bb on bio-wheels

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
D

doubledragon

The House Of Endlie
MFK Member
Nov 19, 2006
2,311
1
38
ohio
I use emp. 400's on all my tanks. I think they are great filters. My question is how long can the bb on the bio-wheels remain healthy while not running.(ex. when completely dry, damp, or shortly after filter is turned off). When I do water changes some take quite a while, I leave the filter running till it starts gurgling then it is turned off till the tank is almost full. (usually a hour+, the bio wheels are still damp when the filter is turned back on). Anything that's going to take a long time I will take the bio-wheels out and put them in a bucket of tank water.
 
I was under the impression that Nitrifying Bacteria will live up to 8 hours, as long as it dosn't dry out.

I could be wrong, though.
 
Everyone will have their own version of the answer. Eight hours is reasonable but others will say minutes. I have forgotten the all too critical plug several times and didn't have to go through the cycling process as several people are going to say must be done.
 
What I do is I take off the wheels off the filter and leave it in the tank while doing WC. Off course I remember to unplug the HOB because the "gurgling" sound is too annoying.
 
BB are also "light" sensitive, keep them dark.
 
idk how long the bb bacteria will live. i have heard anywhere from 1 hour to 8 as posted. Wonder if one of the mods has any opinion? Dr. Joe?
 
haha, paging Dr. Joe. to Setup and Filtration:)
 
I run Emporers as well but I keep the pick up tubes low enough in the tank so that normal water changes don't bother the flow....HOWEVER you have at least three hours until the bacteria starts to die off as long as you keep the wheels damp and exposed to the air. Floating them in the tank is a good idea as long as you don't lose the plastic bearings....

I also float the supercartrages to keep that bio-active as well.
 
thanks, I haven't had any problems with the bearings yet and I've been runnin several of them for a couple of years. Have you, or just a precaution to watch out for?
 
If your water gets cloudy after your water change, it's a good sign that you killed off the bacteria and a bacterial bloom occured because of it.

If it dosn't, good chance none of the BB died off..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom