Funny Power is out--genius way I'm running my air pumps

[Fishstery]

Naturally when it rains, it pours. Literally. Had a terrible day at work and my beater vehicle died on me, then we get a HUGE thunderstorm that knocked our power out. No word on when it will be back on, but naturally my first concern were my 5 fish tanks. I literally started blowing bubbles into the water with straws in a panic. Then I remembered something.

My '17 silverado has a nifty 120v power outlet (standard house outlet) that will run up to 150 watts. 7 extension cords later, and I have my truck outside in the driveway idling and the extension cords ran into the house where I have 2 air pumps and one aquarium heater plugged into. My boyfriend is going to think I'm insane when he gets home from work! Unfortunately I had to pick "priority tanks" to run since I don't have enough cord for all 5, so I decided because killifish and bettas can literally survive in puddles, they would have to wait out the outage while I put oxygen into my co2 injected tanks. If this goes on for another hour or two, I will alternate tanks with the airstone. My bettas tank dropped to 74 but I have it wrapped in a towel, so fingers crossed I can get through this with no issues. Wish me luck guys!

 

[Rose of Sharon]

How wonderful!!!! Hope the power comes back on soon!!!

Good luck and great thinking!

 

[Basil]

Brilliant! Sounds like something I would do. . Actually, I have a few battery powered air pumps but seem to have added a few more tanks lol!
Need to order a few more air pumps!
We were driving back from the beach today and hit terrible storms.
Hope the power is back on soon!

 

[Fishstery]

Brilliant! Sounds like something I would do. . Actually, I have a few battery powered air pumps but seem to have added a few more tanks lol!
Need to order a few more air pumps!
We were driving back from the beach today and hit terrible storms.
Hope the power is back on soon!

In hindsight I will be ordering a few now hopefully it doesn't get to the point where any ammonia builds up. I'd say the power has been out for about 3-5 hours, it's hard to say because I was at work while it went out and only found out when I got home. I won't be getting much sleep tonight, I will most likely have to wake up every few hours to move the airstones around and check how much gas is left in the truck. I'm thinking I will double dose prime in the tanks when the airstone is on (to mix it into the water). That's about all I can do until the power is back on and I can run the filters.

 

[Basil]

In hindsight I will be ordering a few now hopefully it doesn't get to the point where any ammonia builds up. I'd say the power has been out for about 3-5 hours, it's hard to say because I was at work while it went out and only found out when I got home. I won't be getting much sleep tonight, I will most likely have to wake up every few hours to move the airstones around and check how much gas is left in the truck. I'm thinking I will double dose prime in the tanks when the airstone is on (to mix it into the water). That's about all I can do until the power is back on and I can run the filters.

Good ol chevy trucks! Add keeping fish alive to their list of duties lol!
Although our current truck is an old 2000 GMC.
And yeah, I know I wouldn’t sleep much either.

 

[Fishstery]

Just thought I'd let you guys know the power just kicked on! Crisis averted good ol chevy in to save the day. Glad I atleast thought of a short term way to aerate the co2 tanks, drop checkers were light green with zero flow for God knows how long before I came home. All the fish seem to be okay though!

 

[Dechi]

I understand you did it for the fish, but this is really bad for the environment. In my city, you’re not allowed to run a car idle for more than 2 minutes.

You should get battery operated air pumps for next time. They’re not too expensive and will save you a lot of trouble.

 

[Fishstery]

I understand you did it for the fish, but this is really bad for the environment. In my city, you’re not allowed to run a car idle for more than 2 minutes.

You should get battery operated air pumps for next time. They’re not too expensive and will save you a lot of trouble.

I only ran the truck for about an hour tops lol. It's a 6.2L big boy v8....sorry but it's not good for the environment in any scenario! This was an emergency situation...if I had battery operated pumps I would not have had my garage kept baby outside in a storm LOL.

 

[Sorg67]

We have a lot of power outages here in Central Florida. I have battery powered air pumps as part of my power outage kit. They can run the sponge filters I have in each tank for about 36 hours on a pair of D cell batteries. I also have a generator. But I do not turn that on unless we are going to be without power for a long time and need to keep the refrigerators going. The generator can run all the filters and heaters. But here in Central Florida we do not have to worry about tanks getting too cold. More likely to get too warm.

 

[RayClem]

I once had power go out for several days due to an ice storm. I removed a little water from the tank and heated it over a wood fire to keep the tank from getting too cold. Although the house got really cold, the fish were kept reasonably warm.

Just removing a pitcher of water from the tank and pouring it back in will provide water movement and promote gas exchange at the water's surface. If you do this several times each hour, the fish should be OK.

 

[Fishstery]

I once had power go out for several days due to an ice storm. I removed a little water from the tank and heated it over a wood fire to keep the tank from getting too cold. Although the house got really cold, the fish were kept reasonably warm.

Just removing a pitcher of water from the tank and pouring it back in will provide water movement and promote gas exchange at the water's surface. If you do this several times each hour, the fish should be OK.

