How Long The Bacteria Can Live In The Filter When There Is A Power Cut

[dingweding]

There is power cut in my house, i wonder how long the bacteria will live in the filter without power.

a few hours? what should i do?


similiar things happens, e.g. you are moving house etc.

so normally what should we do?

 

[Colin_T]

the aerobic bacteria will start to die within 30 minutes if there is no oxygenated water passing over it. If the filters are clean it will last a while longer, usually a couple of hours but there will be some die off regardless.

If you have an external canister filter you can put the return hose into a bucket and let it fill up. Then put the hose back in the tank. Pour the bucket of water back into the tank as well. Do that every 30 minutes during the power failure and the filter should be fine.

HOB filters like the Aquaclear can be kept alive by adding a couple of litres of water to them every half hour. Simply use a jug or icecream bucket and scoop some tank water out and pour it into the filter.

Air operated filters can be kept alive by blowing air into the airline. You can do this yourself or use a bike pump or buy a battery operated air pump.

When the power comes back on increase the surface turbulence as much as possible. This will provide maximum oxygen saturation in the water and help the bacteria recover.
Keep the feeding down or don't feed for the next week and monitor the water quality. if you get an ammonia rise then do a 50% water change.

 

[backtotropical]

I disagree Colin.

The bacteria will start to die off within a couple of hours, but will not completely die off for around 24 hours. Usually keeping the filter media wet will be enough action unless the power cut is over 24hrs.

Keeping the media wet is the most important point. If left to dry out, the bacteria will die very quickly.

 

[Bignose]

Colin, take a look at this document:

<a href="http/cobweb.ecn.purdue.edu/~alleman/w3-a...r-behavior.html" target="_blank">http/cobweb.ecn.purdue.edu/~alleman/w3-a...r-behavior.html</a>

Specifically the information under the section entitled "Nitrifier Death and Decay"

Bacterial decay and death during prolonged resting or inactive periods occurs due to the natural onset of entropy. Aerobic bacteria may attempt to retard and prolong this tendency toward disorder through a process known as endogenous respiration, whereby a nominal energy flow is secured for limited maintenance purposes. This energy provides for resynthesis of critical metabolic material, as well as facilitating such activities as transport, motility, and pressure and heat control.

Our best estimate for the collective impacts of decay, endogenous metabolism, death, and predation on nitrifiers presently ranges from 0.05 to 0.12 days-1 . Correspondingly, these rates imply that resting, non-active nitrifiers will deteriorate at rates of 5 to 12% per day.

5 to 12 % a day, and even a little lower down they cite an author who claims as low as 1 to 2% die off per day.

The nitrftying bacteria are slow to grow (doubling every 24 hours or so is very slow in the bacterial world) and are slow to die. The bacteria remain alive for quite some time so long as they stay wet. Dried out bacteria can be assumed to be dead. But wet bacteria, even if it hasn't gotten food in several days, is still alive. It may only be half of it's original number, but you won't have to start completely over.

p.s. if you want to be completely technical, the die off begins immediately. Just that the rate of the die off is very slow at the beginning.

 

[dingweding]

thanks for the helps. i use external filter, i think there must be water inside even when power cut. so i should not worry too much if it only within 24 hours?

so when i move house, i will ensure the filter is full of water. normally only need a few hours, and i am sure i will set up the tank as soon as i settled.

 

[backtotropical]

thanks for the helps. i use external filter, i think there must be water inside even when power cut. so i should not worry too much if it only within 24 hours?

so when i move house, i will ensure the filter is full of water. normally only need a few hours, and i am sure i will set up the tank as soon as i settled.

 

[Colin_T]

For everyone claiming it is not going to be a problem for at least a day, why do you always get an ammonia spike after power failures of only a couple of hours?

In real life situations once you have been without power for an hour or more you will have lost substantial bacteria. If the power is off for more than a few hours just about every tank will get an ammonia and nitrite reading.
This is due the fact external canister filters are a sealed unit and most are not spotlessly clean. There is heaps of organic matter that continues to rot even after the power is off. The bacteria continue to respire and shortly the filter runs out of oxygen. Then the bacteria either shut down or die. When the power comes back on the levels of active healthy bacteria are usually substantially lower than previously and with a sudden influx of food (from the fishkeeper feeding, or the fish’s metabolic processes), you end up with ammonia that is unable to be broken down fully for several days to a week or more. Even in tanks with undergravel or internal sponge filters you still lose some of the bacteria within a few hours.

