Storing A Filter So I Can Keep It Cycled.

[Ethan040]

Is it possible to store a filter and keep it cycled? i bought a small tank to start with now its been cycled a few weeks ive gone and bought a 3 foot jewel tank but i spent alot on my little tank and wont make it back so im keeping it for a spare.

Could i just leave the filter in water? or would the good bacteria just die?

Thanks, Ethan

 

[yabadaba]

Is it possible to store a filter and keep it cycled? i bought a small tank to start with now its been cycled a few weeks ive gone and bought a 3 foot jewel tank but i spent alot on my little tank and wont make it back so im keeping it for a spare.

Could i just leave the filter in water? or would the good bacteria just die?

Thanks, Ethan

I think you need to keep it running too, as flow is something that is needed to maintain a useful stock of beneficial bacteria (in addition to just being in a water/ammonia environment). Could be wrong, it's just something I seem to remember reading on here when I was starting off.

EDIT: Sorry, that was bugging me so I've just had a quick google around and it looks like it's just mechanical filtration that requires a good flow rate. So maybe just keeping it in the water will work.

 

[Realtree]

To keep it cycled you must run it in your tank or at the very least keep the media from it in your new filter. This will keep the benificial bacteria alive and feeding on the bacteria from the waste products produced by your fish (which keeps the cycle going).
If the media does not get that "food" the cycle will crash so just keeping it in water is not sufficient as the bacteria dies off as it has nothing to feed off.
Hope this explanation makes sense to you.

 

[AdAndrews]

put it in a bucket of water, putting in a tiny bit of flake food every day or so, that should do it!

 

[Loops]

Can you not have it in your 3ft tank, alongside your new filter? Have them running together.

 

[llamalord305]

You could simply place the filter on a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with water and run it normally. You just add either fish food, or ammonia.

 

[Ethan040]

I guess i could just leave it in the new tank cant hurt i guess.. i was going to put it in for a few weeks anyway just incase the new filter has any problems.

Thanks

 

[OldMan47]

Its not really a DIY subject but the easiest way to keep it cycled is to run it in the new tank along side the new larger filter. It will also serve to keep your existing fish in the new tank healthy until the new filter cycles.

 

[fishyfeet]

it not the filter thats cycled in the bacteria in the media you need to get alive, so what i do in my external cannister filters if keep extra sponges and if you need to setup an hospital or quarentine tank the filters already cycled and ready to go in a few hours. di