Blackout in advance

[GP]

OK guys, my bettas will be alright, because they don't have a filter. My mom told me that we may have some blackouts coming in our area because of surrounding fires. What am I going to have to do with my GSP???

 

[ger87410]

It's not like as soon as the power goes out the fish die. U got atleast a day without power before you begin to worry. Of course the larger the tank, the longer it can go without power.

 

[smithrc]

atleast a day without power before you begin to worry??

I'd worry straight away... it's not just the temp that needs to be worried about - its teh bacteria in the filter.

If the filter is off for more than a few hours the bacteria will begin to die off - leavin gyou with essentially an uncycled tank.
the ammonia will build up as the bacteria wont be there to convert it, leading to fish killing level relativley quickly in a well stocked tank.

however in a lightly stocked tank this will be a lot less of a worry and something that should be able to be delt with with water changes and carefull monitoring of chemical balance.


To avoid problems, you might want to try and find a 12v pump (and heater) that you can run from a car battery while the power is out.

If the temp is not a problem then the water flow (throught the filter is possible) should keep things ticking over ok. (I did say SHOULD )

water can always be heated and added if the temp falls.

 

[Sorrell]

You can also wrap the tanks completely in towels to hold some heat in. Your bacteria will be fine for at least 24 hours so I wouldn't wory about that at all.

 

[Zanne]

In Arizona, I'd be more worried about the tank getting too hot rather than too cold. You might want to make up some baggies with ice in the freezer so you can drop those in if you notice the tank getting too hot.

Best of luck!

 

[MAM]

they do make battery powered air pumps...... you could make do with that and a simple box filter for the period should you have the blackouts up there......

 

[ger87410]

U peps act like the only place the bacteria resides is in the filter media. That just is not the case, and that statement I just made can be easily proven. Bacteria needs 2 thing to thrive: food and a place to hang their hats. They already got a place to hang there hats throughout your tank on absolutely EVERYTHING. The foods always going to be there. When the food for the bacteria in the filter becomes expended, they will start to SLOWLY die off. This is not something that happens after an hour, IMO. I know that all the bacteria just doesn't magically die as soon as the food is expended. Anyways, if that is the case, just float the filter media in the tank untill the power comes on. Beneficial bacteria lives on EVERYTHING in the tank. Even the glass. Unless you got your tank so stocked the fish can't move around and/or you have too many resulting in producing too much ammonia for the bacteria to take care of, U got nothing to worry about. I've accidently left my filter off all day (that's a good 10.5 hours) in a tank that was slightly overstocked without any problems of any type. I didn't have to recycle the tank. I just had to plug the filter in. The betta tank probably don't have a heater and that fish is still alive, meaning that your house has environmental controls to keep cool. If you can keep the house cool, U shouldn't have a prob. Monitor the tanks closely though.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, just get a dc/ac power converter and hook it to a car battery and plug your stuf into that. That will last all night or longer.

 

[Puffer_freak]

I keep my puffers in the UK, but I wouldn't worry too much, even though you live in Arizona!

Just find some way to make sure that your puffs stay at za right temp.

Keep in the zone!

(Not sur what I'm on about with "Keep in the zone!" but hey, if it makes you smile, lets also add a smilie to make it all better!) B)

Aren't these cool, O.K so I went a lil' over the top...

 

[GP]

Well, I only have one fish in my tank, and it's a 6 gallon. If the blackout gets serious I might bring him to the LFS...

 

[gixer]

i keep a generator at home for this very reason. they arnt expensive these days..

 

[FishDan]

Just get a battery powered air pump. Your bacteria will be fine. They are more hardy than people give them credit for. It's not like they will die when the power goes out. I have accidentally left my filter unplugged for 2 days before. I had no problems with a mini-cycle or anything. I know a person who accidentally left his filter off for a week without ill effect. The key is having a well established bacteria colony. If it is fragile or week you may have trouble. If your tank is established you shouldn't have any trouble with your bacteria. I would worry if you are going to have long term problems. Remember, your LFS will probably be blacked out too, though many probably have generators.

\Dan

 

[smithrc]

ok i went overboard - one fish in a 6 gal will be fine.

I was under the impression that bacteria needed oxygenated water passing by to live (not just food and a place to hang their hat (I liked that btw!))

if you can get some water flow in there while the power is out you'll have no problems.

 

[ger87410]

Bacteris is 1 of the hardiest organisms on this planet. If there was a nuclear war, after it ended there would only be bacteria and cockroaches left. They grow on EVERYTHING and anything. They eat just about everything on the earth. Even plastic and styrofoam. Bacteria even lives around volcanic vents where the temp is over 800 degrees. I don't even think that they need oxygenated water passing over them to thrive, but where can you not get oxygenated water? Pure hydrogen I guess.

 

[smithrc]

thats all well and good but that dosn't apply to the 2 specific types of bacteria that we all need in our tanks...

if the water is not flowing through the filter the bacteria is going to use up the oxygen the water is carrying (not the O part of H2O) and will start to die.

 

[FishDan]

Yes. There are bacteria that live in volcanic vents. The types in our aquariums, however, do not. They are hardy, but they are hardly invincible. They do need oxegenation to thrive. But during a power outage the important thing is for them to live and do their job, not necessarily thrive. They will live and do their job, so long as the outage is not prolonged for extended periods of time. As I eluded too in my previous post, a simple battery operated air pump will solve this potential problem, and maybe eliminate stresss for the fish keeper. If the power goes out, fire up the pump with a little airline tubing and put the filter media near the bubbles. This will oxegenate both your bacteria in your filter, some in your tank, and also help to keep temperature from rising to high (if you are in a hot area). If the outage is going to be a day or two, don't worry. If it's going to be longer or you are paranoid about your bacteria, fire up the air pump.

\Dan