as just moving the media from one canister to the other to protect the integrity of the water chemistry?

At my stage it's most likely less of a problem as I am just in the early throws of tank set up.. but I just want to be sure that is the best way... or that that is even acceptable.

In the past I have been fortunate to NOT have filter issues and never had to swap before.

 

[Warlock]

My question is this:

Is it as simple as just moving the media from one canister to the other to protect the integrity of the water chemistry?

yes

 

[Chris_Produces]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

2nd that! :bounce:

 

[t2ak]

Sure is. I had a power filter previously and made the switch to a canister filter. I just cut the media off the frames and stuck its in. worked like a charm.

 

[PlantedRich]

I agree with the others but with a little note of caution? When A tank is new and the bacteria not fully settled in in all parts of the tank like the walls, substrate, and decor, things seem a little more prone to upset.
When you move the media from one filter to another, it does disrupt a small amount of the total bacteria. This is usually not a problem if you are not running hard up against having too many fish for the bacteria to handle already.
But then it is also a good idea to watch a little bit closer when you do make changes. If the fish begin to act weird in some way, do some water changing and test to make sure things didn't get off the track.
No big danger but pays to watch?

 

[t2ak]

I agree with the others but with a little note of caution? When A tank is new and the bacteria not fully settled in in all parts of the tank like the walls, substrate, and decor, things seem a little more prone to upset.
When you move the media from one filter to another, it does disrupt a small amount of the total bacteria. This is usually not a problem if you are not running hard up against having too many fish for the bacteria to handle already.
But then it is also a good idea to watch a little bit closer when you do make changes. If the fish begin to act weird in some way, do some water changing and test to make sure things didn't get off the track.
No big danger but pays to watch?

I should have mentioned I had a mini cycle during this. It was nothing bad and only lasted about 24 hours but you are right. always monitor after any large changes to your setup.

 

[bigbites]

well.. the good news is I have nothing live in the tank yet.. I am still waiting for the dust from the sand to clear up.. I only had the tank up since Sunday (this past Sunday).. and was 2 days with out a working filter..

Since my OP I figured out my problem with the filter.. I must have had some very small air leaks around the hose connections. Apparently the plastic hose clamps that come with the Filstar are not quite up to snuff..

I went out to Lowes and grabbed a few metal hose clamps.. screw tightened.. and that did the trick.. now my filter is running quiet as a mouse..

 

[t2ak]

Glad to hear you back up and running.