So, i've got this notice from the park management where I live saying that there'll be a power outage tonight from 1 am to 6:30 am. i have 7 tanks running. What should I do??
Power Outage
- Thread starter chrisinha
- Start date
Cover the tanks in blankets. This will keep them warm. Take out the filter media, and put it in a bucket with tank water. Add a little ammoina too keep it alive. And every hour or so take a cup and pour water into the tank from up high. This will get more oxygen into the water.
In So Cal I wouldn't be too worried about the temp of the tanks; what is the air temperature in the room where they are? Slightly cooler water will slow the metabolism of your fish, and that can be a good thing now. Too cold is a problem, though, and you might want to consider insulating them if you think temps will dip too low.
What kind of media do you have? I would just float sponges and bio wheels in the tanks with the fish.
Whatever you do with it, I'd advise against feeding your media with any ammonia , b/c it will be fine without for only 6 hours, but metabolism of said ammonia will decrease DO.
Stirring the tanks periodically is a good idea (or you can use the aforementioned cup method), but depending on the details (what's in them), it may be unneccesary. Are these planted tanks, is your fishload low or do you walk a thin line w/ your stocking? "Better safe than sorry" works here, though.
I'd definately unplug everything when the power goes out, and be ready to reprime my filters and get things running again as soon as the power returns. Do you have a battery-operated alarm?
What kind of media do you have? I would just float sponges and bio wheels in the tanks with the fish.
Whatever you do with it, I'd advise against feeding your media with any ammonia , b/c it will be fine without for only 6 hours, but metabolism of said ammonia will decrease DO.
Stirring the tanks periodically is a good idea (or you can use the aforementioned cup method), but depending on the details (what's in them), it may be unneccesary. Are these planted tanks, is your fishload low or do you walk a thin line w/ your stocking? "Better safe than sorry" works here, though.
I'd definately unplug everything when the power goes out, and be ready to reprime my filters and get things running again as soon as the power returns. Do you have a battery-operated alarm?
You shouldn't worry about it, I had a P.O. that lasted a couple days and did nothing to my 29g tank....
ok, here's the details:
community tank: 1 aquaclear 30 and 1 mini penguin
guppy/fry/ghost shrimp tank: 1 topfin 10
turtle tank: 1 fluval 304 and 1 whisper 40i
goldfish tank: 1 aquaclear 70 and 1 whisper 30
betta tank: 1 aquaclear 30
betta 2 tank: 1 azoo palm
quarantine tank: 1 whisper 10
i'm not worried about the temps either because the room temp in my house is 80F. Of course it will drop a little because i wont have the central heater on either, but i rally think the temp will be ok.
since this power outage is happening during the night, i'll probably be sleeping, so i cant add a cup or stir the water every hour or so. most of the tanks are connected to a power strip, so im going to turn them off.
i've done a 20% water change earlier and fed some of the fish veggies, some i didnt even feed...
community tank: 1 aquaclear 30 and 1 mini penguin
guppy/fry/ghost shrimp tank: 1 topfin 10
turtle tank: 1 fluval 304 and 1 whisper 40i
goldfish tank: 1 aquaclear 70 and 1 whisper 30
betta tank: 1 aquaclear 30
betta 2 tank: 1 azoo palm
quarantine tank: 1 whisper 10
i'm not worried about the temps either because the room temp in my house is 80F. Of course it will drop a little because i wont have the central heater on either, but i rally think the temp will be ok.
since this power outage is happening during the night, i'll probably be sleeping, so i cant add a cup or stir the water every hour or so. most of the tanks are connected to a power strip, so im going to turn them off.
i've done a 20% water change earlier and fed some of the fish veggies, some i didnt even feed...
advice
My advice depends on whether the tank is overstocked or not. If it is not overstocked, then just skip feeding today and add a dose of something like Prime to the tank before bed.
Depending on what sort of filters you have, I'd suggest leaving the biowheels in place, they are in air (which is very important to the bacteria) and ought to not dry out overnight if they touch water.
Any other media, in canisters or that otherwise will be underwater with no flow, ought to not be submerged but taken to a plastic bag to be kept damp and exposed to air but not dry out. Forget about adding ammonia, just keep damp and exposed to air, then rinse out before replacing in the tank.
Temperature may not be an issue, for just overnight, oxygen is probably not an issue, unless the tank is overstocked. If you cannot stir the tank once or twice overnight, wave a net through it or take a cup of tank water and pour it from a great height to mix the water well, then you can consider adding a capful or less of H2O2 per 20 gallon tank before you go to bed. But, overnight, the fish are slower and use less oxygen, probably not worth it as H2O2 is dangerous and you don't want to overdose. I know my fish would jump out of their skin if I stirred the tank overnight, they are asleep you know! Really, I'd just plan to wake up early and tend to them then.
My advice depends on whether the tank is overstocked or not. If it is not overstocked, then just skip feeding today and add a dose of something like Prime to the tank before bed.
Depending on what sort of filters you have, I'd suggest leaving the biowheels in place, they are in air (which is very important to the bacteria) and ought to not dry out overnight if they touch water.
Any other media, in canisters or that otherwise will be underwater with no flow, ought to not be submerged but taken to a plastic bag to be kept damp and exposed to air but not dry out. Forget about adding ammonia, just keep damp and exposed to air, then rinse out before replacing in the tank.
Temperature may not be an issue, for just overnight, oxygen is probably not an issue, unless the tank is overstocked. If you cannot stir the tank once or twice overnight, wave a net through it or take a cup of tank water and pour it from a great height to mix the water well, then you can consider adding a capful or less of H2O2 per 20 gallon tank before you go to bed. But, overnight, the fish are slower and use less oxygen, probably not worth it as H2O2 is dangerous and you don't want to overdose. I know my fish would jump out of their skin if I stirred the tank overnight, they are asleep you know! Really, I'd just plan to wake up early and tend to them then.