Power Outage

[Eekee]

My mom has been without power since Saturday. (She's in NE Okla.) She's lost everything in her tank. She had a beautiful long finned white tetra that she's had for 5 years, and an 4 year old angel fish, plus several others who were big and plump and healthy.

It's not a terribly expensive loss, since it was just freshwater, but she's pretty sad about losing several years' worth of fish and plants.

I'm definitely going to find some equipment for my tank in the event of a power outage in the future. We got LUCKY.

On the bright side, I'm trying to convert her to salt water.

 

[Serra]

Erica-
Fish are pets that we are fond of. I have several fresh water fish I would cry over if I lost them. I was picturing me with a straw, running around blowing bubbles in the surface of all my tanks. I too need an outage plan.

 

[djc1026]

The straw wouldn't really work as you would be adding CO2 , but I had two outages over the weekend and I was stirring the water with a little paddle every 15 minutes

Dave

 

[captbunzo]

Well, yes and no. Much oxygen is left in what we breathe out, so that would likely not REALLY be that much of a problem. Perhaps the CO2 might have SOME pH effect.

On a more serious answer to your question, check this thread out for an in depth discussion...

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1015684

 

[lawboy888]

storm like these always freaks me out....i am getting a gas generator this summer....

 

[djc1026]

I wasn't talking so much about pH effect, and I realize that there is more oxygen than CO2 in exhaled air, at approx 16% and 4% respectively, the other 80% being nitrogen and some other gas argon I believe.

Anyway, my observation Saturday night when my power was out going on an 1 hour and a half, all the fish woke up and began swimming at the surface near where I was stirring. I'd never seen anything like it. So regardless of the chemical of make up of exhaled air, I now think that there definitely needs to be water movement. In a powerless tank, CO2 is building up as the lifeforms are all consuming oxygen still in the water, but the oxygen is not being replenished. I believe battery operated water pumps would be better than air pumps, although air pumps would be better than nothing; I would still stir my tanks if I had air pumps only.

Dave

 

[captbunzo]

Bubbling air in a tank moves a lot more water then you'd realize....... That's how they create flow in most aquaculuturing businesses (air lift tubes).

 

[poke75]

Go check out PepBoys for an inexpensive generator.

they had 2500Watt (16.7 Amps at120Volts) gen sets for $189
3500Watts (advertised at 25 Amps 120Volts) for $249
Either of these will run most essentials on a tank and the heater blower (this works nicely if you have gas heat)

I know they are cheaply made, but for $20 dollars you get a total of two years of warrenty through PepBoys. They are big enough that they will probably stand behind it.

We are supposed to get snow Saturday.