Draining tank - how to save biological filter

[Newms118]

Hey guys,

I will be temporarily draining a quarantine tank to store for about a week or so and want to preserve the bacteria to start it up quick later. Its just finished cycling and doesnt have any fish in it at the moment. I have a HOB filter that just has some filter mesh to remove waste flakes etc, and I assume that has the majority of the bacteria attached. So the question is, how to best save this bacteria? Can I just transfer the filter mesh to a bucket with salt water and leave it? Does the temperature need to stay at 77 degrees C or can it be left at room temperature? Do I need to keep the HOB filter going (in other words, have it attached on the bucket so that its still filtering)?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Flippers4pups]

It's best to keep QT filter material in your DT sump until needed as long as the material wasn't exposed to copper, meds..... Etc. if it was, you must throw it away. If you keep it in a bucket long term without water movement, it may die off.

 

[jbvdhp]

If you keep it in a bucket, keep a powerhead in there too, or just run the HOB filter in the bucket. IF there were parasites in the QT, I wouldn't put it in the DT sump.

Alternatively, you can get new media and sump it, and when you need it again later, just pull that stuff out and use it in the QT.

 

[SeattleReefer]

I use a few Marinepure balls to easily house and transfer established biological populations from tank to tank.