FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I want to use a filter pad from one of my community tanks to jumpstart the cycle on another.

The hitch? The new tank is going to house a goldfish, so the temperature will be much lower. (Temp of tropical tank is 77 degrees F; temp of goldfish tank will be about 70.)

Will the bacteria on the filter pad be killed off or "shocked" by the sudden change in temperature? If so, how would you "acclimate" the filter pad????

I could be wrong on this but I think I read that bacteria prefer cooler temps anyway. So a goldfish tank kept at room temp should be fine. I don't think they're sensitive to temp changes like fish are. You could acclimate them if you wanted to. Using the bucket method and taking less time it might work, they should have aeration though and not be away from a source of food for more than 1/2 to 1 hour I think.

If I were to try this I would take water from the tank the filter media is in and place it in a bucket, add the media and an airstone, gradually add water from the tank the media will be going into until the temp is the lower temp, then into the filter it goes. It's worth a try I guess. Let us know how that goes.


"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Laurie,

Interesting question, it brings an image to mind of a drip system to ensure that bacteria are not shocked by a change in temperature, pH or hardness. Excuse me, but aren't these critters essentially GERMS!

Seriously, the aerobic bacteria should love you because cooler water has a greater holding capacity for oxygen...

By the way, I look forward to the "Skeptical Aquarist" every month.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

"Skeptical Aquarist" That sounds interesting. When and where would I find such a beast, it sounds like an upcoming article. If I am wrong it is because I have made an -umption, and you know what THEY say about that!

I am always intrigued by new things and ideas and acclimating bacteria seemed like an intriguing one.

So sorry this post had to be censored, should I leave it or fix it to read like this as-sumption?

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

7 degrees difference will not have a noticeable affect on bacteria. Aside from dropping the temp of the tank the filter pad is being used on or running a filter with the pad on another container and letting the temp drop slowly I don't see a way to acclimate them anyway. Bacteria need oxygen either through constant water flow or an airstone keeping the water full of oxygen and helping some in circulation. They will start to die off within an hour with no oxygen. That's why if you leave a filter off for more than an hour you should at least rinse if not replace all media and dump the water in the filter. As long as you are moving the bacteria between normal tank water parameters they can withstand changes just fine. You might loose some bacteria if you were moving it to say 40F water outside but those aren't normal tank parameters.

I use a live bacteria that I keep in the fridg and I am possivite you Goldfish tank water is far warmer than my fridg.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info

Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I'm guessing there won't be a problem, either -- but let's see what happens. I moved the filter pad last night, and I'll mointor the tank -- if there's any significant die-off, I'll start to see some ammonia; if not, the water parameters should stay stable. (Although since the bacteria on the pad went from supporting a 55-gallon community tank full of rainbowfish to a 30-gallon tank supporting a lone -- very small -- goldfish, I suppose there could be significant die-off but enough survivors to handle the smaller bioload.

Thanks for your kind words about my column, Bob. I have a lot of fun doing it, and I've definitely learned a lot!

Sorry for mis-quoting the column name, "Skeptical Fishkeeper".

Going from a substantial bio-load to a lesser bio-load may cause some die off in the baccteria colony but I don't expect that you will see ammonia.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright