So I received my new canister filter today. I am upgrade from a pair of bio-filters. To cycle my canister filter should I run it for a few weeks in unision with my bio-wheels? Or would I be better off taking the bio-wheels apart, and putting the pieces where the bacteria grows inside my canister filter with my media?

Hi,

I am far from being an expert on aquarium filters, but if it was me, I would leave the Old Bio Wheels set up and functioning for a few weeks. Bio wheels, I think, work on the premise of continual exposure to water and air, wet-dry, as they are not completely submerged. In most canisters they are, except for a couple by Eheim, ie., model 2227, that incorporates something similar by literally "flushing" the bacterial colonies with air and water.

It is a different technology and perhaps the colonized bacteria might need time to adjust to the different environment.

Good Luck!

Judy and Toad

Why not run the new filter with the olds. You cant over filter

But if you want to get rid of the old filters then i would run all three together for a couple of months then slowly over time remove the old ones a bit at a time. I dont know about bio filters but if you can remove a bit of the bio media at a time do that, or do you need to take it all out at once. Either way test regularly for ammonia and nitrite and if you get a reading for either then increase water changes,or add some stress zyme

You pretty much have to remove 50% of the media off each BIO-Wheel to take some off. The canister filter I got filters the water in my tank about 9 times an hour. I am not sure if that makes a difference or not in the establishment of the biologicals?

I would leave all 3 filters for 3 months, then remove 1/2 of one filter. Test regularly for ammonia and nitrite. Leave for a month or 6 weeks (assuming you have no ammonia and nitrite) and then remove the other 1/2. Wait for the same time then remove another 1/2 etc