for a power outage (filter question..)

ginevive

ginevive

I want... THAT one, ma'am!
Dec 15, 2004
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My town is shutting off the power for 5 hours tomorrow. What would you recommend me to do with the filters on our tanks? (Whisper HOBs, Penguin HOBs, 1 Magnum canister.) I am worried about a die-off of beneficial bacteria; any and all info would be appreciated! I will unplug them to prevent a power surge when the power does go back on.. but should I do anything special w/ the cartridges to rpevent bacteria die-off? I have had these tanks for years, and they're all cycled to perfection. :huh:
 
why are they turning off the power?
im not sure what you can do,when my power went out(storms)I just kept them wet,dumped clean water throught them every now and then.
 
you can take the filter media out and float it in your tank, and you can get battery powered bubblers to keep oxegyn flowing. Make sure your house stays warm--so maybe keep the heat on all night so the tanks wont cool down too much (I don't know where you live so that may not be an issue)
 
sarcare said:
you can take the filter media out and float it in your tank, and you can get battery powered bubblers to keep oxegyn flowing. Make sure your house stays warm--so maybe keep the heat on all night so the tanks wont cool down too much (I don't know where you live so that may not be an issue)
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I second this idea..add battery powered airpumps.

btw, they would work great if in the future you had sponge filters to run off the battery powered air pump that way you could maintain filtration during outagges too.
 
If it is cold in your area you can put a thick blanket over the tank to help keep in the warmth. Your Bacteria needs O2 to survive so you do not want it to remain in stagnant water or trapped in an air tight canister. Some people will simply remove the media and place it in a plastic bag. This will keep it wet and allow it to get air without putting filter gunk in you tank. Battery powered bubblers a great Idea…..I need one too
 
The power was off at my place of 4 days after a Cyclone. It was summer so heating wasn't an issue, although as above blankets will help. I had other things on my mind and I just left my filters be (an aquaclear HOB and internal power filters). When the power finally came back on the tanks were fine, no fish lost. Bacteria can be tougher than you think sometimes.

I did run a battery operated bubbler in the tanks for a few hours each day though, a handy thing to have around if you have an aquarium.
 
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I bought a small portable 1000 watt generator for just this reason. And for storms too. Put it in the garage to keep it dry and for obvious CO (carbon monoxide) reasons, run an extension cord into the house, plug in the tank, and continue on as if nothing changed (as far as the fish are concerned).
Runs about 5 hrs. on a tank of gas at tank load.
 
The canister is your only worry because that can turn anaerobic. Pour out its contents along with the water into a bucket and once or twice during the outage, take a cup and gather some of the water, and then pur it back into the bucket a few times. That keeps it aerated.

The HOBs...I wouldn't even worry about them. I had my penguin filter stop for over a week once because of the impeller going out of allignment, and my tank didn't suffer a bit.

Remember, you have colonies of bacteria living everywhere in your tank, not just the filters. It's highly doubtful that you will re-cycle just from a measley five hours of down time, unless your tanks are grossly overstocked which I doubt. You know what you're doing.
 
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