Keeping bb alive in sponge filter

[ArtistGardener]

Would a sponge filter have to be running to maintain the beneficial bacteria in it? Or could one just leave it in a healthy tank unattached to a pump? I want to use it as a backup for other tanks or QT, but don't want to have a pump running. Would that work?

 

[MonkeyMonk86]

Idk. I have a sponge and an in tank filter. I'm cycling my tank with dr. Tim's and my power strip fell and everything was turned off for about 14hrs. My ammonia dropped but didn't drop as much as it should have, judging from the day b4. My guess is it stays alive. Maybe just plug it in for a few hours once a week.

 

[Delapool]

I think it would work. You would get a little flow. The bb can last for months so I think it would be seeded enough to re-start if you had to use it in QT.

 

[ArtistGardener]

Thanks both. That's what I am hoping. Now to find a place to hide it away in one of the tanks.

 

[Delapool]

Could you hide just the sponge somewhere maybe?

 

[ArtistGardener]

I never thought of that--just the sponge and not the housing. That's an even better idea!

 

[BBradbury]

Keeping Beneficial Bateria

Would a sponge filter have to be running to maintain the beneficial bacteria in it? Or could one just leave it in a healthy tank unattached to a pump? I want to use it as a backup for other tanks or QT, but don't want to have a pump running. Would that work?

Hello Art...

All the good bacteria needs is a steady source of food and oxygen. This is why tank keepers keep an extra filter going in an established tank to use to cycle a new tank. There's already a steady source of food (ammonia) from the fish waste and the filter equipment moves the water's surface mixing oxygen into the tank water.

Pretty simple.

B

 

[ArtistGardener]

Thanks, BB; I know I could just run it in a tank to keep it going, but my question is about whether it needs to be operational with water moving through it. Would the normal water movement of the tank (other filters working) be enough to keep bb alive in a sponge removed from the housing and tucked behind some plants, for instance?

I have used gravel and rocks, etc. to transfer bb to a new tank, but the sponge would hold way more bb--but would it be enough to ensure immediate cycling in a 10 gallon QT tank?

In the past, my QT tank has pretty much always had a resident (or six!) but as I get my tanks stocked the way I want, it would be empty a lot, but I really don't want to run another air pump in any of the display tanks…

 

[BBradbury]

Hello again Art...

Anything with a surface inside a properly maintained tank will house good bacteria. Filter media, driftwood, lava rock and leafy plants have a lot of surface area and be a good home for beneficial bacteria.

B

 

[ArtistGardener]

Okey dokey! Thanks!

 

[ArtistGardener]

No worries!

Related to the original post, I did decide to remove the sponge from the filter housing (this is one of those basic sponge filters) and hide it behind a large piece of driftwood in my healthy 55 gallon. We'll see how it does when I need to use it on the 10 later. I've taken sponges or floss out of my AquaClears before to use in new fry tanks, etc. I just wondered if it would maintain the numbers of bb it had before. Thanks again for the ideas and advice.

 

[MonkeyMonk86]

Mr Fisher seeds sponges and sells them. You could message him and ask his method.

 

[ArtistGardener]

Not necessary. This sponge has been in a fry tank and running for several months; just trying to keep the bb already there alive--it is already transferred to another tank for "storage."

 

[HN1]

Hey folks! I deleted the off topic posts. Glad it was all a misunderstanding.

 

[Delapool]

Would be keen to know how it goes. I've done basically the same and used seeded media to restart a tank. I haven't recorded ammonia but they were at low stocking levels in the QT. So maybe I was lucky the bb could catch up.

I have a bag of API nitra zorb (zeolite or such) just in case.