lost power.... lost fish.... now some questions..

[pooljap]

So the latest northeaster' to hit NJ has left me without power. When I went home today
to check on things I saw the horror and sadness of seeing my fish dead. I was mentally
preparing for this as the hours drifted into days with no power and cold temps.

So I know this is always a risk so now my question is I have a hang on the back filter
and do I have to start the cycle all over again or will the filter still be good to go after
4+ days not running ?? Also any other precautions I should take as I didn't have the
heart to really look at the fish as I was disposing of them, so not sure if the plunge in
water temps may have given them ich or something else.

Thanks in advance !

jim

[Sabrina]

Hi Pooljap,

So sorry about your fish, that would have been awful for you.

If the filter media is still wet you might be able to save your cycle, though it may go through a mini cycle once you start it up again, its hard to tell really. If it was me and all the fish died in the tank I would replace all the filter media with new ones and start the cycle over again from scratch, I would also vac the sand and empty all the water out and start with fresh water too, but that's just me. If you do start from scratch you can use a bottle of Fluval Cycle, it will cycle your tank in 14 days flat.

[Willie]

If you rinse out your filter to wash out all the built up ammonia and sulfur dioxide, there's sufficient bacteria to get started again. Even if not, your tank will cycle so much faster than starting from fresh. Sponge filters are great in this regard in that there's no ammonia or sulfur dioxide build up with them.

Blackouts are one of the reasons to keep the bioload low and make large water changes. When the power goes off, throwing a blanket over the tank can keep the temperature from dipping. I find that a slow drop in temperatures did not produce ich when my power went out for 4 - 5 days. You might want to consider picking up a battery operated air pump if this happens often.

Willie

[Paul Sabucchi]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your fish. Besides the good advice given above do consider buying a generator, even a basic 3kw one will do, considering they cost less than a few medium size fish I think it is a sound investment. If ypu do, also remember to stock up on petrol/gas in advance of a bad storm

[Paul Sabucchi]

P.S. as your tank is going to be without fish at least for a while ich should not be a concern as it cannot survive for more than a few hours without a host.

[pooljap]

Thanks to everyone who responded. At least it seems like I dont have to do a total re-cycle and
I was worried about Ich or anything else, so thanks for all the answers !!! Will take a couple of
weeks to see what I do next as maybe time to take a break with discus. But thanks again for
everyone's input and answers !
jim

[Sabrina]

Your welcome Jim!
All the best with whatever you choose to do