Power Outage

[Samanthaljay]

So nearly the entire area I live in is without power due to this crazy wind we have had all day. I am a bit worried about my tanks which has lead me to create this thread. Short of a generator for your whole house, what type of equipment do you all have on hand ready to go for this type of situation? I am definitely going to be buying whatever I need to help my fishie friends when I am in the dark next as it’s bound to happen again... but right now there isn’t much I can do being as it’s 7pm on a Sunday. They are saying it should be restored completely by tomorrow 12pm. There’s something like 77,000 people without power. I’m keeping my fingers crossed mine isn’t out up until then for my fishes’ sake, ugh

 

[Greg F]

How big a tank and what type of fish?

 

[Deku-Cory]

I’ve been terrified most of the day of our power going out. We live on the top of a hill and I feel like our house is going to get blown away at any moment! If I was smart I would have a battery powered air pump on standby so that I could keep the sponge filter running during an outage to provide flow and filtration. So that’s my suggestion, battery powered air pump and a sponge filter. The only problem is that the sponge filter has to have already been running, otherwise it would be pretty useless since it wouldn’t have any beneficial bacteria.

 

[Samanthaljay]

How big a tank and what type of fish?

29 gal with a bn pleco, rasboras and tetras. 10 gal qt with bronze Corys.

Still no power

I’ve been terrified most of the day of our power going out. We live on the top of a hill and I feel like our house is going to get blown away at any moment! If I was smart I would have a battery powered air pump on standby so that I could keep the sponge filter running during an outage to provide flow and filtration. So that’s my suggestion, battery powered air pump and a sponge filter. The only problem is that the sponge filter has to have already been running, otherwise it would be pretty useless since it wouldn’t have any beneficial bacteria.

I have sponge filters in my tanks so I will definitely have to look into a battery operated pump! Still no power

Just ordered a battery pump and D batteries which will be here tomorrow. Hoping my fish make it through. Still no power

 

[Kittenluna]

What do you do for a heater? That's what I'm scared of if the power goes out

 

[Samanthaljay]

What do you do for a heater? That's what I'm scared of if the power goes out

I was hoping someone would have commented about a solution for that. My power came back on around 3:30AM so it was out for nearly 9 hours. I live in western PA, it was very cold last night. I wrapped tinfoil around the tanks to hopefully keep some warmth in, it was the only thing I could think of doing. Not sure if it helped as my tanks got down in the low 70s but everyone was accounted for this morning so fingers crossed for no casualties.

 

[Algonquin]

Where did you get a battery operated air pump? I'm curious about that...
Not sure how much you can do to power a heater, I would think an alternative way of heating the room would be the best you could do? Hope everyone is ok.

 

[Samanthaljay]

Where did you get a battery operated air pump? I'm curious about that...
Not sure how much you can do to power a heater, I would think an alternative way of heating the room would be the best you could do? Hope everyone is ok.

Amazon. I just searched "battery operated air pump for aquarium" and read the reviews. the one I got was about 10 bucks and runs on D batteries. comments said it was loud (I don't mind that) but it powered their sponge filters no problem. I came across a prior post that mentioned getting a battery pack thing ( I don't know the proper name haha) that are designed to back up a computer... you can plug things into them and could run the heater off that for a small period of time. I think I might look into getting one of those just need to research more.

 

[jjohnwm]

Something like a blanket or a fleece throw would be much more efficient at maintaining the tank's temperature than tinfoil, which has almost no insulating property. If you still have hot water, you can also float jars of it carefully in the tank, but care is required.

I've seen expensive and elaborate battery-backup air pumps on the internet but they seem more for large installations. The kind of small ones you are talking about can be purchased from fishing tackle stores; they're used to keep bait minnows alive in the buckets during transport. They are for the most part very cheaply made, but they are inexpensive and will work to power a couple of airstones for the short time periods you need them for.

 

[Suzanne2]

Amazon. I just searched "battery operated air pump for aquarium" and read the reviews. the one I got was about 10 bucks and runs on D batteries. comments said it was loud (I don't mind that) but it powered their sponge filters no problem. I came across a prior post that mentioned getting a battery pack thing ( I don't know the proper name haha) that are designed to back up a computer... you can plug things into them and could run the heater off that for a small period of time. I think I might look into getting one of those just need to research more.

Some of the computer battery backups are only meant to give you enough time to save files and turn of the computer, those ones don't hold long term power capabilities. I do know there are battery packs for phones (maybe laptops too) that last longer, I think they have USB plugs.

