My fish are all going to die!

The freezer is hooked up to the genny so I have ice but it wouldn't last for more than a few minutes. Not sure the benefit outweighs the bother of keeping ice in the tanks.

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OMG I'm dumb. I totally meant pump. It's way past my bedtime, sorry, lol. Hope everything works out for you and your finkids.
 
Just keep plugging with the water changes and surface agitation as often as possible. I feel your pain....but you have a chance....mine was the October snow storm...power out for 10 days and cold. But I did actually have a few fish survive. So...keep your head up!!
 
Stirring the surface of the tank with a spatula or other paddle like object, pouring the aquarium's own water back and forth onto the tank with cups...all help to create surface agitation. Blowing bubbles into the tank is not nearly as effective as these measures, contrary to what some people think.

I am really sorry :( I hope you can keep them going until the power comes back on! Battery powered air pumps are pretty cheap in the fishing dept. of Walmart around here, the most expensive thing is the D batteries...but they usually come with some.

One thing to remember is that most fish adapt better to heat than they do to cold. So it's better this be happening now than in the dead of winter...although it still sucks hugely, I know.
 
Linked below is a very good article on dealing with power outages. I've been following the advice in the article (the author is a member of my local aquarium club) and haven't lost any fish yet, and I am dealing with the same power outage as the OP.

http://aquaticlifefarm.com/web_pages/alf_article_pwr.html

I have lowered the water in all of my tanks, in most cases about two thirds of the way down. I'm doing large water changes every day. I do have two battery-powered air pumps that I'm using mostly on my two biggest tanks, but when I have a chance I switch them off to the other tanks for an hour or so. I am optimistic that my fish will be able to make it through until the end of the week, if necessary.
 
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This happened to me once. The tank, a 29g, reached 86*. All of my fish made it except for my poor adf :( I did water changes on the hour of about 20-25%, did my best to keep the temperature down, and the power was out for 3 days. It was a HUGE pain but it was totally worth it.
 
So does pouring water from a pitcher over and over to oxygenate the tank. It's a PIA, but it kept my fish alive over a three day power outage. Good luck, Captain! Thinking good thoughts for you and your fishies.
 
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Suggestions are all good. Many fish can withstand higher water temps than you would think. For me the two most critical issues would be ammonia buildup from lack of water filtration and the decreased dissolved oxygen in the warmer water. Doing frequent partial water changes as often as you can will address both of these issues. And continue to surface agitate when you can. Don't feed them anything, they will be fine for this power outage without any food. Don't give up. Warm weather outages are a bit easier to deal with than cold weather outages because of needing heated water and plunging water temps in cold rooms. I would highly recommend people getting a battery powered air pump for every tank that they own. And lots of batteries. I was quite surprised that the batteries only lasted 4-5 hours. Good luck to you, keep us posted on how things are going.
 
Wow. The batteries only last 4-5 hours?? I plan on getting a pump for every tank. Being broke all the time sucks!!!!!

The power came back on and I didn't lose anyone!! I'm going to do water changes all around today.

The main things I was worried about was lack of oxygen, and the ammonia since the tanks are dirty. I kept my dogs and my parrots in the cool basement with me. The hermit crabs, crayfish, snails, and fish stayed where they were. Even I have limits! Thank God I don't have fires to contend with like in CO. I don't even want to think about what those people and pets are going through.
 
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