Emergency help

RayL

RayL

New member
My power in the house went out and has been out for about 30 minutes. I have a 150 gallon and 30 gallon FOWLR, I don't know when the power will be back on. What can I do to make sure I don't lose my fish.
 
Have it covered in blankets right now, got a thermometer in the tank for temp updates.
How often do I want to mix up the water and if my tank is at 78.5 at what temperature should I start adding hot water at?
 
First step is to call the power company to determine whether they have a restoration estimate. If it is to be a sub 2 hour outage, I'd not worry. Beyond that, oxygen levels are more problematic than temperature. Manually aerate the water periodically. If temp goes below 75 or so, then you might want to start to worry, but with an insulating blanket, shouldn't drop all that quickly.

In the future, at least have a battery-operated air pump on hand. A battery backup for a power head is also a good idea, as is a portable generator.
 
I read that having a constant drip from some kind of bucket or container into your tank helps with oxygen level
 
So, RayL, it's been 24hrs. How are things? How long was power out?

For the future...
I have an inverter (Radio Shack) that either plugs into car cig lighter or connects directly to battery. Handles 350W of power. It'll run a Vortech + small heater. As long as my truck has gas we are good to go. I wouldn't use it to run traditional pumps because there can be issues with how 'clean' the power is from it.

For more output, a small portable generator is useful. Be sure to 'exercise' it regularly to make sure it will work when you need it!
 
18 hours and a lot of work later my power is finally back on. So far I dont see any missing fish. Thank you to all that gave advice on what to do. I hope this didnt cause any damage to the fish that I am unaware of, I guess time will tell.

In the future I will be more prepared
 
RayL said:
18 hours and a lot of work later my power is finally back on. So far I dont see any missing fish. Thank you to all that gave advice on what to do. I hope this didnt cause any damage to the fish that I am unaware of, I guess time will tell.

In the future I will be more prepared
Click to expand...

they should be fine...I once went 5 days without power and there were no lasting issues...glad it worked out...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Getting back into the hobby
Replies
11
Views
249
Uncle99
Uncle99
F
Any pointers for moving a large and heavy tank into the basement?
Replies
16
Views
401
Puggz
P
K
Fluval Reef 4.0 LED Nano Power Level for 15G?
Replies
3
Views
127
kingyking888
K
N
Saltwater cycle possible stuck
2
Replies
26
Views
7K
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
J
Plumbing 300 gallon acrylic aquarium
Replies
4
Views
3K
corvinridge
C
Back
Top