Power outage

[aquadonkey]

My power just went out - no back up generator or anything
Any advice?
Here's my plan for now:
1) report the outage to rg&e - done
2) worry

 

[aquadonkey]

No one?
I'm thinking about moving on to step 3: panic.

 

[pascal32]

Good thing is that fish and coral get shipped with little water and experience temperature changes like in the wild. You should be good for quite a while.

If you get worried - Know anyone with a small portable generator? If you were closer you could borrow mine along with a battery powered air pump. If you have a gas fired water heater you could coil the rubber part of the hose and run hot water through & dump outside or in the sink, not sure how much that would buy you.

I'm more concerned about airating the tank for the fish than temp- do you have a manual air pump you can use to push some air through the water?

For now wrap the tank in a blanket, can't hurt.

 

[EllieSuz]

I've heard of dipping a cup or something in the water and pouring it back in to oxygenate. Or, you could just bring it over here and plug it in.

 

[aquadonkey]

Thanks guys - I do have a gas stove. I'm in the process of putting some sealed bags with hot water in the tanks. I'm also stirring them with a wooden spoon - don't know if either of these things will make a difference though. Hopefully the power will come back soon!

 

[GMaquarium]

A bit of preparation goes a long way in these situations. But for now a turkey baster may help. Also if you have a bicycle tire pump you could semi-automate the air bubble production. Just do it for ten minutes with half hour breaks. If you leave the tank alone for the night it will be fine. Heat the room with with your gas heater to mid seventies.

 

[Jacwil]

Power back on Lizz??????

 

[aquadonkey]

Not yet....
I was up a lot last night blowing bubbles into the tanks and making sure the gas burners on the stove didn't burn the house down.
I was on my way out to buy a generator just now when they started working on the lines in my back yard.

 

[EllieSuz]

Lizz, a couple of years ago I bought a small generator at B.J.s for around $200 and the very next day our power went out for eight hours. I haven't used it since, but when I think of losing everything, the peace of mind is worth every penny.

 

[aquadonkey]

Sigh..... power is back on.
It doesn't look like there are any casualties yet - wait and see.
My HOB AC70 burned out (I was at HD looking at generators when the power finally came back on), so that's a pain..... I just put a nano PH in there for now for flow....

Anyway..... I didn't end up getting a generator because I checked my phone and saw the power came back on - so you know I'll be researching that!
Anyone have any tips? How much power do I need anyway? They were pretty pricey at HD - $4/500
Right now - a little nap.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

my "power outage plan" for you

my "power outage plan" for you

get a power inverter that plugs into the car's cigerette lighter (cheap!).

You'll also need to run the car outside a garage..... so a full tank of gas is a good idea (not so cheap!)

If need be this arrangement can run powerhead and heater for many hours.

 

[naprestsleep]

get a power inverter that plugs into the car's cigerette lighter (cheap!).

You'll also need to run the car outside a garage..... so a full tank of gas is a good idea (not so cheap!)

If need be this arrangement can run powerhead and heater for many hours.

What wattage do you run? I been looking at some but the higher wattage require direct connect to the battery due to the amps.

thanks -- joe

 

[votek]

I got hit by the same outage; going to be putting a battery backup on the checklist here soon before I get going.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

EcoTech/Vortech battery backup is an affordable solution to a generator

 

[aquadonkey]

I looked into inverters today - my concern is the possibility of someone driving away with my car
I was thinking about instead going with a 900W generator from Harbor Freight ($130).
Anyone use these?
In the meantime...... I did get a small inverter and I have a 600amp jump-start battery - I believe it's good for 2 hours.

BTW... still no losses! I was most concerned for the recovering porcelain crab that lives in the AC70 - wasn't much I could do to keep that tiny filter compartment warm, then it heated up too quickly once the power came back - but looks like she's going to be okay

 

[block head]

i keep a few minnow aerators on hand and wrap the tank in a blanket. you should be able to pick stuff up cheap this time of year.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

I lost power for about 6 hrs today. For me its no sweet because my primary heat is from wood, so I just put a couple extra sticks in and open the damper more than I normally have it; I put an air stone in the tank with a battery driven pump for circulation. I believe I would be good for at least a couple days. I have a generator I would start up if the outage went into night for lights, well, phone... I installed a generax panel I had when we built but didn't have the generator end receptacles at the time and still haven't completed that end of the install. When I get around to getting that complete running the generator will be much simpler.