Temperature and bio-filtration

[dionysusjg]

Hi all,
Just wondering what affect temperature has on bio-filtration.

I have a quarantine tank which has been empty (of livestock) for quite a few weeks now.
I turned off the heater so as not to waste electricity, so the tank has been sitting at about 15 degrees. Would this have had any effect on the bio-filtration in the tank? (I have continued to feed the tank during this time)

cheers

 

[cbrownfish]

15 degrees celsius? 59 degrees farenheit? Where do you live, Alaska? Is there circulation? What do you have in/on the tank structure wise? Rock, PVC fittings, Bio-wheel?

If the tank is sitting stagnant with no flow, then you are going to have a stinky mess. If there is circulation, you should have some level of bacteria that remains, however, if you don't have much surface area outside of the tank itself, then you are wasting time keeping it running IMO. QT tanks are typically maintained via water changes when there are occupants, especially considering that salinity levels may be lowered along the way to fight parasites (that process can harm biofiltration).

 

[Jeremy0322]

I would say at this point that tank needs to just be completely changed out. If its a quarantine tank your best bet is to take water from your next water change and refill it with that water, so then you have an even playing field between the 2 tanks. As far as temperate goes...

at that temperature you are probably going to kill alot of the bacteria, but some will stick around, there is a reason the stuff has been around since the start of life on the planet, its pretty good at living through extremes. Once you get it into a safe zone though you want to maintain the normal saltwater display tank temperatures where the bacteria is the most "effective", if the water gets colder than it should be the bacteria will start to metabolize slower just like most life forms making them somewhat less effective.

 

[dionysusjg]

Hey guys,
Its 15 degrees Celsius (sydney australia). The pump has been running constantly and I have been putting in a little bit of brine shrimp periodically, as well as doing any necessary freshwater topups. The only thing that has changed was that the heater is off.

My plan is to do a 100% water change with natural sea water. I was just wondering if the bioballs and sponges in the filtration would still have their bacterial colonies, or whether the colder water would have killed them.

Basically my question is... After a 100% water change, am I likely to need to cycle the tank again, before adding new inhabitants?

cheers

 

[Jeremy0322]

The bacteria that you have on the sponge will more than likely be what you are looking for, so I dont really see a reason why you couldnt re-use them, just make sure you get all of the big particles of crud off before you put it back into the water column. I mean, if the cold did kill everything than it doesnt really matter if you add the stuff into the tank, but just on the off chance that everything is dead I would seed atleast 1/4 or 1/2 of the bioballs in the DT (after you clean those ones off) just to seed the old stuff in the event that everything was dead.

Have you always used the natural seawater. If so thats fine but I have heard that it can be pretty dirty sometimes, so its just something to think about. I have heard of people doing this with great success but there are risks associated with it just like everything else.

 

[dionysusjg]

I've been using NSW for a few months now... have had no issues whatsoever! I found a post on an Australian forum recommending the collection point I use, so it is obviously a fairly well known spot.

 

[Jeremy0322]

I've been using NSW for a few months now... have had no issues whatsoever! I found a post on an Australian forum recommending the collection point I use, so it is obviously a fairly well known spot.

Good to hear, I dont think I would use my coastal waters for a tank, but the pollution here may be worse than over there.