 

[Samanthaljay]

Some of the computer battery backups are only meant to give you enough time to save files and turn of the computer, those ones don't hold long term power capabilities. I do know there are battery packs for phones (maybe laptops too) that last longer, I think they have USB plugs.

Very true thank you. I am still doing research on different options. David had an informative previous post I just found-

Back Up Power During An Outage.

which is another idea on what to do. Yesterday was the first time I have lost power for a significant time since getting my tanks last year, so I never really thought about it until yesterday. I just would like to be more prepared for next time

 

[Falionys]

Well there sadly nothing I can do right now but wait(lost power about 30 min ago). Don't have the money to go buy a back up battery and there no way I would be a able to charge it. Just want to see how much of a chance my cichlids will have. It's a 125g tank, currently still storming (on the east coast of the US) and where I live is usually the one they service last, so I'm expecting 48 hours at most without power.

 

[david1978]

I have gone already 4 days with no power.

 

[CaptainAquatics]

Well there sadly nothing I can do right now but wait(lost power about 30 min ago). Don't have the money to go buy a back up battery and there no way I would be a able to charge it. Just want to see how much of a chance my cichlids will have. It's a 125g tank, currently still storming (on the east coast of the US) and where I live is usually the one they service last, so I'm expecting 48 hours at most without power.

They might be ok.... kinda rough to say though

Any way you could get one or two battery powered air stones?

 

[Falionys]

Not sure, don't want to leave the house because we are under a tornado watch

Whenever it starts to settle down I'll go. Nearest place I get aquarium supplies is hr and 30 min drive

 

[Skavatar]

sporting goods/fishing stores and even walmart sell the battery powered aerators in the fishing aisle to keep bait alive.

 

[Clare538]

HI there! During the last hurricane that hit my area, I was without power for a week. I have a 55 gallon tank with livebearers. My tank lived through it fine. I did not feed them at all during that time but did 20% water changes daily until the power came back on. I think it was harder on me than on them as my small apartment was close to 90 degrees during that time. Good luck and don't worry!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It happens to me all the time, but my fish are fine, I do worry though!! Skavatar , does make a good point, bait/tackle shops have ariators, to keep baitfish alive!

 

[Falionys]

Yea, I live out in the country, there isn't anything near me that not hr and half away. Thanks for the replies. I have had guppies , tetras, and bala sharks in the past and with them I didn't have to worry. This was my first time dealing with a cichlid tank and didn't know how well they would hold up at lower temperatures.

 

[Clare538]

My bf has African cichlids and he was without power for 3 days during that time. He did the same thing I did and his fish were totally fine. His tank is bigger and slightly overstocked but all went well. You'll be fine. Good luck!

 

[Elkwatcher]

I have been without power for over a week, it was dreadful. The most important thing is to keep your fish with oxygen. They will suffocate without. At the time I didn't have a backup battery pump either and was advised to keep pouring tank water repeatedly every hour into the tank with a cup/container.

Do water changes before power goes out.

Calcium Chloride Heater (note must be pure 100% Calcium Chloride: 130F

plastic water bottle 500 ml bottle
add water to almost fill and 100 g calcium chloride
monitor temp take out or add more bottles



Heat Packs - they can last different lengths of time eg:72 hrs.
113 F tape to side of tank with painters tape
tape near bottom of tank
cover completely with painters tape
cover tank with Mylar Emergency foil blanket or reg blankets.

Peroxide and Potato Aerator chopped potatoes in water bottle with hose (see youtube)

Battery powered air pump (most take D Batteries)

Ammonia filtering *****Unplug regular filters or ammonia will be pumped back in .****

Need filtration: Put airstone to bottom of aquarium place filter media over airstone

Don’t feed fish*****

Power back on
-let tank go back to normal temp
-don’t feed fish right away
-do a large water change

Make an emergency kit

-Battery powered air pumps
-sponge filters
-airstone/ weighted airstones
-batteries D size for air pumps
-mylar blanket 52 x 84 -36 x40 for 20 gal heat rises (Amazon)
-thermometers
-flash lights
-500 ml water bottles

-heat packs/ 72 hr 110 F red line to outside for oxygen 1 to 20-30 gals monitor (Amazon)
-tape/ painters tape
-box filters
-air tubing
-blankets

***Fish will be ok at as low as 63 degrees if necessary. Note: High temps use valuable oxygen, so filtration is first and foremost.

