need confirmation

[Stacey]

A co-worker of mine is having a cloudy water issue with his tank. He also washes the media in tap water. :bang1: I've given him some instructions, and asked him for a water sample Monday, etc. Can I also bring him some used sponges in a ziplock bag with tank water? I think the bacteria could survive all day until he got home, just looking for confirmation.

[Sam Chicklets]

That is a good question. I'm not sure but I think it would be ok. It's not going to hurt to try though.

[Vallisneria]

I don't know how long the bacteria can survive out of a tan kwithout food.

For your best chances keep the sponges moist but not submerged in water(you want good O2 exchange) and try to keep them warm(dont' leave them in the car all day).

[Stacey]

I don't know how long the bacteria can survive out of a tan kwithout food.

For your best chances keep the sponges moist but not submerged in water(you want good O2 exchange) and try to keep them warm(dont' leave them in the car all day).

Good point. I do not drive to work, and thus do not have a car to leave them in, but I'll tell him not to put them in his.

[Nandopsis]

I don't know how long the bacteria can survive out of a tan kwithout food.

For your best chances keep the sponges moist but not submerged in water(you want good O2 exchange) and try to keep them warm(dont' leave them in the car all day).

Good point. I do not drive to work, and thus do not have a car to leave them in, but I'll tell him not to put them in his.

I'am not a PHD or anything, but in my opinion with out water movement and alittle heat of some sort the bacteria will die.

Just tell him to rinse his media in the old water when he does a water change.

That way the media will get clean, but still keep the bacteria alive.

[Toirtis]

I'am not a PHD or anything, but in my opinion with out water movement and alittle heat of some sort the bacteria will die.

Bingo...mebbe shake the bag vigorously every 30 minutes.

[Finbert]

About a month or so ago, I bought a used aquarium including filter media that had been in use for quite a while. It was about 36h before I had time to set the thing up. As far as I can tell, the majority of the bacteria died in that time, but not all of them: I tested it by adding some ammonia, and for a couple days nothing noticeable happened, but then, bam, it was all gone, and every bit I added got converted to nitrate in short order. There was never any nitrite detectable, even the first two days. I was also using Stability, so that probably also helped, but I think the survivors must have also staged a major comeback.

[Qattarra]

For the 9 or so hours, I think it'll be ok .Keep it from extremes, hot/cold. If he has an insulated lunch box or something like that he could put it into . When you pull the sponge out don't let it drain too much water from it , get it directly into the ziplock bag. I've helped my aunt a couple times like this and both times the media was out for several hours, the first time she forgot about until the next morning . Feed those bacs as soon as possible (place in active fish tank filter).