Freezing Sponge Filter??

[Brirvhd]

We will be moving to a new house in a few months. I have a 20 gallon QT tank with a sponge filter that is not being used for any fish at this time. My question is, can I drain the water and remove the sponge filter and store in freezer to maintain the BB, until we are set up in the new house? (also, I already have a spare sponge filter in my main tank already- not enough room for a second one )

[Bill63SG]

Yes,I do it all the time.I dont remember all the details of what I read,but it dosen't kill off all the bacteria,some do die,but its like 50%-60% survive.Also another way you can do it in a pinch,is take an exisisting sponge,slice it like a bagel,and put a half with a sliced new sponge.

[DonMD]

That's amazing. I have heard that many types of bacteria will survive just fine in a frozen state, so this is good news to me! Only problem: fighting for freezer space . . .

[cjr8420]

depending how long its been since fish were in the tank ur sponge might not have any BB left on it to save

[Joester]

When storing the sponge in the freezer, will I need to squeeze all the excess water out?

[Brirvhd]

depending how long its been since fish were in the tank ur sponge might not have any BB left on it to save

It's been about one month since any fish were in the QT tank, but every few days I've been checking water parameters and adding proper amounts of ammonia to feed the BB. A fishless cycle was done on this tank prior to the time I had new fish in it for about six weeks. Also I've done a few water changes as well.

[Bill63SG]

When storing the sponge in the freezer, will I need to squeeze all the excess water out?

I dont freeze it in full of water,but I give it a squeeze.

[MSD]

Sounds like poppycock to me.

[Bill63SG]

Sounds like poppycock to me.

Myth #3: Freezing Kills Bacteria
Freezing foods renders bacteria inactive but doesn’t actually kill anything. That means if your food went into the freezer contaminated, once thawed it will still harbor the same harmful bacteria. Cooking it to the recommended temperature is the only way to ensure that your food is safe.

Next: Myth #4. Frozen Food Has Fewer Nutrients Than Fresh »

Couldnt find the article I read about sponge filters,but I'm sure this is the same in theory.

[MSD]

Except we are talking about very different kinds of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle versus food borne bacteria.

[Bill63SG]

brewmaster1502-16-2011, 03:00 PM
HI Guys,
I wrote about this several years ago...You can actually Freeze your sponges when you thaw them they'll start up pretty quick.....as in days not the weeks it normally takes for new sponges to cycle....I did some experiments on it. Also even just air drying seems to allow a quicker re-start. Just don't rinse them before storage.
alternative.... if this is a short term shut down... throw them in another stocked tank as Larry suggested or if you have none...Just throw them in a pail of water...with air and feed the sponges with some ammonia, miracle grow etc.

hth,
al