How to deal with power outages?

[GisheryGoodness]

We lost power due to a storm with straight line winds and there's no telling how long it'll be before it comes back with all the downed trees and possibly power lines. Plus now more rain and wind coming through. It's around 100° outside. How long are my fish going to be ok and what do I need to do when the power comes back on if anything?

[Zenzo]

Most important thing is to ensure that your fish have some type of aeration (battery backup with an air pump is ideal). The other thing will be the heat, as I see it's 100 outside. As long as your tanks don't get much over the low-mid 80s, they will be okay. Any warmer than that and you will want to try and cool them down (frozen water bottles, battery powered fans, etc.). Depending on the type of filtration that you have, and how long the power is out, you may have some dead bacteria or ammonia that you will have to deal with (like stagnant water sitting inside of a canister filter). Internal filters, sponges, and probably even a hang-on-back will be okay, as the bacteria has access to o2 and won't die off. 

As far as how long...if it is just a few hours, you are probably okay (depending on how your tanks are stocked). Lightly stocked tanks should be fine for around a day or more. Moderately stocked tanks, 8-12 hours, and heavier stocked tanks, just a few hours before o2 becomes an issue (lack of o2). 

[GisheryGoodness]

Two are betta tanks so those should be fine I think, the 29 gallon and the 55 are moderately stocked so idk. Thankfully it has cooled down though that also means more storms tonight. It could be out all night and I unfortunately am not prepared for this, no back up batteries or money fir back up batteries. I have both hang on back with sponges filters instead of the carbon they come with and sponge filters. I suppose I'll just have to hope and pray it comes back on and they all survive. 

[Torrey]

Are your tanks planted?

If yes, I would put sponges in a flat dish (more surface area at the top) with some tank water (lower the water level) so the bacteria stay alive and healthy. Bacteria use up more O2 than almost anything else in the aquarium, so offering a large surface area for gas exchange will keep the bacteria alive. Any time you think about it, agitate the water (literally just scoop water out with an aquarium safe cup/water bottle, and pour it right back in).

Plants will keep the water in the tank in decent shape. Avoid feeding the fish if power is going to be out for a few days, unless you have fry that need frequent feedings.

You can agitate the water yourself by using a water bottle, filling water bottle, and pouring back in. There were some kids in Indonesia who used water bottles to create a kinetic "water filter", I can see if I can find the link for you. If you have the supplies to build it, one of our homeschool kids recreated it to essentially "power" a sponge inside one bottle as an internal, no power needed, sponge type filter for a camping trip they took. It didn't work as well as promised in the video, they had to manually restart the process a few times a day. All minnows did stay alive however, so it was a success.

 

(not the original video, but looks easier to build)

[GisheryGoodness]

Thank you both. Only the 29 gal is completely planted and the 5 gallon has a couple of plants. I have moved the sponges into the tanks from the hobs, also unplugged the hobs so if the power comes back when I'm not home it doesn't ruin them. There are several utilities trucks out and about so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

[_Eric_]

On 7/21/2022 at 8:50 PM, GisheryGoodness said:

Thank you both. Only the 29 gal is completely planted and the 5 gallon has a couple of plants. I have moved the sponges into the tanks from the hobs, also unplugged the hobs so if the power comes back when I'm not home it doesn't ruin them. There are several utilities trucks out and about so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

How did things turn out?  Hope you have power back…

[Wrencher_Scott]

Was that video supposed to make us believe water pumps itself? Oh come on....

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 7/22/2022 at 1:28 PM, Pepere said:

Yeah, but it only works if you use that brand of beverage…

I have heard that Albert Einstein was fazzled and flummoxed for days when he first saw one of these….

 

 

 

aha yes. I don't think I would want methylene chloride in my aquarium.  🙂

[GisheryGoodness]

Thank you all. The power was restored about 7 hrs after it went off, leaving enough time for me to get the how's back up and running and do a visual check on all fishies as I had to be up early for work. I checked all tanks parameters after work and everything is going well, even my qt that I've mentioned on here is doing alright with the one lone survivor. 

I will definitely be looking into investing in back up batteries for the tank pumps. Though really why I didn't think of it before idk, I do live in tornado alley, power outages feom storms are fairly frequent. 

[Wrencher_Scott]

On 7/22/2022 at 6:22 PM, GisheryGoodness said:

Thank you all. The power was restored about 7 hrs after it went off, leaving enough time for me to get the how's back up and running and do a visual check on all fishies as I had to be up early for work. I checked all tanks parameters after work and everything is going well, even my qt that I've mentioned on here is doing alright with the one lone survivor. 

I will definitely be looking into investing in back up batteries for the tank pumps. Though really why I didn't think of it before idk, I do live in tornado alley, power outages feom storms are fairly frequent. 

Check into UPS power supplies. Depending on the size they can run a filter pump and air pump for hours. Also they are automatic, power goes out it will kick on. 

I have one on my tank and a generator in the garage for times the power is off for a lot longer.  It's nice to know I can keep the refrigerator going too.