Power Outage!

[Schism]

Major storm ripped through the area and power has been out since 3:45pm today. Houses damaged, trees and power lines down everywhere. No estimated time of power return and i have 2 tanks both have struggled. Rumors going around that power may not return until sunday.

Luckily i had the generator in storage. I still have one tank without power that ive been stirring, hopefully everything makes it outta this alive. 2 days with no power is sketchy. Any suggestions?

 

[Schism]

Power has been out approx 7 hours now. My main reef is chugging along on the generator thank god but my tank in the basement is not that fortunate. No extension cord to reach that far. And its pitch black down there making seeing very hard with a single mag lite and no help.

I see my gramma leaning against a rock, still alive. I am trying to stir the water about every half an hour. Temp has dropped to 76.

Went to get more gas for the generator. Easily costing me 30 bucks so far in gas just to keep it running. Only one gas station in town has power and they are out of gas as of 10:30 so ill either have to drive in the morning 20 miles to get gas or hopefully power is on by then, however no estimate still and no power trucks around. Lines still down everywhere. Nearby cities are scrambling for gas, what a nightmare.

 

[Flreefer]

Best of luck with it Schism...Hope it comes back on for you. The generator won't run the filtration for both tanks?

 

[bioteacher]

Link many cords together to get power down there perhaps? Any neighbors with extension cords to help?

 

[Convict2161]

Too many extension cords will cause a fire. They will heat up and the cords will start to melt and arc. please DO NOT connect more then 3 heavy gauge cords together. The longer the stretch of cords the more heat they will produce therefor creating a fire hazard.

You'll also wanna make sure the cord is rated to handle the wattage. As you link cords together the wattage has longer to travel and will conduct heat inside the cord. Many house fires are started this way. I've seen it too many times where people plug something from the second floor into the basement and are running a heavy duty appliance.

Anything with a motor like your generator will create an issue if too many cords are used.

I've seen a vacuum cleaner start a fire because of an extension cord.

 

[bioteacher]

Wow....I had no idea. Scratch my advice. Be careful!

 

[AquaRick]

Wrap blankets around your tanks to keep them warm. Stir the water up as much as you can. Is there any way to move the livestock from the non-functioning tank to your working tank?

 

[JustinKBreen]

I say conserve gas and turn on the pumps for an hour or so and then let the sit for an hour. Good advice about using blankets.

 

[Schism]

Thanks for the help guys, and yes that is the issue with the cords, from outside where the generator is to All the way in the basement where the tank is is well over 100 feet.

Unfortunately most people are not home or skipped town because of the 2-4 day power outage forecast. I may have to get a 100' cord tomorrow. Everything within a good 20 miles is out of power i believe.

I threw a blanket on and the temp rose a bit so thats good. However not sure how the oxygen level is doing this long with sporadic stirring.

I cannot out in running tank due to aggression issues, and i dont wanna any live stock or multiple live stock dying because of that. Also the gramma is impossible to catch in the dark, i dont have any help. Just me here. Wife and kid are in at her parents.

Im sitting on the back porch guarding the generator with my .45 lol. Stolen generators have already happened a few times today. This town is a madhouse.

I may be able to catch any love stock and put in a bucket upstairs with a powerhead hooked up to the generator but that has to wait till tomorrow if i can get some help.

I dont think i can afford to keep this thing running for 4 days so i hope to god its not that long. Also banks are down and only places open are only accepting cash so its hard to get much of anything right now.

My biggest worry is tom, when its 95 degrees and i have no air conditioning, im think my tank is gonna over heat so i may have to stock up on ice too. Gonna be a long weekend

 

[Schism]

I say conserve gas and turn on the pumps for an hour or so and then let the sit for an hour. Good advice about using blankets.

I was thinking this too, just wasnt sure if that repeatly would cause a problem. But thanks, i may be doing that tomorrow when my gas supply starts getting low. Driving to get gas tom somewhere whatever is open and filling up a few cans, i will ration those.

 

[Convict2161]

Hey bud sorry to hear about what's going on. I feel your pain and wish you the best of luck with not only your fish but with you and your family.

