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Power loss during the winter-concerned about bacteria in filter

Fern

Fern

Member
Joined
8 Aug 2013
Messages
156
Living where I do, I sometimes have loss of electricity during the winter.
Mostly it's just a few hours, so not a concern, but I'm always worried about a longer term power loss, the last severe power cut was 4 days...but at that time I didn't have aquariums to think about!
Keeping the tanks warm enough won't be an issue, I have a log burning stove to take care of that!
But I am worried about the bacteria in my filters.
Could anyone suggest what I could do to prepare for this happening? And put into action when it does.
I have Juwel aquariums, I'm running the internals that came with the tanks, alongside canister filters.
regards,
Fern
 
Many thanks, feel a little happier now!
When the power returns, would it be best to just leave well alone for the bacteria to recover in their own time, or give the media a gentle 'swish' in dechlorinated water to refresh?
 
You can open the filter and aerate the media by lifting the media trays out of water and stirring/shaking. The media will then trap air and will get an Oxygen boost. You should also frequently and regularly clean your filter because plants produce a LOT of waste, especially if the tank is enriched with CO2 via gas or liquid. Having a filter that is not clogged with detritus will help flow through and will do a better job of mitigating the damage done by power cuts.

Cheers,
 
Just had a thought, could I take some media out of the filters and put into a bucket of tank water running a battery operated air pump, would that help during a prolonged power cut?
 
Hi all,
Fern said:
Just had a thought, could I take some media out of the filters and put into a bucket of tank water running a battery operated air pump, would that help during a prolonged power cut?
Click to expand...
All you need to do is pour nearly all the water out of the filter, disconnect the hoses, and then put the lid back on, you need the inlet and outlet fitting to vent to the atmosphere to allow gas exchange. Unplug the filter, just in case the power comes back on whilst the filter is empty and not connected to the water (I've failed to do this with predictable results).

This way the filter bacteria remain damp and oxygenated, as long as they remain damp, dark and oxygenated they will survive long periods (certainly a week and probably longer).

When the power is back on, give the filter media a good swirl in the water, tip out the water and re-connect and prime the filter. Then turn it on. If the power is off for several days, you can swirl and replace the small amount of water in the bottom of the filter periodically.

If you are really worried about power cuts, an option is to not use a canister filter, but use a "wet and dry" trickle filter. One of the advantages of these is that they remain damp and oxygenated if the power goes off. I used to use "over-tank" versions of these (filled with hydroleca) when we did more work with landfill leachate, partially because they are very robust if a pump clogs or hose splits etc and they don't receive any water.

They are also much more effective biological filters than canister filters.

cheers Darrel
 
Thanks for all the very helpful replies
I hadn't thought about wet and dry trickle filters, just upgraded to JBL externals (for better flow) to run along side my Juwel's that came in the tanks, so don't really want to replace them! But nontheless a handy thing to know for any future tanks I may purchase.
Fingers crossed for a power cut free winter!
Fern
 
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