MousePotato

Hello, all. I bought some battery operated air pumps at Petsmart to help my fishies through the hurricane. They are the kind that kick on when you lose power and they use two D cell batteries.

Is anyone familiar with these? How long will they keep working? The power went out around 5:00 this morning (Central time) and may be out for weeks. My home is not damaged, but I cannot get there for a few days to change the batteries.

Thanks.

rifter098

i have one, but im not sure how long they last as my power has only gone out for 5-6hrs at a time, but ive used them 3 times...so they have worked for 15-18 hrs without being changed...

MousePotato

Thanks. There isn't much I can do right now but hope. Man, I can't WAIT to move out of hurricane country!

Shawnie

im so glad you are ok mouse!! was just asking about ya on another thread...I hope the time it takes you to get back, the batteries last...Im not sure how anyone knows how long the batteries will make it... one can make a guess im sure......batteries are as unpredictable as kids...Im sayin lots of prayers for you all..and a lil extra for your fish babies!

small-fish

hopefully everything is ok

MousePotato

Thank you, Shawnie and small-fish. It warms my heart to have my fishlore friends concerned about us.

I'm not sure how soon I will be able to go back. Hopefully soon, since we live so far north. Husband is considering having a locksmith come to the house to let someone in to change the batteries. Boy, have I converted him or what?

clinton1621

I've used them while fishing and as rifter said, they will last about 12-15 hours. I hope all your fish are ok! Especially after all the meds and time you spent trying to get them better.

sirdarksol

The good news is that the biggest issue in a power outage is heat, or more to the point, lack of heat.
We had a member last year who lost all of his/her fish during the blizzards that cut power for weeks.

Your fish should be fine.

MousePotato

I had a whole long message typed out to clinton and SDS, but the system ate it!

I will just say "Thanks, SDS. I don't think heat will be an issue down here."

And "Thanks for the info, clinton. I was hoping to get 37 hours like it said on the "bait" ones. These are specially designed for fish tanks. They plug in to the wall and only come on when the power goes off."

clinton1621

I would say that they would last about as long as the bait ones do, both kinds use 2 D batteries so I'm guessing they would last equal amounts of time. But like SDS said, heat is the main issue... the water, depending on fish load, should stay fairly aerated for a couple of days without power.

sirdarksol

What, you don't think your tank will go below 70 degrees in a non-air-conditioned house at the end of summer in Texas just after a hurricane has hit?

MousePotato

The tank is pretty well loaded, but I can't feed them, so water quality has a chance. Heat is not an issue. I will try to get back on Monday, if the roads are clear. Debris has made some roads impassable.


I'm thinking ICH won't be an issue. If they are below 84 degrees, I will be shocked! Not just Texas - southeast Texas! We're supposed to get a cold front in a few days, which may bring temps down to the 70s , but I don't think the house will cool off that much after 6-7 months of scorching Houston summer.

clinton1621

Lol, Southern people crack me up... 70 degrees is warm! Try below freezing one time and you will love 70 degrees

MousePotato

Trust me, that was a joke! I am not a native Texan, but to these people that is chilly, if not cold.

On the other hand, I hear people like YOU think 90 is hot! My sister spent a summer in Michigan and she said an outdoor activity was cancelled because it was supposed to get up to 90 that day. That's like a cold front down here!

clinton1621

Yeah but its a humid 90 here LOL, I've been to Oklahoma in 90 degree weather and you can tell the difference in humidity... its weird how that works.

RandomKayos

For my I think you will be fine, I looked over your tank info and read a few thread you have discussed your tanks in and I'm willing to bet they will be fine. I know you have had a few issues but none of them seemd to be related to overstocking so that's a good sign. I am very sure your fish will be thrilled when you get there and once the power comes back but for now they will tuff it out with good nature and humor.

RK

MousePotato

Um... Clinton, I generally like you and try not to mock (too much), but... Have you ever BEEN to Houston?!? You need scuba gear to leave the house most days.

Thanks, RK. I hope so. They do seem to have quite the sense of humor.

sirdarksol

I've got to agree with Clinton on the humidity thing. I've been in the South Dakota Badlands in 100+ degree weather, and it wasn't that bad, but a MN 95 that's preceding a huge thunderstorm is awful because your sweat doesn't evaporate, it just pools in your clothes.

