For a very long time!

[FishyFred]

The so-called beneficial bacteria in an aquarium filter need three
things: plenty of water, oxygen, and food, which is usually fish
waste.

If any of the three are not present for about 48 hours, the beneficial
bacteria will not die but instead go into stasis, which is like
suspended animation. The bacteria can remain in stasis for a very long
time, many years infact. They are very tough.

If bacteria in stasis are again given water, food, and oxygen, they
will come out of stasis in about 48 hours.

If you are not going to use a filter for a while, it's best to rinse
the filtering media in aquarium water to get it clean, then wrap it in
plastic, and keep it at room temperature, until you are ready to use
it again.

Then feed fish very lightly for 48 hours, while the bacteria on the
filter media come back out of stasis.

I have done this several times with bio-wheels, and it worked great. I
should mention that I originally learned about this from Tom and Nevin
Bailey on their weekly internet talk show named Pet Fish Talk
(http://www.petfishtalk.com).

I hope these comments help.

FishyFred

[Dinky]

"FishyFred" > wrote in message
om...
> The so-called beneficial bacteria in an aquarium filter need three
> things: plenty of water, oxygen, and food, which is usually fish
> waste.
>
> If any of the three are not present for about 48 hours, the beneficial
> bacteria will not die but instead go into stasis, which is like
> suspended animation. The bacteria can remain in stasis for a very long
> time, many years infact. They are very tough.
>


I find this very hard to swallow, nor can I find any other source to confirm
it. If the bacteria has to food supply, it will die.

[Dinky]

"Dinky" > wrote in message
news:NMcrb.104296$mZ5.702599@attbi_s54...

> >
>
>
> has to food supply, it will die.
>
>

*ahem* "no" food supply.

[FishyFred]

It is well known that bacteria can survive a very very long time without food!

http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/302P/ThisWeeksNews/Organism.htm

FishyFred

[blank]

"FishyFred" > wrote in message
om...
> It is well known that bacteria can survive a very very long time without
food!
>
> http://www.geo.utexas.edu/courses/302P/ThisWeeksNews/Organism.htm
>
> FishyFred

it sure is for example, francis crick, the guy who discovered dna,
believes that life on earth began with bacteria from outer space arriving on
planet earth this is not just a fanciful theory; many very reputable and
famous scientists believe it, including our own most famous aussie
scientist, paul davies any doubters may like to do a google search on
transpermia

[NetMax]

"Dinky" > wrote in message
news:NMcrb.104296$mZ5.702599@attbi_s54...
>
> "FishyFred" > wrote in message
> om...
> > The so-called beneficial bacteria in an aquarium filter need three
> > things: plenty of water, oxygen, and food, which is usually fish
> > waste.
> >
> > If any of the three are not present for about 48 hours, the
beneficial
> > bacteria will not die but instead go into stasis, which is like
> > suspended animation. The bacteria can remain in stasis for a very
long
> > time, many years infact. They are very tough.
> >
>
>
> I find this very hard to swallow, nor can I find any other source to
confirm
> it. If the bacteria has no food supply, it will die.

If you take a sterile container and fill it with chlorinated water (no
bacteria), and then add a drop of liquid ammonia, you will find that
after a week or 2, the ammonia will be gone, and the container's inside
surface will be coated in nitrifying bacteria (nitrosomonas sp). My
understanding is that the bacteria responsible for this literally fell
out of the air. If there is no disagreement on this point, then consider
what the water, oxygen and food supply would be like, for nitrosomonas
bacteria floating in the atmosphere ;~)

In regards to the bacteria going into stasis, IMO, the problem is not
keeping the nitrifying bacteria alive long enough (whether it's dormant
or not), but keeping the nitrifying bacteria from being consumed by
anaerobic bacteria which begin multiplying in un-oxygenated conditions.
Leave a canister filter off for a couple of weeks and when you open it,
you will know what I mean (odour of rotten eggs). Don't let that into an
aquarium!

In regards to shelf life, I'm not sure about the viability against time,
and millions of bacteria will certainly die off. Keep it wet and
oxygenated, and if you could keep only 5% of the nitrosomonas alive, then
it would take 35 hours (4.5 fission reproductions @ 7 hours each) to
reach 100% again. It would then take 65 hours for the slower
nitrobacters and nitrospira to re-establish themselves, so potentially, -
based on a 95% bacterial die-off, and a 48 hour lag to come out of
stasis, a cycled tank in 6 days.

NetMax ...rambling again ;~)

[Donald Kerns]

NetMax wrote:

> In regards to the bacteria going into stasis, IMO, the problem is not
> keeping the nitrifying bacteria alive long enough (whether it's
> dormant or not), but keeping the nitrifying bacteria from being
> consumed by anaerobic bacteria which begin multiplying in
> un-oxygenated conditions.
>

Consumed by anaerobic bacteria? or killed by toxic products from?

-D
--
"When you've lost your ability to laugh, you've lost your ability to
think straight." -To Inherit the Wind

[Eric Schreiber]

"NetMax" > wrote:

>My understanding is that the bacteria responsible for
>this literally fell out of the air.

Gnomes. Bacteria gnomes. The place is crawling with them.


--
www.ericschreiber.com