I was wondering what are the requirements for keeping the bio-bugs on a bio-wheel alive? Can I submerge it in a running tank and let it float around the top or does it need to hit air too at some point? I don't have a lot of space so I'm trying to store the qt while I don't need it. I'm going to keep the spongey part in one of my other filters to keep it populated with bugs and I've got extra ceramic bio media to help, but I'd also like to salvage the bio-wheel, but it doesn't fit in my fw tank filters. Thanks!

THe biowheel is just a piece of strong pleated paper with only as much surface area as the paper's dimensions give. Its main benefit is the excellent air/water combination that it has as it turns. This does not mean that it will not continue to be a fine platform for bacteria if submerged in a tank. So, if you wish, you can submerge it in a tank and let it just float around. It will not be any better than any other media that you may have, but its bacterial colonies will not die out, either.

Go for it and float it........as long as you are sure there is nothing in the qt tank that needs to be sterilized and reset......

Is there any reason why you cannot simply add that filter to another tank? A little extra filtration rarely hurts, and running it would preserve the cycle perfectly.

Thanks for the reply! It'll go in the tank that the fish from the qt went into so I think the damage would be done if there was damage to do. I had the fish in there for 2 and a half months so I think it's safe. The qt is one of those aqua-tech 5g things where the filter sits in a slotted area in the top so it doesn't have anything to attach to in a normal tank. I really wish I had some way to put it on the main tank but it would just sink.