Power cut

[Tjt34]

Hi guys. Some builders up the street managed to cut power to our street for 12 hours today and I was panicking about my new fish (partly lack of filtration but mostly lack of heater).

He seems to have survived through a combination of dumb luck and a couple of water changes with warmer water to try to keep temp up (our boiler still works).

Was water changes a good idea? Is there anything else I should have done?

Also, realistically how long can a Betta survive with no heater / filter? Am I just panicking for nothing? I keep it at around 26-27 deg normally but it had dropped to 21 by the time I got back from work.

Just want a backup plan ready as fully expecting builders to do a repeat performance.

Cheers for passing on your knowledge.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I'm guessing since the temp dropped so fast it was either a small tank or a very cold day. I would wrap it in aluminum foil and a towel to keep in the heat. You can purchase a battery powered air pump to provide surface agitation not that it's really needed with a Betta. Make sure the filter media stays wet. You can place it in the tank if the water level drops too low in the filter. 12 hours isn't anything to worry about really.

 

[Boomer23]

They have battery back up power strips with timers, so if power is lost it still does its thing, i also agree with top thread, 12hrs isnt much but a back up solution is always best

 

[Tjt34]

Thanks for the advice guys. Good to know.

 

[Zevyn]

I have mine on a UPS. They tend to get anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours on battery based on power load after a power failure for my server room at work (I scavenge old ones when we upgrade so I'm fortunate there), so I'd imagine they could go over 2 hours on the light load the aquarium hardware uses. Would be a decent option, but wouldn't get you through 12 hours of downtime.

If you have the disposable income, you could pick up a UPS and a battery-powered aerator as a 1-2 punch, and just let the UPS drain down, and then fall back on the aerator once the UPS is no longer able to power things. The nice thing about this is that if you're at work and your power flickers or goes out for a brief period, you won't have any interruptions.