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If you do lose power and have no battery air pump, you can add O2 to the tank in several different ways.
During the big power outage on the East Coast I read that many pet shops in NYC simply waved a dry net through the water every hour or so. Stir up the water to let it exchange with the surface.
Also, as said before in this post or that article, taek a cup full of water and pour it back into the tank from a great height. It is not just the traveling through the air that allows the gas exchange, but the vigorous mixing of water through out the tank, so do this, but also stir the tank up. You can also get a jug and partly fill in, shake it well to infuse air then pour back, repeat. The kids can do either of these things, I'd trust them more to shake a jug than to pour water with out it splashing out of the tank.
These things will do well during the day, but if you worry about the nighttime, then you can add a little bit of H2O2 to the water. Too much is toxic, how much is too much.... I'm not really sure. I have read that a capful to a 20 gallon tank is safe. I have also read of people using a lot more than that. I have read, in connection with using it to deactivate a Potassium Permanganate treatment, that it stays effective in the tank for 3 days. So, if you think you may be doing this nightly, err on the side of caution. I'd do it if I saw the fish in distress if the net dragging and jug shaking and tank stirring were slowed down.
Keep the tank calm and dark if possible, so the fish activity is less. Blankets are good, just remember to stir and splash occasionally.
No food, no blown bubbles as that has less O2 than you want.
If you don't have a chlorine tester, then yes, either add a bit extra, or call the water board to see if they'll tell you if they added something. They may be too busy to answer the phone, though. Really, just be there to observe for the hour after the water change. If the fish huddle or drift sideways, add more dechlor. I once killed a tank full of serpae tetras with a hose that had been bleached and not dechlored sufficiently, it was not obvious to me that they were in distress, until they started drifting. I saw them huddle and did not realize that it meant the water was toxic.
If you do lose power and have no battery air pump, you can add O2 to the tank in several different ways.
During the big power outage on the East Coast I read that many pet shops in NYC simply waved a dry net through the water every hour or so. Stir up the water to let it exchange with the surface.
Also, as said before in this post or that article, taek a cup full of water and pour it back into the tank from a great height. It is not just the traveling through the air that allows the gas exchange, but the vigorous mixing of water through out the tank, so do this, but also stir the tank up. You can also get a jug and partly fill in, shake it well to infuse air then pour back, repeat. The kids can do either of these things, I'd trust them more to shake a jug than to pour water with out it splashing out of the tank.
These things will do well during the day, but if you worry about the nighttime, then you can add a little bit of H2O2 to the water. Too much is toxic, how much is too much.... I'm not really sure. I have read that a capful to a 20 gallon tank is safe. I have also read of people using a lot more than that. I have read, in connection with using it to deactivate a Potassium Permanganate treatment, that it stays effective in the tank for 3 days. So, if you think you may be doing this nightly, err on the side of caution. I'd do it if I saw the fish in distress if the net dragging and jug shaking and tank stirring were slowed down.
Keep the tank calm and dark if possible, so the fish activity is less. Blankets are good, just remember to stir and splash occasionally.
No food, no blown bubbles as that has less O2 than you want.
If you don't have a chlorine tester, then yes, either add a bit extra, or call the water board to see if they'll tell you if they added something. They may be too busy to answer the phone, though. Really, just be there to observe for the hour after the water change. If the fish huddle or drift sideways, add more dechlor. I once killed a tank full of serpae tetras with a hose that had been bleached and not dechlored sufficiently, it was not obvious to me that they were in distress, until they started drifting. I saw them huddle and did not realize that it meant the water was toxic.