We lost power for 8hours last March due to a tree snapping power lines. I didn't feed the fish for the next week but all the tanks still developed ammonia readings.
Why would this happen if the bacteria can live for 24hours without water moving through the filter?

 

[Tolak]

I've shipped cycled media to new aquarists who need to jump start their tank. Being in transit for 2-3 days, triple bagged the same as you would ship fish posed no problem for the nitrifying bacteria.

I've received cycled sponge filters, for acclimating some expensive angels. These were 2-3 days in transit. No problems there either.

I've lost power for a few hours at a time with tanks stocked the way you would expect a breeding setup to be stocked. The biggest problem here was a drop in O2 levels due to no surface motion. If ammonia were a big problem I would see dead fry, if it were a small problem it would show up in a few weeks as chopped fins.

 

[Colin_T]

A breeding setup usually only contains a pair of fish and some spawning media or sights. There is usually a very light load on that type of tank.
If you are referring to a rearing tank then there is usually a high load on them due to the large number of fry in the tank. However, most people do massive daily water changes on rearing tanks and this would reduce the ammonia levels significantly.

Shipping filter sponges in bags can be done and is a lot more successful than having the filter off for a few hours. The sponges are usually squeezed out and are reasonably clean when packed. The bags move around and the oxygen levels are kept at a moderate level in the water. And there is water moving around and through the sponge all the time.

In a power filter the water is stationary as is the filter. There is no air moving across the surface of the filter or water because the inlet and outlet hoses are full of water. And most filters are full of dirt, reducing their ability and surface area that can hold oxygenated water. It is this combination that causes filters to die off during a power failure.

 

[Tolak]

Breeding setup; http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/20.../Fishroom-Tour/

I have added on since then; http/img185.imageshack.us/img185/6190/dsc018491sp1.jpg

Those are mostly angel tanks, a few livebearers in a 10, corys in a couple of 20's.

Standard stocking rate chart for breeding angels courtesy of the Angelfish Microhatchery. These are generally accepted stocking rates among the breeding community. Sometimes I stock a little heavier than that, sometimes a little lighter;

Newly free swimming fry 40 fry per gallon
Two week old fry 20 fry per gallon
Month old fry 10 fry per gallon
Pea size bodies 3 fish per gallon
Dime size bodies 2 fish per gallon
Nickel size bodies 1 fish per gallon
Quarter size bodies 1 fish per 2 gallons
Silver Dollar size bodies 1 fish per 3 gallons
Potential breeders 1 fish per 5 gallons
Show Specimens 1 fish per 10 gallons
One breeding pair 20 gallon high tank

If you had any idea how much a well conditioned breeding pair gets fed you would change your mind about the bio load. They eat as much if not more than the same size tank stocked for growout.

That room is running over 800 gallons. Nobody does massive water changes every day on growout tanks, fry tanks will get daily water changes for the first week or two, after that it is cut back. You have to understand where the fish are going once they leave your setup, and have to institute a bit of a hardening process with them. You will get a tremendous growth rate with large daily water changes, and get them to sellable size very quickly. They will go into a customer's tank and go belly up without a bit of hardening. This gets them used to the water in the lfs tanks, and ultimately the customer's tank. At 4 weeks of age they get 50% twice weekly, after 7 weeks they get 50% weekly.

"the aerobic bacteria will start to die within 30 minutes if there is no oxygenated water passing over it. If the filters are clean it will last a while longer, usually a couple of hours but there will be some die off regardless."

"Shipping filter sponges in bags can be done and is a lot more successful than having the filter off for a few hours. The sponges are usually squeezed out and are reasonably clean when packed. The bags move around and the oxygen levels are kept at a moderate level in the water. And there is water moving around and through the sponge all the time."

The top of a power filter is exposed to the atmosphere, the bagged media or sponge is exposed to only the O2 available in the bag. The power filter media is without flow for a few hours, the bagged media is not in constant motion, and certainly sits for some length of time motionless. All of my filters are submerged sponge or box filters, with a couple of canisters still running on one of the 55's. There is no flow, and no exposure to the atmosphere, as there would be with a power filter. I sure can't plan power failures, so I can't plan cleaning the filters around them, so at any given time there are filters that are due to be cleaned.

