filter unplugged still good??

[FisheyLisa]

left my filter unplugged last night. I remained full of water just dangling in tank. Is the bacteria still viable, is the filter ok as is, or do I need to clean it out and start over. I thought you could only leave them this way for a few hours, but then I thoughtthat hte beneficial bacteria remains ok as long as it is wet.

help!
Lisa

[mooman]

I vote yes. I would think the random molecular movement of the water would supply enough nutrients to at least keep the bacteria alive. We have bacteria on the surface of our substrate (as long as it's not in an anaerobic pocket), and it doesn't have any water flowing over it to speak of. Bacteria are tough cookies.

[kanakaia]

It should be ok some bacteria died off but not all at the most you might get a slight jump in ammonia and later nitrite.