TwoTankAmin
Fish Connoisseur
Tolak is pretty close to right. He is being overly cautious is all. The odds are very high if you simply keep the media wet there will be virtually no loss of bacteria over a few day period. Even if it were to dry out, there would still be a goodly amount of viable bacteria left for a while. (Please lets not argue over this as it would cause me to post a few articles about nitrifying bacteria with titles like "Strategies of aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacrteria for coping with nutrient and oxygen fluctuations" and "Long-term storage and subsequent reactivation of aerobic granules" etc etc.)
Here is a thought for you to consider. I breed plecos. When the time comes to collect fry it requires that I completely break worn the tank so there is basically glass and water and fish. This process can often take hours and under certain conditions I am forced to stretch the process over a couple of days. This is what I do. I have several rubbermaid containers like this.
Mine are about 16 US gallons but they come in several sizes and shapes. They are very cheap, under 10 bucks usually. I fill them with water compatible with tank params and then everything that comes out ofg the tank goes into the Rubbermaid. This includes the heater and filter which can be hung on the container and run if an HOB and sponges or internal filters can go inside. All of the bavacteria on the decor and in the filter are now in a good position to be maintained easily.
If you are really worried, you can add a few drops of pure ammonia to the container. I prefer to use the ammonium chloride is it tends to acidifiy the water slightly whereas the common household cleaner type (ammonium hydroxide) has a very high pH and can effect the water pH. Using small amounts will not be a problem. I would suggest you dose 1 drop/ gallon or less using household and then only on day 2. Remember, your bacteria are in an established tank and should be very healthy and well fed. So they are strong and can handle no food for a bit just fine.
An aside, my use of the rubbermaid has another benefit. Pleco babies hide in the crevices of the wood etc. Almost every time I do this process when I return everything back into the tank I almost always find a fry or two in the Rubbermaid. So the mini tank qualities of using the Rubbermaid insure they are not harmed while they are in the container. Yes you can even park fish in it. However, I would not feed them unless you must as this makes ammonia. Of course, if you put fish in the container, do not dose any ammonia either. The fish will make enough for the bacteria even without their being fed.
Here is a thought for you to consider. I breed plecos. When the time comes to collect fry it requires that I completely break worn the tank so there is basically glass and water and fish. This process can often take hours and under certain conditions I am forced to stretch the process over a couple of days. This is what I do. I have several rubbermaid containers like this.
Mine are about 16 US gallons but they come in several sizes and shapes. They are very cheap, under 10 bucks usually. I fill them with water compatible with tank params and then everything that comes out ofg the tank goes into the Rubbermaid. This includes the heater and filter which can be hung on the container and run if an HOB and sponges or internal filters can go inside. All of the bavacteria on the decor and in the filter are now in a good position to be maintained easily.
If you are really worried, you can add a few drops of pure ammonia to the container. I prefer to use the ammonium chloride is it tends to acidifiy the water slightly whereas the common household cleaner type (ammonium hydroxide) has a very high pH and can effect the water pH. Using small amounts will not be a problem. I would suggest you dose 1 drop/ gallon or less using household and then only on day 2. Remember, your bacteria are in an established tank and should be very healthy and well fed. So they are strong and can handle no food for a bit just fine.
An aside, my use of the rubbermaid has another benefit. Pleco babies hide in the crevices of the wood etc. Almost every time I do this process when I return everything back into the tank I almost always find a fry or two in the Rubbermaid. So the mini tank qualities of using the Rubbermaid insure they are not harmed while they are in the container. Yes you can even park fish in it. However, I would not feed them unless you must as this makes ammonia. Of course, if you put fish in the container, do not dose any ammonia either. The fish will make enough for the bacteria even without their being fed.