***Watch for ICH

 

[Falionys]

Thank you for that. I'll start working on emergency kit next month since short on funds. As of now power just came back on, going to leave the light off and hold off feed for today. I'll do 50% water change tomorrow morning since it 10 PM now. Once again thank you all for the help and tips.

 

[Elkwatcher]

You're very welcome. I'm not going through this ever again, I will be putting money aside for a small generator. I actually boiled water on a wood stove 24 hrs a day to fill plastic bottles to keep 5 tanks temperate but lost my 12 yr old King Kong Parrot due to lack of oxygen. That was a sad day. A massive power outage, you never think it can happen to you.

 

[DuaneV]

I'm in northern Maine, I know ALL about power outages. I lose power 3-5 times a year, up to 5 days is normal, Ive been 10 without it before. Usually its -20 out, but occasionally its 100 (its easier to deal with in the summer for sure). Anyway, what I'm getting to is, don't worry. A few days, even a week, won't kill your fish. Even my GBR's that I keep at 82 can handle 60 for 4 or 5 days in the winter. Ive NEVER lost a fish from the power being out, including the Ice Storm of 1998 when we were out for over 2 weeks in January.

 

[Amberwilliams]

Looking for recommendations. I have a 55 gallon cichlid tank. I also have a 10 gallon axolotl tank. I also have a ball python. I just got a notice that they will be cutting power to replace a transformer on 6/24. I know my snake will be fine. The power will be off for about 6 hours. Outside temps will be in 80s to 90s so it’s going to get pretty warm for the axolotl. The cichlids won’t have any filtration. Will they be okay or what’s the cheapest option I can do to keep everyone alive.

 

[Annie59]

Fish should be fine in that amount of time.

 

[Repolie]

If it gets too warm for your axolotl you can freeze water bottles and put them in whenever it's needed. For your fish you can run a battery powered air pump.

 

[MichelleS]

The fish should be fine but if you're really worried you can always set up a battery back-up system. I have one set up for my saltwater tank (we get a lot of power outages). I just used an old unused battery back up that we used for our computers, popped a new battery pack in for $30. Now I don't worry as much during power outages.

 

[MissNoodle]

During a heat wave, we are under a heat advisory so I'm not worried about temperatures, but I am worried about filtration.

One tank is run under a sponge filter and the other two have HOB plus an extra sponge filter... how long can the tanks go without filtration? Two have live plants.

We don't know how long the power will be out, its only our block. Pretty sure a car knocked out a pole.

I have two bettas and a dwarf gourami which are air breathers, but I'm worried about my mollies, tetras, cories, and loaches...

 

[CheshireKat]

I doubt it'll be long before power is restored, so I wouldn't be too concerned. If the tank conditions are good, it shouldn't be a problem. I've had fish live a day or two without filtration due to power outages, but they were hardy fish. I'd be concerned about your cories and loaches.

For the future, I've heard lots of good things about the nano USB air pump at aquariumcoop. And if you get a good rechargeable power block like for cell phones and keep it charged for emergencies, you can run the air pump without power.

 

[BevM]

The first time I had my aquarium set up, Hurrica'ne Ivan hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. My power was out for 7 days and I just did daily water changes to keep fresh water in there. Afterwards, I did invest in a battery power source for the bubbler. Since then, I haven't needed it. Temperature wasn't a problem since the daytime temps were in the 90's each day with plenty of humidity. Save yourself some stress and worries, and invest in a backup for the bubbler and you'll be fine.

 

[CheshireKat]

My power was out for 7 days and I just did daily water changes to keep fresh water in there.

We had a well so water changes weren't possible without electricity.

 

[MissNoodle]

Yay our power is back on, 6 hours later, but thank goodness.

No casualties and everyone seems happy to have flowing water again. Though, my two cories are breathing pretty heavily so I'm watching them.

 

[JenC]

I'm glad it's back on.

I have a few of these, they're $8.77 on Amazon, in my aquarium power outage kit (yay New England winters!) and they've worked great for me. You might consider having one just in case.

 

[MissNoodle]

Well my cories went back to normal in their blackwater tank along with the loaches.

But since the power came back on, my air pump isn't working so good anymore so two of the sponge filters stopped working. The one in my 5gal betta tank and in the community tank.

Sundae, the betta in the 5gal is fine and I got his filter to work okay.

