Power outage...freezing weather!!!

[yohann976]

There is a good possibility that I might experience a power outage tonight. Freezing rain in Central Iowa has taken down many power lines and over 100,000 are already without power. The lights are flickering at my place and I think that it is only a matter of time before my power goes out.

What do I do if the power goes out? Lets assume that it goes out and I won't have power for a couple of days. I'm guessing that all of my discus will die. My plants may have a chance if it doesn't freeze. The temp will be below freezing outside though. Should I be worried about the water in my tanks freezing? If so, should I drain out the water? I have a 75 and a 90 gallon tank.....could be messy if the glass breaks.

Sorry if this message is jumpy, but I am in a hurry considering my power could go out at any minute. Any help would be great.

 

[Michael]

Scary thought. I'm sorry I don't have many answers for you. If you loose power cover the tanks with heavy blankets. Try to move the surface water to generate oxygen. Don't feed. Pray a lot and try to find a generator.

Good luck, I wish you well.

 

[Regen311]

I've often thought about this myself... we're supposed to be getting an ice storm here in Ohio around midnight, and I'm also supposed to be going home (only an hour away) for Spring break tomorrow (yeah, it's early, we're on quarters, not semesters). So, I don't know what I would do. I'm thinking with my community tank, I'd have better luck than with the more picky Discus though... it's scary to think about. Good luck. The power doesn't usually go out for long here, and I'm guessing the temperature inside would still be pretty warm, and a 55 gallon tank won't get cold too fast...s o by the time the power came back on... hopefully it wouldn't have gotten too cold in the tank.

 

[yohann976]

so far, i have blankets on top of both tanks. also, the lights in my house have stopped flickering . the heater in my house is blasting just in case.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

If the power does go out for an extended amount of time, and you have a cannister filter, be sure to unplug it. Reason being, the bacteria that is living in there will die from lack of oxygen and water movement and should the power come back on while you are asleep it will flush all that into the tank, very possibly killing your fish. Should the power go out for an extended amount of time, you will need to disassemble the filter and clean it, again, this is typically only the case with enclosed canisters.

As far as the tank goes, be sure to gover it well. Blanks, tarps or garbage bags. With out the wind blowing in from outside, there really shouldn't be a huge drastic drop of temperature inside your home overnight. Even less of a change inside the tank if you insulate it well. Be sure to open it up slightly and move some water around in order to keep some oxygen supplied.

Your water heater should be filled with hot water, so if the power goes out, you can always supplement the tank with partial water changes, using the correct temp water. Obviously though for an extended outage, that tank will cool down (or you will use up all the hot water) also.

Tomorrow, if the power isn't back on, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a generator to run the necessities. (home depot, lowes, menards, ace hardware) Air pump, heater.

HTH

 

[Jarred Darque]

Another thing that may buy a few extra hours, is heat up your home to mid to high 70s. Will keep your tnaks from coollin down to far to fast

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I was in the same situation you were. We lost power the first time for 5 hours. I didn't cover the tanks and the tank temp dropped from 78 to the lower 60s in that time. The second time was due to an ice storm. I covered the tanks with thick blankets and turned on the battery powered air pump on our 150. When I took the covers off 9 hours later when the power came back on the temp was in the mid 70s. It was so cold in our apt. We can't use a generator on our apt so that was out of the question. We just had to deal with the cold. Good luck.

 

[LandGhoti]

I second all of that. Cover the tanks, use a battery-powered air pump (it will go on automatically if your power goes out), and agitate the water several times. In December, when my power went out from an ice storm, I covered my tank. The coldest it got was 54 and my apartment temp was for sure below freezing, so your water will most likely not freeze. The only reason my tank got so cold was because while I was gone during the day, one of my silly cats pulled the blankets off.

Good luck! I hope the power stays on for you.

 

[yohann976]

I think that I am in the clear! I'm still seeing a ton of snow still coming down, but at least the freezing rain has stopped. Power did go out last night since my alarm clocks were flashing, but I think that it was only for a short while.

I blasted my furnace to really warm up my house. I covered my tanks with thick blankets and used battery-power air pumps. When I woke up, the temp in my house was somewhat cold, but the temps in both of my tanks maintained their original temps.

Thanks everyone for the advice. It certainly gave me peace of mind and helped me keep my tanks at a steady temperature.

 

[farmgirl]

I'm really glad to hear you're in the clear, I went through this last month. Everyone here really helped. It's such a scary feeling thinking you'll lose something you've worked so hard for. I've since invested in battery air pumps and are now pricing generators.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It's great if you can use a generator but for some of us that can't, we just have to brave it and hope for the best. I'm glad you are in the clear for now.

 

[yohann976]

Just one last thought. My fiance was kind of upset that I was so concerned about keeping my fish tanks warm rather than each other. I told her that we could wear multiple layers of clothes, but a fish wouldn't do too well in a sweater.lol.

 

[Jarred Darque]

hahaha

 

[SparKy697]

Glad to hear you weathered the storm in good shape. That being said, now is the time to prepare for the next power outage. Battery backup is a good way to keep at least your heater going. If you can afford a big enough one that can operate your filter, even better. Don't worry about the lights.

Another option would be a kerosene heater. Placed near your tank, it will for sure keep the water from getting too cold.

The best option would be some kind of backup generator. Not cheap but if you are in a place where power outages happen regularly it would be worth it. Not only for your fish but for your comfort too.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

http://www.emergencypowersupply.com/pages/22.asp

quite the price tag, but offers 50,000 watts of power. If you have many fish tanks, this might not be a bad investment. Not to mention that you might be able to find a smaller one, or used one somewhere.