Pump valves closed for 48hr; smelly

[edgley]

Hi,

Just been the biggest plonker ever.
Last water change I forgot to re-open the valves on one of my eheim external pumps. So its been sitting there, on, with no flow for around 48hrs.

My, did it smell

Once I have washed the media off with tank water, am I okay to still use it?
Or has it had it day?

Thanks,
Simon.

 

[uh.oh...]

i'd say its probably fine. The bacteria in there eats ammonia and nitrite, so as fas as those poisons go there shouldn't be much, just decomposing plant and fish waste. rinse and reinstall.

 

[edgley]

Thank you; pump back in and running.

 

[BillD]

Actually, the bacteria in the cannister require oxygen to survive. After 48 hours, they are probably all dead, hence the smell. Keep a close eye on the tank and be prepared to do a large water change if there is an ammonia spike.

 

[edgley]

Yep, keeping my eye on the tank to wait for it to hit.

Buckets at standby...