The community tank though, my month old molly fry has clamped fins and isn't swimming so well and his/her mother is flashing on ornaments. Also the betta in the community tank had clamped fins and is hiding. Plus one of my tetras has his faded colours while the others are fine. I got their filter working, its only the secondary filter so I don't get it.

Water parameters are all really good. I did the tests today ironically just before power went out.

pH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

Tank temp stayed at 79F where its normally at.

Theyre fed a mix of betta pellets, bug bites pellets, tropical flakes, live mealworms, dried shrimp, cooked peas, and the odd algae wafer for the mollies. Tank inhabitants are a betta, 2 mollies (mother and single fry), and 3 black skirt tetras. Oh, and some pest snails.


Nothing has been changed other than adding water wisteria, which has been thriving, well before this started.

These guys were all fine yesterday before the outage, so what the heck??? Ill see if theyre like this again later today and do another water change to be safe, though it was just done the day before yesterday.

 

[CheshireKat]

That's strange, there shouldn't be anything causing such behavior. Maybe they're just stressed from the sudden currents and things after getting used to it for 6 hours? Sometimes it's kinda weird when power is restored after awhile and you've gotten used to being without power.

 

[MissNoodle]

That's strange, there shouldn't be anything causing such behavior. Maybe they're just stressed from the sudden currents and things after getting used to it for 6 hours? Sometimes it's kinda weird when power is restored after awhile and you've gotten used to being without power.

I'm really hoping that's the case, though I thought clamped fins was more due to feeling unwell rather than stressed?

 

[CheshireKat]

I'm really hoping that's the case, though I thought clamped fins was more due to feeling unwell rather than stressed?

I don't see how they've gotten sick within a day. Stress makes me feel unwell though.
I know you tested right before the outage, but have you tested after to see if there's a difference? Maybe something got stirred up. But if you primarily use sponge filters, it's not like debris got blown around or something or the BB died off.
Also strange that your air pump stopped working well. Makes me feel kinda silly, "oh, don't worry about it, you'll be fine" and then everything goes wrong to prove us wrong.

 

[MissNoodle]

I don't see how they've gotten sick within a day. Stress makes me feel unwell though.
I know you tested right before the outage, but have you tested after to see if there's a difference? Maybe something got stirred up. But if you primarily use sponge filters, it's not like debris got blown around or something or the BB died off.
Also strange that your air pump stopped working well. Makes me feel kinda silly, "oh, don't worry about it, you'll be fine" and then everything goes wrong to prove us wrong.

I use both a HOB filter (which kicked back on as soon as power came back) and a sponge filter in that tank, because mollies are ecological terrors on tanks lol I figured two filters would be helpful with having the mollies.

Granted, my air pump is just a 10gal one, divided between 2 sponge filters and just a regular bubbler in one tank. So that's supplying air to 3 tanks. The power went out and it stopped supplying air to the sponge filters, but went back fine to the bubbler. In the end I had to give up on the bubbler in the blackwater tank to get the filters to work. Ill be getting another air pump next month to supply the 5gal anyways, and the tank with the bubbler has all plants so I'm thinking oxygen won't be an issue.

Its because I asked, that's why everything went wrong lol but I'm hoping it is just the stress. I mean the one tetra whos black skirt turned white, that individual is easily stressed compared to his other tetra buddies. So he is hard to say if hes a real big concern. He may just be a diva over it.

I'm most concerned over my molly baby. Fin clamping is abnormal for this guy, hes been so robust and healthy and pretty bomb proof with handling stress. Though, his tail fin has a bit of fading too, so something to consider? Ill try for photos if he cooperates. Hes a tiny thing still. The photo attached was taken sunday evening I think, so its really recent.

I will test my water again tomorrow (later today I think for most people--I work midnights) just to be safe as well, but 6 hours shouldnt have affected it... id be pretty surprised. But, you never know. A power outage for only a few hours shouldnt have done anything, but apparently it triggered something.

 

[pagoda]

I had a lightning strike nearby last week that caused a power cut for around 4 hours. The aquariums were obviously without anything for that time, the fish were a tad peeved with me over it but soon perked back up after 24 hours....I just had the electrician run tests on the electrics in my flat and that meant turning power on/off about a dozen times to test everything and the fish are seriously sulking and giving me the evil eye....but they should be OK, if a little bit bad tempered for a while...a little extra treat later will cure their mood

 

[MissNoodle]

Peeked in on them to feed them this morning and I can't find my little guy :/ though his mom is out begging for food. Our betta still has clamped fins too and isn't as active but she ate

 

[pagoda]

Your little one is probably hiding thinking everything will stop again.....give him time and find his favourite treat, wait for the others to go back to their business and try to coax him out....lights off if need be

 

[MissNoodle]

I lost my little molly baby and his mom was shimmying today too. I took a sample of the water before I did a 50% water change. My pH went up 0.2 since yesterday, nitrates went up from 10 to 20. My ammonia went from 0 to 0.50ppm.