Everyone's situation is different, everyone's setup is different. I use 4" cube sponges for every 20-40 gallons, depending on the stocking. These are just for bio filtration, set up for low flow. Box filters at a higher flow take care of mechanical filtration, these are 4 1/2"x5 1/2", one per every 20-40 gallons, filled with floss. I'm sure as they get dirty they provide some bio filtration, I change floss anywhere from every week to every 3 weeks depending once again on stocking.

Perhaps in my setup everything is overfiltered, and I can get through short term power failures with no problems. From the sort of people I hang with my setup is pretty much standard, nothing spectacular in the setup at all. Not knowing what you are running I can't say if your tanks are lacking a bit in filtration, are stocked with fish that produce more waste, or what, there are way to many variables. I am just offering what I run, what I know, and what has happened in the past, in the hopes that it may help you or others.

 

[Darkstar]

For everyone claiming it is not going to be a problem for at least a day, why do you always get an ammonia spike after power failures of only a couple of hours?

You might, I don't. I've left filters off for far longer than 8hours before and never had an ammonia spike. So I would summise it is a problem that you individually are experiencing and not a global one as you imply.

In real life situations once you have been without power for an hour or more you will have lost substantial bacteria.

Do you have scientific data to back this statement up? I've read the above paper before that Bignose quoted and while it still leaves many unanswered questions it does provide some evidence that disproves your statement. Another quote from the same paper:

Slow decay and death rates for nitrifiers should, however, be considered a positive attribute. They can be shifted (e.g., taken off-line) into a dormant or resting state for extended periods with less concern about retaining their viability.

If the power is off for more than a few hours just about every tank will get an ammonia and nitrite reading.
This is due the fact external canister filters are a sealed unit and most are not spotlessly clean. There is heaps of organic matter that continues to rot even after the power is off. The bacteria continue to respire and shortly the filter runs out of oxygen. Then the bacteria either shut down or die.

In reply, another quote from said paper:

Nitrifiers need oxygen for normal metabolism. Every milligram of nitrogen passed through their full nitrification pathway (starting at ammonia and concluding at nitrate) requires approximately 4.5 mg of dissolved oxygen to scavenge electrons drawn from their nitrogenous substrates.

Should the available dissolved oxygen drop much below a few milligrams per liter, though, nitrifier metabolism will markedly slow down. However, even without access to any oxygen whatsoever, they can sustain some measure of respirative metabolism using nitrate or nitrite as an alternative electron acceptor (i.e. in lieu of oxygen). In short, they can, if necessary, both nitrify and denitrify, an incredible biochemical feat somewhat analogous to having their cake and eating it too.

 

[Bignose]

For everyone claiming it is not going to be a problem for at least a day, why do you always get an ammonia spike after power failures of only a couple of hours?

You might, I don't. I've left filters off for far longer than 8hours before and never had an ammonia spike. So I would summise it is a problem that you individually are experiencing and not a global one as you imply.

I just want to second this with my experiences as well. I've come home to a power outage before, and when I asked the neighbor how long it's been, she told me 9 in the morning -- I didn't get home until about 4 pm. The power was out that entire time, and since no one was home, no one floated the biowheel in the tank. I tested the water a few minutes after floating the biowheel -- no ammonia.

I suspect as much as anything, the fact that the tank has been established for many years is the biggest factor. The bacteria in the biofilm probably kept the tank in good shape for those many hours.

So, as darkstar said, this is not a global problem.

 

[biswajit]

Thanks guys. It was a very old discussion. I was interested with this as I forgot to start my external filter yesterday 9PM after the water change (I normally switch off the filter for the water change). I just started this morning at 7 and thus my filter was off for about 10 hours. I will test the water when I go back home in the evening but is now confident that all the parameters will be ok.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Bacteria are very resilient. To think that the BB will die off in minutes or hours is to say that all bacteria in a bottle products are snake oil! Bacteria can become dormant in a kind of stasis for an extended period. Oh it's likely that some will perish after an extended period without O2, but a surprising number will likely survive. (As is the case in soils after a long hard winter!)

Having 'said' the above, it's always a good idea to have a battery operated air pump (very inexpensive) on hand in the event of a power failure. Placing bio-media on top of an air stone oxygenates and bio-filters the tank until power is restored.

 

[fozziebear]

As far as i know its 4 to 6 hours untill the main part of the colony will start dieing off, but from experience i have been as long as 12 hours with no longer lasting problems, always carried out a large 50% water change after any power outages.