Stay safe out there!


Not sure if this pertains to your situation but I picked up 2 of these just in case. Maybe it's worth looking into as far as oxygenating the water? Just a thought.

http://www.thereeftank.com/compare-...-professional-acdc-battery-operated-air-pump/

 

[Schism]

Hey bud sorry to hear about what's going on. I feel your pain and wish you the best of luck with not only your fish but with you and your family.

Stay safe out there!

Not sure if this pertains to your situation but I picked up 2 of these just in case. Maybe it's worth looking into as far as oxygenating the water? Just a thought.

http://www.thereeftank.com/compare-air-pumps/hurricane-category-5-professional-acdc-battery-operated-air-pump/

Thanks Convict!

I have the mp10 so getting the backup battery has always been an option but low on my list of priorities, its much higher now lol. Also never seen the battery pumps thanks ill check them out for future emergencies.

To everyone reading i HIGHLY suggest a generator for any reef tank investment. If i did not have this thing my tank would be history, no buts about it. It is such a life saver and i suggest everyone to figure out what they would do in my shoes and plan ahead.

Thanks for the help and advice guys, ill keep it updated. Im prolly gonna be up all night

 

[Chiroptera]

My power's out too. I hope all your fish and reef stay safe! My tank is FW but I have no generator. I wish you well, it's tough out here, and I can only hope it won't be as hot where the storms hit as it was yesterday. Following, and I'm sorry that this happened.

 

[Schism]

My power's out too. I hope all your fish and reef stay safe! My tank is FW but I have no generator. I wish you well, it's tough out here, and I can only hope it won't be as hot where the storms hit as it was yesterday. Following, and I'm sorry that this happened.

Well everything is living still, now 12hrs without power, so no sorrys need yet lol but im still optimistic. If it gets to be 2 or 3 days then im gonna be on a thin edge lol. Generator is still running strong, my biggest fear is the heat today. No way to cool off the tank besides maybe some ice. But suppose to get 95 so not sure how much that will help.

Hope your tank pulls through without any problems too.

 

[ccCapt]

Get a gallon milk jug, fill it with tank water, suspend it over your tank and poke a small hole in the bottom. The water dripping back into the tank will help keep the water oxygenated.
Good Luck.

 

[Schism]

Get a gallon milk jug, fill it with tank water, suspend it over your tank and poke a small hole in the bottom. The water dripping back into the tank will help keep the water oxygenated.
Good Luck.

Awesome idea capt! I need to figure out how to suspend over my tank though. That could be tricky.

 

[Sniperhank]

I feel for you man. Before I got into saltwater and was fresh out of college we had a storm knock power out for 3 days. Sitting on the porch with your parents for 3 days trying to come up with things to talk about wasn't fun...the fact that I didn't have water to shower because of my well having no power wasn't fun either. Luckily I have access to a generator since my uncle owns a radio station (mandated all own one after 9-11) and that I have a natural spring that you can drink on the property.

I feel for you man, I really wish I could help out. This might not be true, but I was informed that hydrogen peroxide can be used to get oxygen back into your tank in an emergency such as this. Might be worth a shot for your basement tank. And good call with the .45 guarding the generator, thats what guards things I leave outside too.

 

[Schism]

Ok so we have been without power about 18 hours now, reports saying 2-4 days, with businesses getting back online first and then residents. Thats the most widely heard report going around.

Ive still yet to sleep, wife is out fetching ice and gas. Generator is topped off and i started doing an hour on and hour off, also have the fridge plugged in now so nothing spoils. Wife really hates me right now. I keep hearing repeated sentences starting with "if it wasnt for those god**** fish tanks......."

Secretly i plugged in the fridge just so the beer stays cold, im gonna need it i have a feeling.

 

[Sniperhank]

A fridge can keep things cold for 3 days without being plugged in as long as it isn't opened up a thousand times.

 

[Schism]

A fridge can keep things cold for 3 days without being plugged in as long as it isn't opened up a thousand times.

Well since the beer is in there id say its gonna be opened atleast a thousand times lol. Thanks for the info sniper