FishProfiles.com Message Forums

HI sorry if this is in the wrong section.

Just need some reasurance. My new Jewel Trigon 350 came today! and it looks great, but.....My plan had allways been to remove the filter box from the tank and use my rena XP3 from my existing tank, however I didnot realise it was glued to the tank. So at first I rang the LFS it came from and they said it is possilbe to get it out but gave me the regional numbenr for Jewel, who I rang and the lady said it is possible but be careful.

So I tried and this thing just wasnt budging, I was very carefully cutting the filter away from the silican best i could but after getting the outer parts free the ones closer to the corner were imposible to get in right.

So I rang Jewel again and had a discussion with the people there and spoke to them again and, she told me that the powerhead in the internal jewel filter does 1000 Liters an hour, and that the 350 is the smallest tank to have that filter in.

But the rena XP3 does 600 Liters an hour, so on face value the jewel has a better turn over rate.

So now I have used aquarium sealant around the edges to resecure the filter box into place as I would seem to have no other choice but to use it.

Best case scenario would be to run both filters, but I am only aloud to run one as it is more electricity and the parents dont like the idea of that.

So the current plan is to use my old Rena media with some of the Jewel media and still move the water and gravel over as well as planned. Do you think this would be as effective as the Rena XP3 over all, or would you pack the jewel filter with alternate media?

If someone could reply before tuesday that would be great

If the Renia filter media fits in the Juwel filter housing then that would be the best way forward. Just replace the Juwel sponges and you'll be fine.

If it doesn't then your parents will just have to put up with you running two filters for the first month (tell them I said it's OK ). The reason for this is that there is very little of the cycle bacteria in the tank water and gravel. Most of it lives in the filter where the action of the powerhead draws the ammonia food source to it. Running both filters for a month will mean that at the start the Renia is doing the work whilst the Juwel filter is colonised by the bacteria. After about four weeks it's safe to switch off the Renia and give its filter media a squeeze over the Juwel sponges.

BTW, don't add any new fish during this period. The Renia has enough bacteria to cope with the existing fish load and so your current stock can be moved immediately into the new tank. However at the end of the period the bacteria supported by this stocking will be split between the two filters and so there is a risk of a mini-cycle lasting a few days whilst the Juwel takes up the slack.

Mature, sensible signature required for responsible position. Good prospects for the right candidate. Apply within.

I dont think they will fit as they are now, but I was going to cut them to size and stack them in the space provided by the jewel.

The rena sponges are wider and flatter but the jewel sponges are thicker but not as wide. I think its 2 differnt theories of which is more suited to bacteria development thickness or surface area, i can see logic in both, I think what Id like to do is open up the rena cut the pads as fast as possible and then stack them in asap as well, its a fast click thing i tried it with the pads today while its still dry.

Do you think that will work? I know it might bump it a bit but the gravel will be transfered as well as as much water from the old tank too so hopefully it will be okay, but the new placement means i can syphon straight out a door rather than have to use buckets to syhphon into , which means faster waterchanges! So I have no objection to daily W/C's for a bit, though for the fishes sake I hope I dont have to!

If you can fit the Renia media into the Juwel filter box, then that is definitely the way forward. The original Juwel media can be added if there is room. Doing this will mean you avoid having to cycle the new tank and after leaving for a week to settle down (or sooner if your ammonia and nitrIte results are nil, which they should be) you can then increase your stocking.

After that, all you need to do is to find somewhere to put the old tank and then talk your parents into letting you have both tanks running at once

Mature, sensible signature required for responsible position. Good prospects for the right candidate. Apply within.

been there tried that.... tried that didnt work.... but i did get a nifty looking 10 gallon out of it

Now what to stock, betta and shrimp, shell dwellers or a pair of dwarf cichlids or a puffer fish.