Unfiltered Heated Tank Water

[celaeno]

i am currently cloning a filter by running it next to an established one in the same tank. in another tank i set up 2 days ago, i only have a heater running and no livestock yet. i plan to get a female betta and/or a snail to put in it on monday or tuesday.

will the water in the tank go bad by then? if so, what percent water change should i do before adding the fish and filter? the tank is a 10 gallon.

 

[smegforbrains]

Can you not wait until the new filter has seeded properly?


Do you have to, by life or death, go out and buy this Betta straight away?



Just be patient and follow the fishless cycle route. It will work out much better in the long term.

 

[celaeno]

sorry for being unclear, but the filter intended for use in the 10 gallon has been running for a month already in the 20 gallon, so it should have enough bacteria on the bio-wheel to handle the waste of 1 betta and 1 snail.

 

[smegforbrains]

Ah. I see.


If it has been running for a month then it should be fine.


You will need to keep a careful eye on the water quality for the first few weeks though while the filter adjusts itself to cope with the waste produced. You will probably need to do 25% water changes every other day for the first couple of weeks.

 

[raptorrex]

sorry for being unclear, but the filter intended for use in the 10 gallon has been running for a month already in the 20 gallon, so it should have enough bacteria on the bio-wheel to handle the waste of 1 betta and 1 snail.

I would have thought you were right. it would, however, depend on the stocking of the 20G. remember to watch the feeding in the 20G after you remove the filter. a tank will only sustain enough bacteria to clear the waste it has. the bio mass will be split between the two filters. so just be cautious as the remaining filter builds back up.

 

[celaeno]

thanks for the replies, but my question was never answered. will heated, unfiltered water sitting still in a tank for about a week develope bad bacteria? i need to know so the betta and snails i plan to introduce into the tank don't become ill.

 

[OldMan47]

Warm uncirculated water could be a bit low in oxygen from sitting so long. Once you put the filter on it, it should get oxygenated fairly quickly by having the filter circulate the water. I would expect to be able to put the fish in after they have acclimated to temperature for 10 or 15 minutes because in that time the filter should be able to stir up the water enough. If you are concerned about the water because it has become covered with dust or such, do a large water change before you move the filter and before you bring in the fish.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi celaeno,

I don't think you will get harmful bacteria, but your tank might have lost some oxygen do to lack of water circulation. Harmful bacteria introduced with the betta or snail would probably thrive in that kind of environment. As always, the old rule still applies: when in doubt, do a water change.

 

[raptorrex]

thanks for the replies, but my question was never answered. will heated, unfiltered water sitting still in a tank for about a week develope bad bacteria? i need to know so the betta and snails i plan to introduce into the tank don't become ill.

why not just throw the water away, and refill the tank?