Unfortunately the power went out right in the middle of my light cycle, so there was zero ramp down time with the co2 before the power was cut. So the co2 was still in full blast pumping the tank with gas and all of a sudden zero flow or water movement. That's why I was in such a hurry to put ample oxygen into the tank, not to mention that tank houses my rainbow shiners which are stream fish that require a higher level of dissolved oxygen. If the power would have went out after the co2 solenoid was off for the day and my plants had time to suck some of it up it wouldn't have been such an emergency. But I don't think simple things like blowing bubbles with straws or pouring water was going to provide enough gas exchange with how much co2 was present at the time i got home. Not to mention that I didn't get home for at least 2 hours after the power went out. So my shiners had to sit through a tank full of co2 with zero water flow for hours before I got there. It could have been a disaster, but luckily it wasn't. I still wont know if any issues came from the situation until I get home from work today and have time to assess the damage, if any.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

We have a lot of power outages here in Central Florida. I have battery powered air pumps as part of my power outage kit. They can run the sponge filters I have in each tank for about 36 hours on a pair of D cell batteries. I also have a generator. But I do not turn that on unless we are going to be without power for a long time and need to keep the refrigerators going. The generator can run all the filters and heaters. But here in Central Florida we do not have to worry about tanks getting too cold. More likely to get too warm.

Can you tell me what kind/brand of battery powered air pump that you have? I am in Louisiana, and we have power outages all of the time. I do have something that I can use, but it does not last as long as yours (I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 hours out of mine). I would love to get a few now that hurricane season is upon us again!
Thanks!!!

 

[Sorg67]

These pumps are not great quality nor very strong. But they seem adequate.

 

[Fishstery]

These pumps are not great quality nor very strong. But they seem adequate.

I just ordered 4 of these for next time this happens lol! Thank you for the helpful suggestion.

 

[Sorg67]

I just ordered 4 of these for next time this happens lol! Thank you for the helpful suggestion.

Hope they work for you.

 

[StarGirl]

I have that one too. It is very loud....lol Life exchange.....

 

[Cara]

Can you tell me what kind/brand of battery powered air pump that you have? I am in Louisiana, and we have power outages all of the time. I do have something that I can use, but it does not last as long as yours (I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 hours out of mine). I would love to get a few now that hurricane season is upon us again!
Thanks!!!

I just lost power this past weekend. I had 1 battery pump and for no reason but to spend money, I bought a 2nd a couple of weeks ago. so thankfully I was prepared on the air front. I used each in a 36g tank and piggy backed a 10g off of them. Power was out for 14 hours but I ran them another 6 hours to see if the batteries would give out....but they were still fine.

My concern was the drop in water temp overnight. Now I'm researching how to maintain temps without a generator in my house or wired to my house or using gasoline. But I have gone days without power so I'm hoping to be prepared.

 

[Fishstery]

I just lost power this past weekend. I had 1 battery pump and for no reason but to spend money, I bought a 2nd a couple of weeks ago. so thankfully I was prepared on the air front. I used each in a 36g tank and piggy backed a 10g off of them. Power was out for 14 hours but I ran them another 6 hours to see if the batteries would give out....but they were still fine.

My concern was the drop in water temp overnight. Now I'm researching how to maintain temps without a generator in my house or wired to my house or using gasoline. But I have gone days without power so I'm hoping to be prepared.

My best idea for that is heatpacks in a double zip locked baggie. Clip it inside the tank above the bubbles from the pump with a chip clip but you gotta closely monitor the temperature and replace the heat packs when they exhaust. Wrapping the tank tightly in thick towels helps keep the heat in too. This is the only solution I've thought of so far!

 

[RayClem]

My best idea for that is heatpacks in a double zip locked baggie. Clip it inside the tank above the bubbles from the pump with a chip clip but you gotta closely monitor the temperature and replace the heat packs when they exhaust. Wrapping the tank tightly in thick towels helps keep the heat in too. This is the only solution I've thought of so far!

I presume when you are using the heat packs, you have them in zip lock bags with the top open. Heatpacks only generate heat when exposed to air. I have saved partially used heatpacks for later use by sealing them in bags with as much air removed as possible. This shuts down the reaction that generates heat.

 

[Fishstery]

I presume when you are using the heat packs, you have them in zip lock bags with the top open. Heatpacks only generate heat when exposed to air. I have saved partially used heatpacks for later use by sealing them in bags with as much air removed as possible. This shuts down the reaction that generates heat.

Yes that's right

 

[Cara]

I presume when you are using the heat packs, you have them in zip lock bags with the top open. Heatpacks only generate heat when exposed to air. I have saved partially used heatpacks for later use by sealing them in bags with as much air removed as possible. This shuts down the reaction that generates heat.

Thanks for clarifying this. I would have never known

My best idea for that is heatpacks in a double zip locked baggie. Clip it inside the tank above the bubbles from the pump with a chip clip but you gotta closely monitor the temperature and replace the heat packs when they exhaust. Wrapping the tank tightly in thick towels helps keep the heat in too. This is the only solution I've thought of so far!

