# Filter bacteria



## Dave Pierce (4 Aug 2013)

Hi,

If I was to disconnect my filter, leave the established water & filter media sealed inside the filter for a few weeks and then connect it to a brand new tank, would the filter bacteria still be alive?

Basically I'm asking this because in a few weeks I will be tearing down my old tank, moving it and then replacing it with a brand tank. Wondering how long the established filter media & bacteria would last if I disconnect it from my current tank, so I can use it with new new tank.

Cheers
Dave


----------



## cyhiemstra (4 Aug 2013)

Keen to hear about this too. I'm doing the same just as a backup for a friend, remember to keep it dark has you'll get green algae otherwise


----------



## squid102 (4 Aug 2013)

No, the bacteria will not survive. Last month I did a water change before going on holiday. I remembered to switch the big external filter on but failed to notice that a small internal filter had not started. 11 days later its contents were slimy and smelled horrible.

The filter bacteria needs water movement/oxygen through it.


----------



## GHNelson (4 Aug 2013)

Hi
I don't think it will last more than a week.Tends to get a tad smelly meaning its off.
What you could do is just keep it running attached to a bucket or plastic tub with fresh clean water with some water surface movement.
Or let the filter media sponges dry out then put back into the filter.
hoggie


----------



## Dave Pierce (4 Aug 2013)

Thought that might be the case. 

Thanks squid102.


----------



## Dave Pierce (4 Aug 2013)

hogan53 said:


> I don't think it will last more than a week.Tends to get a tad smelly meaning its off. What you could do is just keep it running attached to a bucket or plastic tub with fresh clean water with some water surface movement. Or let the filter media sponges dry out then put back into the filter.


 
Great idea, you think this would work?


----------



## squid102 (4 Aug 2013)

You could try putting the media in a bucket/barrel with an air pump bubbling up though it. That's what I had planned on doing for a long powercut that never happened. But I don't know if you might need to throw something in every now and then to feed the bacteria, eg a bit of ammonia.


----------



## sciencefiction (4 Aug 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> Great idea, you think this would work?


 
Put the filter in a bucket/container with dechlorinated water and the filter running. You can dump some fish food for ammonia or ammonia itself if you can buy the Kleen-off brand or similar.


----------



## Dave Pierce (4 Aug 2013)

I have a bottle of pure ammonia. 

Thanks for the advise, should work!


----------



## justissaayman (5 Aug 2013)

Bacteria needs oxygen and thus flow to survive and need to be fed on ammonia. You can let the filter run in a spare tank or a bucket for the weeks you are taking to scape the new tank. There has to be flow over the bacteria otherwise it wont last for a day...

Good luck m8.


----------



## NattyAntlers (5 Aug 2013)

There is a quite interesting article in PFK online about certain strains of bacteria.

Think you know filter bacteria? Dream on… | Blog | Practical Fishkeeping


----------



## dw1305 (5 Aug 2013)

Hi all,
Don't add ammonia, or dry the sponges etc out. Just keep the media damp, in a bucket with just enough water to cover it and an air stone, or just store it in a planted tank. I have piles of ceramic rings and spare sponges in a lot of my tanks, they serve 2 purposes, one is thet provide a great refuge and grazing surfaces for shrimp and fry, and the other is when you need some new filter media they are ready to go straight away.

The idea that the bacteria will die without a source of ammonia is a myth and it just really isn't true. What the bacteria need is water, a supply of organic matter, it really doesn't matter how little it is, or the source of it, and oxygen. You supply these and it will tick over basically for ever. Microbial systems are much more complex (like the PFK article suggest) than the traditional explanation suggests. If you keep with the "tick over" analogy if you add more bioload (fuel), all that happens is the engine (our microbial biomass) runs more quickly, reduce the fuel it runs more slowly, but as long as it doesn't dry out, or become de-oxygenated, it will remain viable and responsive eternally.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Dave Pierce (6 Aug 2013)

Thanks Darrel, great advise.

In that case I will just pop them in a shallow bucket of water and stick an airstone in them. Or i'll keep the filter running with a bucket of water and some old plants.


----------



## Yo-han (6 Aug 2013)

Dave Pierce said:


> Thanks Darrel, great advise.
> 
> In that case I will just pop them in a shallow bucket of water and stick an airstone in them. Or i'll keep the filter running with a bucket of water and some old plants.


 
That would be the best option! Another one that some people I know used is squeeze the water out but leave them moist and put them in a bag filled with air. After placing them back in a filter in a month (fish only so no plants helping) they never had any nitrite peak whatsoever. Done a few time, seem to work. But safest bet is the method above!


----------



## tim (6 Aug 2013)

Recently rescaped a tank for my lfs just drained all the water out of the filter and resealed it replant and fill happened 7 days later filter still smelt great and their tests showed no ammonia/ nitrite on restarting the tank.


----------



## dw1305 (9 Aug 2013)

Hi all,


Yo-han said:


> After placing them back in a filter in a month (fish only so no plants helping) they never had any nitrite peak whatsoever. Done a few time, seem to work.


I've never tried this, but assuming that the bacteria remain both damp and oxygenated it should work OK. One advantage of wet and dry trickle filters is that they remain damp and oxygenated for a long time during power cuts etc.


tim said:


> still smelt great and their tests showed no ammonia/ nitrite on restarting the tank.


I'd go much more on smell, I'm dubious about test kits, because even with analytical kit ammonia is really difficult to measure at low concentrations. Nitrite is easier, but even then it isn't really straight-forward. There is more explanation here: <Easylife profito suitable? | Page 2 | UK Aquatic Plant Society>.

cheers Darrel


----------

