# Seeding sponge filter?



## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I always just cut a bit of old sponge from a cycled tank and add to new filter. But what about a brand new sponge filter? 

I put the sponge filter running in a mature tank. How long till I can add it to my shrimp tank? The shrimp tank has been running for months so I know that tank has the good Bactria growing. It's just this brand new sponge filter? 

A week should be fine right? Or maybe 5 days?


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

I don't think I understand your question, but you can put the new filter in the running shrimp tank and let that tank's bacteria seed it.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Running a new sponge in an cycled tank will "seed" the new sponge right away. There is no more or less to seeding the filter media. I would say to let it run an hour more as a system check i.e.. flow, fit, leveling, vibration etc.

Once seeded the bacteria will establish based on their food source...PERIOD. 

HOWEVER, a seeded filter is not an established filter, don't push the envelope to hard. We get in trouble with ammonia spikes, because the bio-filter is over loaded.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I put the sponge in a 100 gal tank with large south American cichlids. So the amount of Bactria in that tank is much more then in my tiny shrimp tank.

I was readering some people leave new sponges in established tanks for 2weeks+ to make sure there is good growth. Some said 2-3 days. 

I think I will move the sponge tonight it will have been in the cichlid tank for 24 hr. then I will take the old filter I have with the shrimp now and rise it in a bucket the. Swish the sponge around in that bucket. After that I will add it to the tank.


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## amp (Dec 2, 2008)

I do a similar thing with sponge filters, mainly the ATI type. I put them on a powerhead I have running in my pond and let them run for a few days. They get some nice funk on them and seem to be good to go after a good rinsing in some treated water. 2 or 3 days should be fine if your running it off a powerhead since your moving a good amount of water through it, but it may take longer to get going if your just running it with an air stone.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I have a power head I could rig up. Thanks.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

You can only maintain a culture of bacteria at a level that food exists to feed it.

Yes, the chiclid tank filter will have a higher bacteria ct. but, run it on the shrimp tank and a lot of bacteria will die off over time basically starving to death.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

This being an established shrimp tank the seeding of the sponge is not as critical as using one for transfer into a new and barren tank. Every surface within a tank has active bacteria on it, sponges just provide a huge surface area.


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

Yeah that's what I was thinking. Putting the sponge in a tank where I have a large bio load will add lots to the sponge but lots will die off in the low bio load shrimp tank. 

I think I will move the sponge to the shrimp tank tonight. Because it is an established tank things should be fine. 

Thanks guys for the help. I will keep an eye on the ammonia and make sure nothing goes crazy.


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## iskandarreza (Jul 4, 2011)

What happens if you squeeze some of the smelly gunk out of the old filter's sponge into the new filter's sponge? Does that seed the sponge?


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I would think that would add to it and help. 

After getting info here and thinking about it. I think it will be safe to move the filter tonight.


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