Great idea. Thanks. I have a case of hand warmers in the basement. I wonder if they expire
I also saw suggestions of using those emergency blankets for camping. So I'm looking into that as well. They're pretty cheap.

 

[emeraldking]

I've recently shipped two packages domestically and abroad to Latvia, using heatpacks because it became too cold outdoors. Once it's heated up, I've put them in a paper bag that let air get through. That works as well. But yes, they need air to heat up. I wouldn't put them in a plastic bag. For it will absorb the air in the bag too fast and won't be functional anymore.

 

[Cara]

I've recently shipped two packages domestically and abroad to Latvia, using heatpacks because it became too cold outdoors. Once it's heated up, I've put them in a paper bag that let air get through. That works as well. But yes, they need air to heat up. I wouldn't put them in a plastic bag. For it will absorb the air in the bag too fast and won't be functional anymore.

That's interesting but I'm not clear of the relevance to fishtanks. are you suggesting putting paper bags in the fishtank?

 

[emeraldking]

That's interesting but I'm not clear of the relevance to fishtanks. are you suggesting putting paper bags in the fishtank?

Oh, no... that's totally not what i've meant. I was just referring to what RayClem wrote. But then in reference to fish that will be shipped. For those heatpacks need air to get the job done. If you'd close a plastic bag with a heatpack in it, the air will be absorbed by the heatpack pretty fast. So, in need of using heatpacks in a plastic bag, be sure the top is open to allow the air to come in.

 

[DerekO24]

I understand you did it for the fish, but this is really bad for the environment. In my city, you’re not allowed to run a car idle for more than 2 minutes.

You should get battery operated air pumps for next time. They’re not too expensive and will save you a lot of trouble.

There’s always got to be a buzzkill

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

I've recently shipped two packages domestically and abroad to Latvia, using heatpacks because it became too cold outdoors. Once it's heated up, I've put them in a paper bag that let air get through. That works as well. But yes, they need air to heat up. I wouldn't put them in a plastic bag. For it will absorb the air in the bag too fast and won't be functional anymore.

I've always wondered this, do Europeans know a ton of languages so they can talk with people all over the EU or only just their native language. Because, I kind of see them like provinces or states, like they all have their own culture and heritage and laws obviously, but their economy is kind of combined in a way and there is free travel between places.

 

[RayClem]

I've always wondered this, do Europeans know a ton of languages so they can talk with people all over the EU or only just their native language. Because, I kind of see them like provinces or states, like they all have their own culture and heritage and laws obviously, but their economy is kind of combined in a way and there is free travel between places.

I live in the USA and am only fluent in English. In school, I studied Spanish for 2 years and German for 3 years, but never achieved fluency in either.

My German teacher grew up in Estonia and spoke Estonian, German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Flemish and I believe Spanish, Portuguese and Polish. Her father was an ambassador for Estonia, so she lived in a variety of countries, and her language skills likely exceeded most Europeans. However, it is not unusual for Europeans to speak multiple languages. Nearly everyone in Europe learns to speak English in school. Otherwise, sites like this one would not exist. We have forum members from all over the world and most of the conversations are conducted in English. It is we who are native English speakers who are often too lazy to learn other languages.

I live in the Chicagoland area where there are people groups from all over the world. I often hear people speaking in languages I do not understand. I wish I could converse in many of them.

 

[Cara]

Oh, no... that's totally not what i've meant. I was just referring to what RayClem wrote. But then in reference to fish that will be shipped. For those heatpacks need air to get the job done. If you'd close a plastic bag with a heatpack in it, the air will be absorbed by the heatpack pretty fast. So, in need of using heatpacks in a plastic bag, be sure the top is open to allow the air to come in.

Ok. Got it. It just made me wonder cause I was asking about heating my tank in emergency without using a generator. I've always found interesting suggestions and techniques here. Thought maybe this was another

I have a case of hand warmers in the basement. I wonder if they expire

Yes....handwarmers have an expiration date. Mine were 10/18 ‍♀️ but they still warmed up!

 

[emeraldking]

I've always wondered this, do Europeans know a ton of languages so they can talk with people all over the EU or only just their native language. Because, I kind of see them like provinces or states, like they all have their own culture and heritage and laws obviously, but their economy is kind of combined in a way and there is free travel between places.

Well, most europeans learn a second language. In Holland when children go to high school, German, English and French is taught. It's even that nowadays, children learn already english at elementary school.

I myself do speak English, German, French, a bit of Italian, A bit of Slovak and Czech. But I also speak Indonesian.

But since the European Union (EU) has become a fact, a lot of borders of member countries of the EU are open. This has resulted in the fact that more people are willing to learn other languages as well. Living in a EU country, allows you to work in every other country within the EU. So, you don't need a green card to work in one of those countries as a EU citizen.