I gave the community tank inhabitants a salt dip to help.

I don't understand how 6 hours without power would cause an ammonia spike :/

 

[CheshireKat]

Oh nooo, poor little fella. I don't understand what's going on at all. How'd the pH change?? Where's the ammonia coming from?? How'd the cycle get so messed up?? Some BB must've died off. Did the HOB media dry out?

 

[MissNoodle]

Oh nooo, poor little fella. I don't understand what's going on at all. How'd the pH change?? Where's the ammonia coming from?? How'd the cycle get so messed up?? Some BB must've died off. Did the HOB media dry out?

The cycled media was inside my sponge filter. Since the cycled HOB filter cartridge fell apart and couldnt be used in it anymore, I put it into the sponge filter instead. But that filter failed yesterday longer than the 6 hours. The cartridge filter in the HOB is new, though I do have some bio media in the HOB, I don't think it was enough to handle the start up after 6 hours no power. Mollies are eco terrors, so it wouldnt surprise me if the HOB wasn't able to handle the sudden heavy load solo.

The pH has always been around the 7.8-8 range for me, sometimes its hard to tell the colour between the two. I have naturally high pH water here, which is great for mollies lol I can't even get it lower than 7.6 in my blackwater tank with all of the tannins and such.

For now ill use an ammonia blocker and water changes daily until this is fixed. I'm worried most for my betta, shes the most sensitive of them in this tank and shes the one affected most of those left. Two of the tetras are totally normal.

Tomorrow I may take out all the ornaments and plants to do a very thorough gravel vacuum too, just to clean that out super well. Normally I vacuum the bare areas every week, but perhaps it can't hurt to get all of it. Theres no bottom feeders besides some pest snails to stir up the sand, so perhaps that had something to do with the sudden spike without the filters going.

 

[CheshireKat]

Yeah, sounds like there wasn't enough to keep the cycle going after the power was out and now you've got a mini-cycle. That sucks.

I've got a ton of Molly and platy fry, so you don't need to tell me twice about how messy they are! Combined with snails, I was doing weekly filter cleanings. I've upgraded to an Aquaclear 110 which is waaay overkill for a 25 gallon in terms of flow rate but the media space is awesome. I've just put things in to lessen the outflow. I've noticed a few of the older fry enjoy swimming through the current and being swept around in it like it's an amusement ride.

 

[MissNoodle]

Yeah, sounds like there wasn't enough to keep the cycle going after the power was out and now you've got a mini-cycle. That sucks.

I've got a ton of Molly and platy fry, so you don't need to tell me twice about how messy they are! Combined with snails, I was doing weekly filter cleanings. I've upgraded to an Aquaclear 110 which is waaay overkill for a 25 gallon in terms of flow rate but the media space is awesome. I've just put things in to lessen the outflow. I've noticed a few of the older fry enjoy swimming through the current and being swept around in it like it's an amusement ride.

I'm heading out now to grab a new air pump to fix this issue because the pump is still failing on me. It supplies 2 filters but only wants to run one. So ill grab a stronger one for the two and use the weaker one on the 5gal filter.

 

[pagoda]

When my power went out I threw some of my favourite bio gel balls in the aquariums, I guess that kept levels of nasties under control sufficiently cos my fish are gallivanting all over the place today, no issues at all despite losing filters etc for over 4 hours

 

[Crazycoryfishlady]

If you want to power multiple tanks maybe get a dual outlet pump? Unless you already purchased one.. Lol
That's so unfortunate that wasn't enough to keep your tank going... I once lost my pump for about a week and was somehow barely able to keep my cycle alive in it.. Ridiculous your filters aren't enough for you...
Hopefully everything stablizes soon.

 

[MissNoodle]

When my power went out I threw some of my favourite bio gel balls in the aquariums, I guess that kept levels of nasties under control sufficiently cos my fish are gallivanting all over the place today, no issues at all despite losing filters etc for over 4 hours

Do you have a link to these? Never heard of them and id like to add these to my emergency kit if this ever happens again