Keeping or "storing" bacteria

[HoundsNTrout]

I think I may have asked this question before here in a slightly different way.

How does anyone here keep your filter happy if you won't have fish for say 6 months. Its already had small fry in it and works well. All I have been doing is adding ammonia 3X daily and by morning its down to zero.

The big question is I don't want to have everything running all the time for 6 months. If I turn everything off ( assuming the water temp's are in the ball park ) how long can I get away with that?
Assuming everything stays wet per-se.

OR is there another way to keep the bacteria still viable. Freezing it? That may kill it eh?

The type of bacteria is 52 to 60 degree temp's.


IF I set it up on a timer. How long can I go?

This is not an electricity issue, I could care less about the small amount. Its the equipment, I don't want to continuously run it until I take more eggs in November. ( trout eggs were talking ).

Any thoughts or things youve done. And I don't really care if it might take me a little bit of time to get it going again ( the bacteria ) I just want MOST of it in there.

Thanks guys.

 

[FLA]

I agree I don't like to leave things running if I don't have to. The way I have dealt with this in the past is to start the system 6-8 weeks before I am expecting eggs. Use bottled unscented ammonia to bring the level up to 1ppm then watch the water quality weekly. Do the math don't just add a cap full. Remember 1 ppm is .001 ml per liter you may want to get a syringe. If you need a source here is one.http://www.pbsanimalhealth.com/details/Monoject-Disposable-Regular-Luer-Tip-Syringes/396-10.html

As the ammonia drops and nitrites rise add more ammonia keeping the level around .5ppm to keep the filter "fed". By watching your parameters you can drop the dose down so the ammonia and nitrites get down to 0 a day or two before you get your eggs. If you misjudge it is no problem you can just do a water change before the eggs arrive and bring it down to zero. There is nothing magic about what is living in your filter now. The bacteria will naturally recolonize when ammonia is present.

 

[skjl47]

hello; An issue I have had in keeping a container filled with water and no fish in it is those pesky mosquitoes. I tend to keep my QT and fry tanks empty. I store water in containers for WC and had to plug the openings with filter floss to keep them out.

I have a breeding pair of angels right now. I partially filled a ten gallon grow out tank the last time they spawned to be ready if any fry could saved. Alas they ate the eggs again. I will need to empty that tank soon as warm weather approaches or the skeeters will have me for lunch.

One thing I have been doing to have the beneficial bacteria (bb) ready for the growout tank is to keep the sponge part of my sponge filters submerged in the back of some HOB filters. I figure the bb will be on the sponges if/when I need to set up the tank again.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Freezing it? That may kill it eh?

The type of bacteria is 52 to 60 degree temp's.

Freezing it will kill it.

I didn't think that the BB is different by temperature. I thought the ones in 50 F are the same as the ones in 80 F. How else can it work when winter drops temps to 40s and summer warms it up to 70s? Is there a special 52-60 degree BB?

As far as how long, keeping it at 40 F (in a refrigerator) will drastically slow it down, but it won't stop it, and after a number of weeks it will likely die from starvation. Low pH water will also slow it down to near if not total hibernation if once can create the proper pH and keep it there.

Having said all that, it's more expensive and more time consuming to keep it alive than to simply restart after 6 months, imo. It's ubiquitous and anyone who has an aquarium should be able to lend you some.

Or am I missing something?

 

[HoundsNTrout]

Absolutely there are several different temperature dependent bb bacteria. I've learned the hard way. I don't know EXACTLY, but in my trout semi recycled water system anything that was cycled and had fish at 51 to say 59 degrees dies out or wont' work when it hits 45. If you leave it at 45 it will take up to a week, so maybe not completely dead but it suffers for sure or is stunted or shocked. Same thing goes for 61 degrees. Bio tanks stop working at least temporarily. Its amazing once the water returns to that temperature it starts working again within half a day.