EMERGENCY!!!!!!

[chago09]

Well i need tips for power outages because all over the news its saying that supercells have formed already in lansing michigan and that michigan and southern ontario are gonna get hit by some nasty weather so I'm assuming windsor's power is gonna go out.... what should I do to prevent all my fish dieng and all my bio filter from dieing?????

[Timbo]

two choices:

-buy a generator
-move to detroit

[White Worm]

Generator is always good idea for areas that have frequent problems with power outages or foul weather. Wrap the tanks with comforters to keep the water warm and buy your self some battery operated air pumps. Depending on how long the power is out, will depend on how much good bacteria you lose, probably not a big problem. I beleive I have heard that they will be ok without filtration up to about 48 hours. Some turn everything off when breeding fry for a couple days. Just dont feed as much and keep them in the dark and they will sleep right through it. Mike

[Ryan]

You can buy battery-operated air pumps. I always find them in the Sporting Goods section at Walmart. They are sold for bait buckets to keep bait fish alive. These will run your sponge filters (if you use sponge filters).

I've found that the sponges will be fine for several hours. Al has shipped me sponges overnight that weren't even in water. I put them in the tank, added fish, and never had a problem. So I'm assuming the bacteria was fine -- never saw ammonia or nitrite.

If it's cold, buy styrofoam sheets and cut them to fit the sides and back of your tank, or if you have a gas stove you can boil water and float it in your tank in old milk jugs. You can also wrap blankets around the tanks if it's extremely cold.

When my power goes out I usually don't do anything. If it's dark the fish usually go to sleep and all is well. The main thing is making sure they're not suffocating (if your tank is overstocked and there's not enough dissolved oxygen to go around), and the temperature dropping drastically. If the temp in your house is mild, that shouldn't be a big deal.

Ryan

[5star]

Goood question on power outtages.I lost all my discus to outages during the hurricane season,well i am in South Fla.Anyway i was told to add peroxide to the tank water and mix it around it will provide like oxygen for half a day.Anyone else heard of that remedy???

[pcsb23]

Adding peroxide will add a short term boost in O2, be careful not to add too much, it's a very powerful oxidising agent and at high concetrations will burn gills. Generally only heavily overstocked tanks suffer in power outages from O2 depletion, one advantage of cooler water is it holds more O2. If you use cannister filters and the power is out for more than four or five hours, take the media out of the filter and put the media in its trays in a shallow dish of water from the aquarium. It will die quickly in a cannister filter as there is no O2 there.

[DiscusBob]

Ardan just posted a thread on what to do:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=48917

[Carol_Roberts]

Discus can easily go 24 hours with no power IF your tanks are clean and you stir the water every so often or pour water over the filters. I've had them go 72 hours with the temp dropping to 62 with no ill effects.

[brewmaster15]

Power inverters for your car are very affordable and can easily keep some airlines and a few heaters running for intervals until there is power again..

hth,
al

[DiscusBob]

Al: That's the beat idea I've heard yet....I have one in my car, but I'm sure the thought would not have occurred to me

Bob