Bacteria Survival?

[johnnyjohnson]

just a quick question. How long does it take for the bacteria to start to die off when out of the water?
Example is like when changing the water, the HOB filters tend to drain most of the water back into the tank. it takes me about a hour to do a change,is there any cause for worry here?

 

[youngfisher]

I believe its from like 5/6 hours+ you should start to worry. But I could be wrong

But it also depends on how mature the filter sponge actually is.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Yep!... I agree with Young Fisher here.... a simple water change won't do any harm to your bacteria.

 

[OldMan47]

As long as the filter media stays wet the bacteria will survive with no harm. If you let the media dry out, the bacteria will die. Time is not the real factor but it does take a fair amount of time for the media to actually get dry. When I take my filter apart to clean it, I clean each part and just put it on the edge of the sink so it won't drip on the floor. When everything has been rinsed out in tank water and the impeller has been thoroughly cleaned, I reassemble the filter. The media pads and sponges often sit there just damp for 15 or 20 minutes with no problems at all.