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View Full Version : Dumb, Dumb forgot to turn on my canister filter after water change...


tpl*co
10-01-2006, 01:28 PM
Well I did a water change on Friday night and I turn off the XP3 canister before I change the water since it's intake is higher than I usually empty. Well I was really busy yesterday so I ended up not doing a water change last night and opted to do it this morning. When I went to do it I noticed there was no water coming from my spray bar and that I forgot to plug it in! That's 36 hours without power to it.

Well, you guessed it when I opened the filter I had a stinky clean-up from the media going anaerobic. I had to wash out the whole thing. I soaked everything in PP solution for good measure and to start it out from scratch. Trying to clean it till I couldn't smell it anymore. It makes me mad since this was one of the filters I was going to transfer to the new tank.

The good news is that I have so much other filtration on that tank that it wasn't missed (3 big sponge filters and a big Aquaclear). How long will it take to get the good bacteria back in that filter? Should I go out and get something to help it along or just let the sponges and the Aquaclear to do it?

Tina
brewmaster15
10-01-2006, 01:44 PM
Hi Tina,

been there..done that!:)
just let the sponges and the Aquaclear to do it?
Should be okay with some good water changes...I'd just monitor the ammonia/nitrites to be sure.

future reference... you probably could have gotten away with just running the filter media under warm water ...The PP probably harmed whatever good aerobic bacteria you had left, IMO.

hth,
al
pcsb23
10-01-2006, 01:46 PM
Tina,

Been there done that (and more than once too!). If its all clean and good to go, just hook it back up on the tank and let it seed naturally, as you say you have enough filtration running so there should be no cycle on the tank. The filter will take a few weeks to get up to speed.
lhforbes12
10-01-2006, 02:05 PM
Tina,
I totally agree with Al and Paul, you really don't need to worry much over this. Even having used PP the filter should recycle extremely quickly, many of the "good" bacteria simply became cysts which will re-seed it quickly. I think everyone has done this on occasion.
chris allsop
10-01-2006, 02:48 PM
ive done that before, i have a very bad memory!!
i just cleaned mine with tank water and got it running again, i didnt have any problems with it.
Alan
10-01-2006, 06:26 PM
How long will it take to get the good bacteria back in that filter? Should I go out and get something to help it along or just let the sponges and the Aquaclear to do it?

About 7-14 days. (Maybe even faster with the help of the other filter in the tank.)

No need to get something to help out. Just squeeze the sponges.
tpl*co
10-02-2006, 01:00 AM
About 7-14 days. (Maybe even faster with the help of the other filter in the tank.)

No need to get something to help out. Just squeeze the sponges.

Good idea on squeezing the sponges! I've got even another one in there now, been tearing down tanks and instead of wasting the sponge, it goes in my holding tank with the discus! LOL. I have a multi outlet air pump on that tank so It is powering a lot of sponges :).

Tina