Old Filter Media

[Pkn]

How long will the good bacteria live after all fish are gone from the tank and all power turn off and media is still wet

 

[Geoff1991]

I think as a general rule you start to lose a certain percentage day by day... Id say not very long if there's no filter or anything...

 

[m00se]

Bacteria will survive in wet media very well, but the colony will die off at the rate of about 10% every 24 hours without a supply of ammonia.

 

[rabbut]

^^But you are assuming they have a good oxygen supply. With Oxygen available, they'll die off at about 2-10% a day, depending on who's research paper you'd prefer to believe... Without Oxygen, they die off at a rate of about 90% an hour... Basically, keep the filter on and the tank will still have a recoverable colony that will accept the same stock for about two-three weeks. Turn the filter off and your sunk after a few hours...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[m00se]

I didn't know that!
I must just have got super lucky when I took on a second-hand filter which had been off and boxed for 36 hours and it jumped my cycle. Mind you, I did have some old gravel as well, which probably helped

 

[Pkn]

I didn't know that!
I must just have got super lucky when I took on a second-hand filter which had been off and boxed for 36 hours and it jumped my cycle. Mind you, I did have some old gravel as well, which probably helped

Hmm the fter is off awe and I can't get to it for like another week so I should just get new media ? Hmm if I remeber right the tube for thr filter is outside the filter can I assume that the filter will still be getting air?

 

[rabbut]

What filter type is it? External? If so, there won't be enough oxygen getting to the media to keep it alive for a week if it's off and dry. Internals, if kept damp, you may get away with (not recommended) but not with an external unless it's a HOB style external...

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Pkn]

What filter type is it? External? If so, there won't be enough oxygen getting to the media to keep it alive for a week if it's off and dry. Internals, if kept damp, you may get away with (not recommended) but not with an external unless it's a HOB style external...

All the best
Rabbut

hob?

 

[waterdrop]

HOB, abbreviation for Hang On Back (filter), also sometimes called a "Power" filter in the USA (from the old days (hey they aren't that old for cryin...) when everyone had little clear plastic internal filters with some carbon in the bottom and a wisp of glass wool (yeccch! youch!) on top of that and a noisy airpump pushing bubbles through it to move the water.. man when you put a -power- filter on the back of your tank it was a whole new world, lol) Now, "power" filters have been mostly outpowered by external cannisters.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[indigoj]

The good bacteria probably will not survive that long but if you just wash it or even boil it well then you will not need to buy new stuff.

Remember doing that you will have to fully cycle the tank that filter is going on before adding fish.

 

[OldMan47]

If you have a canister that can't get circulation for a week, pull the media and place it in open water in your tank. That way it will be exposed to the oxygenated water in the tank and the bacteria will survive longer. If you have no other mixing going on in the tank, stir the water occasionally to make sure the water does not become stratified and get low on O2. You are trying to keep moisture and some oxygen available to the media, whatever you do to make that happen will keep the bacteria going that much longer.