Mattenfilter, bacterial flora,new filter ?

could i use a old tank to seed a new filter?
lets say a 55 gallon with a Aquaclear 110 and a Eheim classic up and running for a year now.
my plan is clean old tank add a new filter Hamburg Mattenfilter style with poret foam at one end then use the eheim canister
to pull the water flow as the pump action for the new filter media in the tank then seed my new tank with
this filter media after lets say 4 weeks after foam is loaded with the desirable bacteria.
i will do the same with other tanks to seed new foam media if the Aquaclear 110 and a Eheim classic
can do the job to move the water.

i wish to setup two new 55gall with a breeding pair of convicts and split the tank 2/3 for breeding-1/3 for fry
then another for grow out to feeder size for my sunfish and other native tanks.my reason for this is low funds right now i cant afford new filters and tank gravel plus all of the other stuff and the Hamburg Mattenfilter style with poret foam is real cheep setup.

Edited by CATfishTONY, 06 December 2009 - 06:22 PM.

Sure, you should be able to do that. You could do it as you say, or, I would set up the Hamburg Mattenfilter in the new tank and get it running, then squeeze out the sponge from the AquaClear in front of it so that some of the mulm is drawn into the Mattenfilter. That will seed it with bacteria. You could do the same with the sponge from the Eheim. Feed the new tanks with some fish food or a dead market shrimp to get the bacteria population up and after a couple weeks you're good to go. If you are going to start a 55 gallon tank with a pair of small convicts, cycling shouldn't be much of an issue anyway.