Power outage

[TheresaMcmurrough]

What should I be doing to save my fish during a power outage? Not sure when they will come back on either. I'm in Texas so temp is not an issue. Freshwater 90 gallon

 

[tamtam]

The last time my power went out I would take bowls of water from the tank and pour it back into the tank to let some oxygen get in. I'll be investing in a battery op bubbler soon for power outages. I also put my media into the tank to keep it wet.

So long as temp is not an issue I would say making sure there is some oxygen in the water and keeping your media wet are your biggest concerns. If it's out for several days I'd do some water change to help keep the water quality under control and get toxins out.

 

[blert]

Depends how long the power is out for...
A battery operated air pump or two could come in handy.
Open the lid to allow for better gas exchange.
Give it an occasional stir.
A generator.
A DIY O2 reactor.

I once accidentally left everything off in my 75 gallon for nearly 24 hours and everything was fine.

 

[TheresaMcmurrough]

Thank y'all so much. I propped two large buckets on top and poked a hole in them. Filled them up and the flowing water agitated the water creating lots of bubbles about halfway down tank. It was a quick fix but I do need to get something more long term just in case. The buckets drains In about ten minutes. I'll be feeling then once an hour.

 

[tamtam]

Thank y'all so much. I propped two large buckets on top and poked a hole in them. Filled them up and the flowing water agitated the water creating lots of bubbles about halfway down tank. It was a quick fix but I do need to get something more long term just in case. The buckets drains In about ten minutes. I'll be feeling then once an hour.

what size is your tank and how stocked is it? You probably don't need to do it that often.

This reminds me I should probably start thinking about winter prep here. It gets pretty cold in the winter(-13F isn't out of the norm) While power outages usually aren't too often a 24 hour power outage would not treat my tanks kindly.

 

[tomasm87]

asked this same question afew days ago. Id get a small solar panel for next time it happens. They may be expensive but thats what im considering. I live in arkansas and one winter we had a bad storm and was out of power for a week. Dont think my 29 would last that long. but Agitate the water for now but get a solar panel or generator ready for next time if the outage last longer.

 

[blert]

What good would a solar panel do if it is storming? :/

 

[tamtam]

What good would a solar panel do if it is storming? :/

They will store the energy from better weather to use later. Though once it runs out it's out but you would be surprised at the effectiveness of them in crummy weather. They work in fog, over cast and even in heavy rain.

Personally I'd rather put my money to a generator though.

 

[tomasm87]

Use the energy stored in batteries. Solor panel to charger to batteries to inverter to appliance you wish to power. Im no electrician so i can not tell you how large of a panel you will need or how many batteries to keep. Im trying to figure that out myself.

 

[tomasm87]

tamtam beat me to it. lol

Im just curious about them thats all. Id chose a generator first cause it seems more reliable. Ill experiment with panels later on.

 

[blert]

They will store the energy from better weather to use later. Though once it runs out it's out but you would be surprised at the effectiveness of them in crummy weather. They work in fog, over cast and even in heavy rain.

Personally I'd rather put my money to a generator though.

Well, they won't store any energy. You would need a bunch of batteries to make it work. Probably better off going with a couple of high quality UPSs or a generator.

 

[tomasm87]

depends on what all you want to power. Like i said im no electrician but if all you want to run is your filter and heater 2 maybe 3 deep cycle batteries should last you through the night. Maybe 1 i dont know. The panels will charge the batteries while the sun is up. Getting them ready for the next night. Thats what ive understood from what ive read so far. And to run your entire house you will need alot of panels and alot of batteries. lol

Leave your headlights on and see how long it takes to run dead. of course battery life varies.