Of course, we're talking about the difference between your "hot" and our "hot" being ten degrees or so, while our "cold" and your "cold" are seventy degrees apart.

Anyway, I hope all the fish are doing okay, and I hope the cats haven't decided to cool themselves off in the tanks.

MousePotato

Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm afraid we're just going to have to agree to disagree about the humidity issue. I don't see how Ohio can beat 100% humidity in 109 degree weather.

clinton1621

Well guess what... Ike, or what was left of Ike, made a visit to Ohio today. Basically a category one level hurricane.... 80 mph winds, 700,000 people without power just in Cincinnati alone, numerous fires, 1,000s of trees knocked down onto homes and vehicles, roofs blown off, siding ripped off of houses. Its unbelievable how a storm can travel that far and still have so much strength left.

sirdarksol

Okay, so I figured out part of the difference. Yes, Houston has really high humidity (when I think of Texas, I think of the more inland parts, where my family lives. These have much lower humidity), and average summer temps topping out about 10 degrees higher, but where your winter temps sit at around 60-70, ours go into the negatives. When you spend half of the year in below-freezing temps, 95 degrees at 100% humidity feels like the hottest thing in existence. Also, our humidity doesn't drop as much as the day goes on. Basically, the sun isn't shining directly enough to stir the air up.

Edit: Jeez! That's really far inland, and also a really sharp turn north. I heard that Chicago is getting hit with a ton of rain that's flooding the streets.
Glad that you're okay, Clinton. Hopefully everyone around here (at Fishlore) is still doing okay.

MousePotato

Cheeses, clinton! I'm glad you are okay. It's really hard to believe Ike still has that much in him. East Texas got hit pretty hard, too, but took little damage. In fact, today was gorgeous and we spent about 7 hours looking at houses in that area.

Ah-ha! That's the issue! No one outside this area knows where "The Woodlands" is. Texas is very big. Remember, "it's like a whole other country," which is why english is so poorly spoken, I think.

For anyone else reading this, we're a hoity-toity "community" about 30 miles north of downtown Houston. We're about 80 miles from the coast, so our humidity is almost constant. When you live near Houston, you get used to having a perpetual sheen of sweat on your skin. Let's just say I save a lot in makeup remover because there is nothing left on my face by lunchtime.

I agree about our winter temps. The few days it gets into the 40s, everyone whines horribly! That's how this whole conversation started - I was making fun of our "cold front" that would bring us down to the 70s and I inserted a to indicate how cold that is to people down here. I'm sure 95 in 100% humidity does feel like an oven up there, but, to us, it's a nice summer day.

MousePotato

Okay, as we say in Texas, "Ya'll ain't gonna believe this poop...."

We got a locksmith to let a friend into our house this afternoon. All of the fish are still alive and the bubblers were STILL GOING! It's been 84 hours since we lost power. I cannot recommend these things highly enough at this point!

mrsmuffin

I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth area - It was 57 degrees this morning and the kids were complaining because I hadn't warmed the car up before we left for school!!

KyWildFish

Apparently you all haven't been to the south east. Humidity is insane down there. Ive traveled all over and nothing compares. I firmly believe that the air is super saturated with water in some places. Mist floating around and being able to move your hands through the air and gathering a cupped hand full of water says a lot. Add 100 degree + heat and its pure misery. I moved from western mountainous Canada to Kentucky in August and literally couldn't breath for a few weeks.

After feeling the weakened storm here I really feel for you Mouse

sirdarksol

Glad that your fish are doing good, Mousepotato.

MousePotato

LOL! That's Texans for you! Tough as nails, as long as the mercury doesn't dip below 80!

BTW, I am LOVING the weather up here! I can't believe how nice it's been. I even enjoyed getting lost on the way to Walmart (I was in such a good mood I only half-heartedly flipped off the guy who honked at me). I haven't felt temperatures like this since February. Wish I didn't have to go back.

I think weather along the coast is pretty much the same in the southern regions, so I won't challenge you. In Houston the saying is "we don't trust air we can't see or drink!"

No need to feel too sorry for me. After the evacuations were done, I high-tailed it for Dallas to be with Husband. I've gotten really freaked out in tropical storms even with company, so I figured I'd be a danger to myself and others if I tried to ride out a hurricane alone. The tough part now is going back to no electricity after spending some lovely days in Dallas.

Thanks, SDS. It is quite a relief. Now if the power would just come back...