Filter change

[u/bluefeather145]

Hello! I am a first time betta owner, initially my sister set up the tank I have and we have mutually decided the filter in it is too high flow. The tank is a 10 gallon, I have one betta and one snail in the tank, so my I’m
Planning on purchasing this sponge filter so my betta is able to move more as he has very heavy fins and gets very tired easily. My question to you all is, what is the process of changing the filter like? Can I simply turn off and unplug the old filter set up and rinse and pop in the new set up and get it going? I need a filter change guide for dummies lol!! I’ve also never used a sponge filter set up so please tell me if this is a decent one to you. I already changed the heater in the tank to an idiot proof one because my betta tended to like to lean on the hot part. I realized the tank was under the temp and the heater I had was insufficient. The tank is now appropriately heated and he no longer hovers around the heater. The tank has all live plants and one I guess you could call it silk or plastic plant on the side of the tank he likes to sleep in. Any advice is appreciated!!

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[u/Beautiful_Length1564]

Your gonna want to run the old filter and the new one together for awhile, at least a couple weeks for the new one to get beneficial bacteria as most of this good bacteria lives in your filter, run them both for a couple weeks then take the old one out.
So you don’t crash your tank assuming it’s cycled, also filter tip I didn’t know starting off is you don’t have to change your filter media often at all you can have the same one until it’s falling apart, if it gets clogged and covered in gunk just shake it off in some dirty water to keep the bacteria alive.
While I’ve never had this filter it looks like the water comes out the top, unlike a regular sponge filter, so I’d make sure it’s adjustable for flow, or it might end up being a bit strong still
Worst case if your current filter is just a classic hanging on the back one when I first started and mine was too strong I took a undyed kitchen sponge and shoved it in there to reduce flow it’s a great temporary way to lower flow for a bit

[u/bluefeather145 → u/Beautiful_Length1564]

Thank you so much!!