turning filters off/on

[rickztahone]

i would just like to know how long a filter (e.g HOB or canister) can be off without loosing beneficial bacteria? i havent done it yet but this is more of a preventative type of thing. i turn off my filters at feeding time although i do have prefilters. thanks in advance for your help

[Don Trinko]

The main problem with an enclosed filter is that Anarobic bacteria will develope if it is off to long. I'm not sure how long is to long but I think a half hour is OK.
The good bacteria can take several days if there is Oxygen available. All of this IMO Don t.

[rickztahone]

that was quick. thanks Don

[kirkp]

As Don said, what we're really concerned with is the aerobic bacteria dying off. As he said, leaving it off while feeding won't be an issue. I would be really concerned if the filter was off for several hours. I believe the oxygen would be used fairly quickly.

Kirk

[Eddie]

I'd say anything more than 1-2 hours will impact nitrification. I know because I've done it. If I have to break the tank down for an hour for any reason, I disconnect the filter and open everything to open air. Even then I only have everything apart for an hour tops.

Eddie

[Graham]

If established bio-media is removed from the water and just kept wet it will last for days with very little, if any set back. it's the lack of O2 in a cansister filter that'll kill it off.

[rickztahone]

If established bio-media is removed from the water and just kept wet it will last for days with very little, if any set back. it's the lack of O2 in a cansister filter that'll kill it off.

gotcha, thank you very much for that. i'm just worried that one of these days i will forget to turn my HOB back on. the xp3 i never turn off because the food doesn't really go to that corner so food doesn't really get sucked up into the intake.

[Ryan]

If you get some pre-filters for the HOB filters it shouldn't suck up anything large. Bloodworms stick to the outside of mine and the fish eat them off.

I do unplug when feeding messy stuff like pellets and flakes. I've left them off for a whole day before after forgetting to plug them back in. The nice thing about the HOB filters is that the lids are usually pretty open and give the bacteria plenty of air. I just dumped out the water, gave them a quick rinse, and plugged the filter back in. I didn't have any problems.

As everyone else mentioned, the enclosed filters are another story. I haven't started using my canisters yet, but I got paranoid and bought a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to plug it into in case of a long power outage while I'm away from home.

[GrillMaster]

i turn off my filters at feeding time although i do have prefilters.

If ya have prefilters, ya dont have to turn anything off. Thats what the prefilters are for...To keep waste from enterin yer filter. When you do yer water changes syphon up all the waste so nothing can get sucked up into the filter, remove the prefilter, rinse it out under the tap then stick it back on, then fill the tank back up. You will never have to worry about priming a filter or canister this way since ya never have to turn em off... :)

[poconogal]

I've had my XP3 canister off for up to 1 1/2 hours with no problem. I don't think I'd push it any further than that though. Like Ryan, I was paranoid about losing power while at work and then having my canisters come back on after several hours and killing my Discus so we put in a whole house generator 2 months ago which will come on automatically if we lose power.

[rickztahone]

If you get some pre-filters for the HOB filters it shouldn't suck up anything large. Bloodworms stick to the outside of mine and the fish eat them off.

I do unplug when feeding messy stuff like pellets and flakes. I've left them off for a whole day before after forgetting to plug them back in. The nice thing about the HOB filters is that the lids are usually pretty open and give the bacteria plenty of air. I just dumped out the water, gave them a quick rinse, and plugged the filter back in. I didn't have any problems.

As everyone else mentioned, the enclosed filters are another story. I haven't started using my canisters yet, but I got paranoid and bought a UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to plug it into in case of a long power outage while I'm away from home.

i've never heard of the UPS, is this like the one you have? (see link) it would be something great to have just in case. we've never had an outage here but it is always a possibility

http://cgi.ebay.com/APC-Smart-UPS-700VA-120V-Uninterrupted-power-supply_W0QQitemZ280305518706QQihZ018QQcategoryZ992 65QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Ryan]

i've never heard of the UPS, is this like the one you have? (see link) it would be something great to have just in case. we've never had an outage here but it is always a possibility

http://cgi.ebay.com/APC-Smart-UPS-700VA-120V-Uninterrupted-power-supply_W0QQitemZ280305518706QQihZ018QQcategoryZ992 65QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's similar to what I have. Most people use them for computers. I've heard that they don't last a very long time and that things like heaters drain the power very quickly, but I guess if you just had one filter plugged into it, it might last a while. At least long enough for me to get home and open the canister to let the bacteria breathe.