What to do when the power goes off...?

[marcw]

Coming up to storm season where I live, and we frequently lose our electricity supply - usually for just a couple of hours, but 2 or 3 days is possible.

What precautions should I take? What battery-operated appliances should I have ready to help my fishies through this traumatic period? :) I imagine the biological filter would be one of the first priorities.

Also, what's an acceptable fluctuation in the temperature? My tank's heated to 86 degrees, and in Summer (when the power's likely to go off) it would drop to about 70 overnight. Not ideal, I know, but surely even the Amazon must have SOME sort of temperature drop at night! Their water wouldn't constantly be at 86 degrees!

[Howie_W]

Losing power for several hours is not a major problem. The fish can endure a gradual drop in temp., and the filters can survive for that period of time as well.

Losing power for days is a different story, and a recipe for disaster...I would want to have several quality generators on-hand.

Howie

[jeep]

You can also pick up battery operated air pumps or an inverter. An inveter can be re-charged from your car and used over and over.

[Anonapersona]

I add Prime to the tank at the first hint of a filtration problem, for short outages, that may be all you need. If you think it might be a longer event, then you want to look at temperature, air, and filtration.

Insulation! You ought to add insulation to the back of the tank now, and have some more ready to wrap the tank in the case of a power failure. That will help maintain the temp.

Battery powered air pumps will help with aeration, and just scooping and pouring water will add air.

Filtration is the biggie. No food while power is off.. Cannister filters and HOB filters should be opened and the media removed to a shallow pan or sealed plastic bag to allow for aeration without drying, maintain temp by wrapping if necessary. A battery air pump may run a sponge filter.

When a storm is near, be sure to have lots of stored water on hand, for when the water systems are down they often have to flush it with serious chemicals to clean it after storm waters enter the lines. I've heard of fish keepers who made it though days of freezing power outages only to lose the fish to the first water change. So, fill containers with water for the family and then more for the fish.

I've heard fish keepers more expert than I say that a few hours with no power is not enough to do these things, but I think discus will show the strains long before other fish. I had my babies just put into a large 55 gallon, 23 small 1 1/2" fish in 50 true gallons and I had a GFI to blow in a rain storm. I came home to find the tank temp unchanged (back of the tank is well insulated and room temp only 6 degrees lower), and no measurable ammonia on the Seachem alert, but one fish got a little touch of white on a tail fin. I was gone only 6 hours and I doubt that the power was off more than 2 or 3 hours and the fish had a lot of water in that tank. But one was showing some distress, I think.

[Carol_Roberts]

Power outages with canister filters can be a major problem. Without oxygen the bacteria die quickle and will foul the water when the power comes back on. Hang on the back filters like Aqua Clear can go days with the power off as long as the sponges stay wet and have oxygen (don't put them in sealed bags!) I pour cups of tank water over the filter sponges every few hours.

We frequently have power outages here in Southern Oregon. Last winter I was without power for 3 days. I follow the 10 gallon per fish rule so tanks are never overstocked. I do daily water changes in all discus tanks (and always have enough stored water on hand for the next day's water change) so water in tanks is fairly fresh.

I have D battery powered airstones for each tank, but only use them if the power is off for more than 8 hours. I have three portable propane heaters (run off propane BBQ tanks) These can keep my house (and tanks) at 66/68. Healthy discus can survive three days of lower temps with no ill effects.

[Anonapersona]

Hang on the back filters like Aqua Clear can go days with the power off as long as the sponges stay wet and have oxygen (don't put them in sealed bags!) I pour cups of tank water over the filter sponges every few hours.

I thought that a sealed bag would have enough air to keep a sponge Ok and keep it from drying out.... but you know best, I'm still rather new at this, so whatever Carol says :)

[RyanH]

I also keep a couple of battery powered air pumps around for emergencies. This is an inexpensive way to protect your investment.

