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Leaving canister dry untill repair?

MDB_fish_newbie

MDB_fish_newbie

Members
I know this might sound like a silly question, and probably has very little effect on anything.

But will leaving my canister filter dry with water drained out for 2 weeks effect the bio material in a harmful way. Is there anything I should be aware of when I go to start it up again after it has been out of use?

I just drained the water out of the canister into a bucket and cleaned all the media in that. Then assembled it and set it aside untill I can replace the punctured tubing.

Than you for answering my silly questions. I just want to be sure.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
I'd rinse it before you start it up again, but it really shouldn't hurt.

The one thing you might want to do is get a new gasket/o-ring/whatever it is that seals your filter. When that thing dries out the seal tends to go.
 
MDB_fish_newbie

MDB_fish_newbie

Members
Yeah that's kinda what I thought. Thanks and good thinking with the o-ring I did not think of that. I might keep it In a plastic bag with some type of lube to keep it saturated.
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
You'll lose the beneficial microbes in the biomedia if it is kept dry (and maybe even if it is wet), but since you've got two filters on the tank, that won't matter. It will only take a couple of weeks to get reestablished on the repaired filter.
 
MDB_fish_newbie

MDB_fish_newbie

Members
Well it's good to know that buying a second filter was completely worth it.

But about the bio, I was worried that fungus or mold from spores in thr air could grow on the media when it's not in a current. I don't know much about the biological make up of aquariums, or what conditions they thrive in. I am not suprized that a new cycle would have to start for that filter, or in my case jump started from my other filter.

Thanks for the info
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
You can also set the media in the tank itself to keep it active if you want. For sponges, you can just toss them in. and let them float or sink as they will. For loose media, I would keep it in the media basket and just set it in the tank. Then pull them out when you're ready to start up the filter again. The only thing I wouldn't put in the tank is a fine polishing pad or filter floss if you have that layer in your filter. Just replace that or rinse and let dry.
 
MDB_fish_newbie

MDB_fish_newbie

Members
Wow that's a good idea. I just did as you suggested.

Another question I have is about chemical filtration. Most of what I have ready suggests that it's not nessisary and can even take nutrients out of the water. My filter already has mechanical sponge, bio foam, bio media. But on the upper baskets it comes pretty supplied with carbon and polishing pads.

On my old filter once the carbon pack was finnished I just replaced it with a finer bio media than I already had in it and put some generic polishing pad in.

I guess me question is if I only run mechanical and bio filtration am I lacking anything essential? My tank has sand substrate live plants and a breeding filter for extra filtration
 
JLW

JLW

CCA Members
I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, wooh I'm tired, ever, ever leave water in a canister filter that is not running. Unless the media is clean, any gunk in it will decompose. Without water flowing through, the bacteria will quickly use all of the available oxygen, at which point you'll begin to produce H2Stink. (Rotten egg gas). Not only will this make things ... unpleasant... when you open the filter, or possibly leave your significant other asking, "What is that SMELL?" ... but the sudden influx of nastiness can kill your fish.

Even if you're planning on cleaning it, this process can deteriorate some of the plastics, particularly the soft rubber that makes up things like... y'know, gaskets. :) Which means that you plug the filter that worked fine a month ago back in, get a big whiff of who-fed-Will-asparagus, and then your filter leaks.

Important to keep this in mind during power outages, too.
 
Localzoo

Localzoo

Board of Directors
JLW said:
I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, wooh I'm tired, ever, ever leave water in a canister filter that is not running. Unless the media is clean, any gunk in it will decompose. Without water flowing through, the bacteria will quickly use all of the available oxygen, at which point you'll begin to produce H2Stink. (Rotten egg gas). Not only will this make things ... unpleasant... when you open the filter, or possibly leave your significant other asking, "What is that SMELL?" ... but the sudden influx of nastiness can kill your fish.

Even if you're planning on cleaning it, this process can deteriorate some of the plastics, particularly the soft rubber that makes up things like... y'know, gaskets. :) Which means that you plug the filter that worked fine a month ago back in, get a big whiff of who-fed-Will-asparagus, and then your filter leaks.

Important to keep this in mind during power outages, too.
Click to expand...

I agree. It doesn't help your fish or filter




Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
MDB_fish_newbie

MDB_fish_newbie

Members
Well I deffinately have not and will not ever leave water inside a out of use filter. But I did not k ow that either Thanks for the info!
 
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