Power outage question

[TheDudeAbides]

Major snow/ice storm coming across the northeast tomorrow with potential for power outages. Any advice on what to do with an aquarium setup that may become powerless? IF I have the ability to power only one thing for a period of time, what would be the more important component? I’m guessing the heater? Temps will be well below freezing, possibly in the negatives and if there’s no heat in the house, it will get cold inside fast. But there’s also the issue of filtration and aeration.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Fish will die through lack of oxygen before they die from water cooling. Overnight without a heater, not normally a problem, overnight with no oxygenation is a different matter. So keeping an airstone running is a good idea, and you can get battery powered airstones. Or manually turn over the water surface periodically. I did see a YouTube video of a DIY powerless airpump a while back. I'll see if I can find it.

Wrap the aquarium with blankets to preserve temperature. Note that heaters will only raise water temperature by a finite amount. A properly sized heater will raise the water temperature by about 10f/ 5c above ambient temperature. So if your room really does drop below freezing, unless your heater is significantly oversized or you have multiple heaters running the water temperature will still drop pretty significantly.

If you are likely to be days without power, your beneficial bacteria are at risk if the filter stops working and stops supplying oxygenated water. If its a type of filter where the filter media is in a sealed compartment, eg a canister, then removing the filter media into an open container of dechlorinated water will preserve some of that bacteria, if you can get an airstone in there thats even better. If none of thats possible just removing the top of the filter so that some gas exchange can happen with the water and media left in the filter is better than leaving the filter sealed and enclosed.

 

[Aiken Drum]

DIY Air stone areator all water powered, no electic!

So I'm betting there are a few tanks out there right now with no power. Aeration is more of a concern than heat, so here is a YouTube Video I found that appears to work pretty good. Maybe a little late, but if you have the stuff laying around, looks like you can build this in about an hour...

www.aquariumadvice.com

 

[Andy Sager]

If you have a bait and Tackle store nearby, they make battery operated airpumps for bait which can help oxygenate the water while the filter is off but best is to keep the filter material in oxygenated water as well.

 

[G2-B]

I used these last night to get past 4+ hr outage. Temperature was not a problem at my location.

1. battery-powered air bubbler for bait bucket. ($7.50 @ walmart)
2. UPS battery backup for computer. I pulled all the power cables out and hooked it up to the air pump of an aquarium. Air pump is low wattage, so a 1500VA UPS battery can last through the night.
   
   
3. A working generator can run everything in the aquarium.
   
   
4. Depending on how big the house is, a car diesel heater may help to keep your water lines from freezing. Either run exhaust to outside, or make sure you have sufficient air inside the house to run it.
5. A Mr. Buddy propane heater is more expensive to run but it has a safety shut-off.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

Thank you for all advice. Thankfully, we did not lose power. But I may still invest in a battery powered pump for the future.

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you for all advice. Thankfully, we did not lose power. But I may still invest in a battery powered pump for the future.

Just make sure you get a good supply of batteries WHEN a power outage is predicted. I'll also add that Penn Plax makes a plug in air pump that will automatically turn on when the power goes out. You just have to keep an eye on the batteries in it.

 

[Paul L]

I was wondering if something like one of the "Space Blankets" made of reflective mylar would help keep the temperature up in the tank. Super lightweight, could be cut to fit easily.

 

[Andy Sager]

I was wondering if something like one of the "Space Blankets" made of reflective mylar would help keep the temperature up in the tank. Super lightweight, could be cut to fit easily.

AI says you can but also suggests that you use something like bubble wrap or cardboard as a double insulation as well as not totally covering the top so there is an exchange of gases. You also need to be careful with placing the blanket over a hot lighting. Personally, I had tanks outside during a rare freeze in Florida. I wrapped the tanks in 3/4" styrofoam board and had a heater in the tanks and the fish came through with flying colors. I currently have fish outside and just wrap the tanks with the same styro, no heater and use a cloth blanket and the fish do fine as long as the temp stays above 40 degrees. I tend to trust old school vs new tech because " New is not always better. "

 

[Paul L]

AI says you can but also suggests that you use something like bubble wrap or cardboard as a double insulation as well as not totally covering the top so there is an exchange of gases. You also need to be careful with placing the blanket over a hot lighting. Personally, I had tanks outside during a rare freeze in Florida. I wrapped the tanks in 3/4" styrofoam board and had a heater in the tanks and the fish came through with flying colors. I currently have fish outside and just wrap the tanks with the same styro, no heater and use a cloth blanket and the fish do fine as long as the temp stays above 40 degrees. I tend to trust old school vs new tech because " New is not always better. "

I would probably have to use bubble wrap, as I have a bow-front tank. Excellent suggestions, though!

 

[Andy Sager]

I would probably have to use bubble wrap, as I have a bow-front tank. Excellent suggestions, though!

Styro, if thin enough, can be somewhat molded and bubble wrap alone will not keep in any heat so you would still need another outer layer. What you can do is "square" the tank with the bubble wrap then use a thicker styro as your outer layer.