hmmm?

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Keeper

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So I have my first QT setup and the fish I had in it died. Can I just throw the filter from it on my 10gal to keep a bacteria colony alive? It is in a very awkward place and I need to take it down! Will doing this harm any fish?
 
Do you know why they died? Just thinking that the bacteria colony may have some bad elements that should be killed off before allowed access to a healthy tank.
How much of a pain would it be to totally strip the filter of its old colony and then put it on the 10gal to build a fresh new colony from the healthy tank?
 
Whatever was in your QT tank, will get into your main tanks if you take the filter from QT and put it on the main.

Honestly, I wouldn't use any filter media at all. I would just keep some filter floss balled up in there, and when the QT was done with use I'd wash it out real good [ Don't know how it'd hold up, but possibly run it through a dishwasher cycle, to. ] before I'd even consider exposing my other tanks to it.


Of course you can get filter floss so cheap [ Or perfectly fine substitutions, I think theres a material thats in the craft section that you can use ] you could do with just seeding it in a main tank, putting it on QT when needed, then tossing it out.
 
I would clean the wheel and let it sit outside inthe sun for several days.


I'd probably never use it in the QT again, either. Not worth using a biowheel in QT IMHO.
 
You can microwave the bio wheel and reuse it in your 10g :)
 
Thats what I would do.


A Penguin is a waste on a QT tank, so definately sterilize it and put it on your 10gal [ Remember, run it in tandom with your existing filter for a week or two, to seed it ] and move the AC to the QT
 
I would avoid putting my aquarium equipment in contact with areas that my food touches.


and the microwave may warp or melt the plastic components.
 
Microwave for maybe 20-30 seconds, and you should be okay, but the nasties won't... :wink: (good idea, BrianNY)

I like the idea of using a small sponge filter or box filter for a q-tank (any kind of internal filter), which can run on an established tank relatively unnoticed when not needed. At quarratine time, pop it into the 10-gal with a bare bottom and you are golden. I agree that a mini-Penguin is overkill for a q-tank, but I keep the biowheels from various spare filters hidden in the plants at the surface of my big tank, ready for action if necessary. If the Penguin is what you have, then go ahead and use it. I would run it on an established tank if you can, and then transfer it over at quarrantine time. You can run it without a biowheel, no prob, or use the biowheel to help your biofilter. I like the KISS principle -keep it simple, silly.
 
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