[Discusgeo]

Carol when I use the battery operated air pump I don't use any air stones. Just connect the airline to a piece of rigid tube. By using the airstone you create some back pressure and it takes more battery power to push the air out the stone. Save a little battery power and don't use anything on the end, just let it go free flow.
George

[Carol_Roberts]

OK George ;D sounds good to me . . .I'll need to buy some rigid tubing

[korbi_doc]

::) ::) I have an inverter plugged in to electric, then to batteries, so when power goes out the inverter takes over. This deep cycle battery will run for 24 hrs & then would need another battery or hookup to the truck, (diesel). Right now it's hooked up to the linear air pump so all tanks' sponge filters & airstones continue to move air. I have a propane insert in the fireplace in case this happens in winter, I can keep the house warm & tanks don't drop too low. It could also run the heaters if I added another battery or 2 as well, but that has not been necessary so far. A generator would be the best & in my next life, I'll have one of those hooked up for whole house protection, lol, Dottie 8) 8)

[DarkDiscus]

I HAD a generator back before I got married. It was the best. As long as we had it, we never lost power!

;D

Before that I lost my entire stock 2 times due to 3 day outages during blizzards... Nothing worse than watching your fish freeze solid....

In my new house we have a wood burning backup furnace so that won't happen, and I'm getting a battery inverter and some air pumps!

Hopefully by spending the $ we'll have good karma and not lose power!

John

[korbi_doc]

::) ::) "BLIZZARDS" Another reason I want to move South!! Never know I was brought up in N.E. hate winter & especially the cold, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I can't imagine watching that, John, lose my mind, what's left of it, Dottie 8) 8)

[marcw]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everybody!!

As with everything fish-related, I have an extremely tight budget, but this looks like it shouldn't cost too much.

It's the Summer storms that black us out where we live, and it's usually VERY hot when the storms hit, so I don't think temperature should be too much of a problem. Could possibly drop to 70 degrees overnight.

I have a 'Hang on the Back' filter, so Carol's suggestion of regular cups of water over the filters sponges and bacteria colony sounds like the solution there.

So - only purchase seems to be a battery-operated air-pump (and rigid tube). Do you need a big pump? Seems to me that the air would only be being pumped out at the one point. Is this enough to circulate and aerate the water?

And in hindsight, the worst we've really had is about 12 hours without power. The phone on the other hand..........

[Cosmo]

I'm with Korbi-doc - marine deep cycle batteries are the way to go. A group 30 will keep about 50 amps of pumps (1 eheim and 1 large air pump) going for about 24 hours. The gel cells are pricey but you can get a good wet cell for around 100 bucks, or, the cost of one or two fish. You can recharge them with an inverter like Kori does, or, you can hook them up to an APS unit like I do. The APS is auto switching and kicks in as soon as the power goes out, then, recharges the batteries when the power comes back on. If it don't come back in time, hook up the inverter to the car battery and you run an extension into the house.

Ideally, for a 2 day or longer blackout you'd be wanting an APS with 2 to 4 batteries, or, an APS w/ one battery and a generator. The APS will hold the system until you can get home and kick in the generator.

If you have a lot of money in livestock a good backup is like insurance, you buy it hoping you don't need it, but, are sure glad when it's there when needed.

The APS is made by Tripp Lite (like the inverters too) and you can find them on the web from numerous sources. Got mine from Jehmco but subsequently found them for less doing a web search on tripp lite.

If you have a cannister bio filter and it's down more than a half hour to an hour, open it up and rince the media with non-chlorinated water before starting it back up. The bacteria goes bad and turns toxic pretty quickly so if you don't rinse them first the toxins are shot out to the fish.

good luck
Jim

[Cosmo]

... can't really imagine standing by the tank pouring cups of water over the filter, and changing the batteries in the battery powered air pumps for 12 to 48 hours..

[marcw]

Ahh - but for those of us that are financially challenged.......

I'll have to sell one of my children just to buy the cup to pour the water. ;D

And as far as batteries go - was thinking of hooking the air-pump up to the exercise bike instead. ;D

[Marian]

Why do not you try with an UPS from your computer?This will keep for hours air and heaters in function.Without light off course

[Carol_Roberts]

That is a great idea! Has anybody tried it?

[paletka]

Hi,
In order to keep bacteria a life and enough oxygen to your fish use 5 mil. per 20 galon's of hydrogen peroxide. Every 3-4 hrs add 5 mil. and you shoulden't have problem.

Chris

[Lenz]

Hydrogen peroxide and scouping water every 3-4 hours works like a charm for me... I went almost 5 days without power this month, didnt loose any discus.. no feeding and water changes daily.