How Long Can I Leave Filter Off?

[scooterchick]

Hi,

I have 2 small fancy tailed guppies in a 3 gallon hospital tank for finrot. I've got a fluval 1 filter in it. One of the guppies is pretty close to the end (possible TB) and he was being thrown all around the tank with the filter. I've switched the filter off, for a while he hung at the top on his side but in the last 10 mins he seems to have perked up again, he's upright and making a few movements forward. I think perhaps in his weakened state he just couldn't cope with the strength of the filter. How long can I leave the filter off before affecting anything.

As I said it's a 3 gallon tank with 2 very small guppies. Set up yesterday using sponge from a matrue filter.

 

[rfisher]

Hi,

You could try and find one of the air driven sponge filters. It might help as there would be next to no flow and wouldnt be battering the little fellow.

Richard

 

[kewskills]

you bacteria will survive for about 10 hours max if kept wet if its not running.
water changes daily will keep the water ok 20-30 %.

 

[scooterchick]

Thanks for replies. I'll keep the filter off til tea time (about 6 hours) and hopefully that'll give the wee guppie a chance to build up some strength. In the meantime I'll see if I can get something less powerful.......or maybe a bigger tank. Probably should have got a bigger tank to start with as I want to use it as a quarantine tank too.

 

[Don Trinko]

After the problem with the guppy is resolved you should clean the tank to make sure any possible disease is gone. Don T.

 

[scooterchick]

The guppy died in the time it took me to write my last post. RIP.

 

[rdd1952]

Sorry you lost him but the filter can go a good while without wiping out all the bacteria. I have left ine off accidentally for almost 24 hours with no ill effects, not even a mini-cycle. The main thing is that it stays wet. Most filters also have a flow adjustment on them so you can regulate the volumn of water they move.

 

[SouthernCross]

I'm not familiar with this style of filter so I don't know if this will work for its shape, but cutting up a coke bottle to shape around the filter output and direct flow (out sideways instead of dropping down, or direct it into the wall).

I've done this for my betta tank (too much current blows him around with his long fins) and it works great. I'm pretty sure there's a stickied DIY thread about it in the betta forum.

It's a permanent solution so you don't have to keep turning your filter off and risk uncycling your tank.