Reusing Filtration Media

[ChrisNorris]

Hi guys,

I've just had a few new tanks built, and after my most recent stint with the so called 'whirling disease' I'm paranoid to say the least. I have no intention of reusing the filtration media from the tanks where the sick discus where, but I still have several other tanks that are full of seeded media. There has been no recent (6 months, perhaps more) sign of any illness, however I'm still hesitant to reuse the media. Is there any possible way that reusing the media from a healthy discus tank could somehow hurt any new discus that I have coming in? Perhaps there are some precautionary steps I can take to ensure nothing is transferred into the new tanks?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[nc0gnet0]

There is always a risk. The fish that are healthy may be resistant to any harmful bacteria in the filter. Introducing new fish to a tank is always stressfull to the fish, and this opens the door for bacteria that may be lurking in trace amounts.

As for the amount of risk, that is anybody's guess and up to you to decide if it is worth it.

[boxters]

i have a sump that has not been cleaned in a few years, and i always take media from it to seed new sumps. What i do is i rinse any debris in tank water and place in new sump to be cycled. If you are doing a fishless cycle, you can treat with a good dose of pp, which will oxidise any potentially harmful nasties. I have never in 10 years had a problem and i run some 30 tanks all with seperate sumps and systems

[jimg]

I would not use anything you have. I would start new.
I wiped out all my filters treating for flukes. The best way is to boil the media let it dry then use tetra safe start or dr tims one and only, same stuff. It works I would say 70% of the time. To get the best results using theses products put a 1" substrate on the bottom, use a hob and a sponge filter or sponge and canister. Do a fish less cycle adding just enough ace hardware industrial strength ammonia to read .25 keep it there until you see it read 0 overnight and the nitrites read and then go down. should be less than 1 week, but, sometimes these products do nothing! then you can add fish. you can slowly remove the substrate as the filters build.
I have done this with almost all my 14 tanks in the past few months and it does work.
Keep the tanks equipment and hoses etc separate. Also may help to use another room for new tanks. Get a spray bottle and keep it filled with 70% alcohol spray everything inc you hands between tanks.

[tcyiu]

There has been no recent (6 months, perhaps more) sign of any illness, however I'm still hesitant to reuse the media. Is there any possible way that reusing the media from a healthy discus tank could somehow hurt any new discus that I have coming in?

No matter what we think, we cannot, practically speaking, keep the tanks we own in pure isolation. You can start with a fishless cycle, and still end up with the same micro fauna that exists in all of your existing tanks. The reasons range from accidental sharing of equipment to airborne bacteria and spores migrating between the tanks.

In a fishless cycle, the bacteria migrate into the tank somehow. Well, so can pathogens which replicate faster than the good bacteria.

Anyway, this is a long winded way of opining that while there is a risk to everything, as long as you receive healthy robust stock, keep them well fed and healthy, and provide clean water, their bodies will naturally defend themselves.

I would re-use the media and get the cycle going faster. (I would even re-use the media from the diseased tank as long as I sterilized them first).

Tim