how long can bacteria survive power outage

P.S. stuff

One bad thing about the canister thing. Is when the water sits in them, or just plain ol tubing. It doesn't take long for the uhhhh... you know that stuff that smells like sulfer, kinda like the smell you get from prime. Hydrogen sulfide/fate something like that?

I'm guessing thats not good for the bacteria?

You can do you own, simple, test to see what I'm trying to tell you about.

If you have a python, that'll work great. Or 7-8 foot of similar hose.

For (fishes) saftey sake. Get a bucket. Fill it with tank water. Now fill the hose with that water. Leave the hose ends submerged in the bucket.

8 or so hours later. drian the tube, with your nose next to the water comming out.
it'll smell like you stuck a bottle of prime under your nose.

I can say that I lost my power for 5 days last summer.
I did not touch the canister filter, the HOB filters, I threw all the bio-wheels into the fish tanks.

I quite feeding the fish while the power was out, but was getting trace amounts of ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks on day two.

Started doing a couple water changes on the tanks a day, till the power returned, to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible.

I did fear a mini cycle when the power returned. Lost the power on a Sunday, did not get power restored until thursday night. Friday morning, I tested the tanks, zero ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks, after one night of filtration. No mini cycles.

Twistersmom - That's excellent information to know. I knew you had to keep the media wet with tank water for the duration of the power outage.

Twistersmom said:

I can say that I lost my power for 5 days last summer.
I did not touch the canister filter, the HOB filters, I threw all the bio-wheels into the fish tanks.

I quite feeding the fish while the power was out, but was getting trace amounts of ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks on day two.

Started doing a couple water changes on the tanks a day, till the power returned, to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible.

I did fear a mini cycle when the power returned. Lost the power on a Sunday, did not get power restored until thursday night. Friday morning, I tested the tanks, zero ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks, after one night of filtration. No mini cycles.

Click to expand...

I agree with pinkertd. A+ for the day twister mom! that is great information to know. glad to hear someones comments that was not some sort of speculation.
-chris

Well yea, I guess my fish survived the 5 day power outage. With no water changes, sense were on a community well that needs power.

About 20*F outside. But luckily we had one little in the wall gas furnace thing, that kept the house bareable.

Oooops and something else I done for the first day and a half, before I got the battery air pumps.

Dipped water out with a gallon pitcher, and poured it back in from about a foot and a half above the tank, about once an hour or so. While I was awake.
Supposedly was to help with oxygen in, co2 out.

So I guess so far. We can go 5 days without power. But still isn't saying how long the bacteria will live. Sense were keeping them alive by all of this other stuff, like oxygen in the water, fish etc.

Twistersmom said:

I can say that I lost my power for 5 days last summer.
I did not touch the canister filter, the HOB filters, I threw all the bio-wheels into the fish tanks.

I quite feeding the fish while the power was out, but was getting trace amounts of ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks on day two.

Started doing a couple water changes on the tanks a day, till the power returned, to keep ammonia and nitrites as low as possible.

I did fear a mini cycle when the power returned. Lost the power on a Sunday, did not get power restored until thursday night. Friday morning, I tested the tanks, zero ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks, after one night of filtration. No mini cycles.

Click to expand...

Water changes should also add some DO back into the water as well as create some circulation for the bacteria. :thumbsup:

Alright. I couldn't stand the suspense. So I went wandering around.

Started getting frustrated, because I figured most of the good stuff to read was in PDF. And this poc comp doesn't get along with pdf's for some reason.

Then I came apon this here link, from another forum.
They sound alot like us with all the does too does not can too can not will not.... LOL

Anyyyyywayyyyy.....

Imagine a canister sitting around for 24 weeks!

Here ya go!

> > >http://www.tropicalfishforums.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php/t-7011.html < < <

SMinNC said:

So I guess so far. We can go 5 days without power. But still isn't saying how long the bacteria will live.

Click to expand...

SMinNC - I think you did miss the important point:

Twistersmom said:

I can say that I lost my power for 5 days last summer.
I did not touch the canister filter, the HOB filters, I threw all the bio-wheels into the fish tanks.

I did fear a mini cycle when the power returned. Lost the power on a
Sunday, did not get power restored until thursday night. Friday morning, I tested the tanks, zero ammonia and nitrites on all my tanks, after one night of filtration. No mini cycles.

Click to expand...

There was NO mini cycle which translates into:

Adequate amounts of bacteria remained alive after 5 days of no power with the biowheels in the tank water to continue normal filtration once filtration was resumed with electric power.

And assuming Karl is correct about 1% a day...you'd be left with enough bacteria to cope for a while with regular water changes and once the conditions improve, the colony should recover quickly in no time...hence no noticeable mini-cycle.