Hurricane season is here -- what to do when power's out?

[Herbibore]

Obviously, keeping a tank alive after two weeks without power (thanks, Katrina) is not going to go well, but what about shorter periods?
Yes, I could get a generator, but don't feel competent to keep it up.

I have backup batteries (a distance away and covered in bubble wrap) that I have aerators attached permanently for sponge filters.
My 20 gallon only has a sponge filter, but my 24 gallon has in addition a Biomaster 250. Since I want to keep the sponge filters going,
I do not have the lights or the Biomaster attached. That will be ok for a day maybe when power goes out, but the aerators won't last
more than a few hours; fine for those periodical short-term outages, but not longer-term.

Heaters are not a consideration (in fact, without air conditioning in the house, heat will be a problem!).

Anything else to do that will keep the tanks going for a bit longer? Twice daily water changes? Pulling out the plants before they decay?
Best case scenario, some algae will die. Worst case, well, after a few years the tanks could use a make-over. . . .

What do you guys and gals do if you have these seasonal disruptions?

 

[Colin_T]

battery powered air pumps
car battery with a power inverter
generator
solar panels and storage battery

 

[Herbibore]

battery powered air pumps
car battery with a power inverter
generator
solar panels and storage battery

Wasn't aware there were battery powered air pumps. That sounds more likely than the other three
(I'd love solar power but I'm in a heavily wooded area without much direct sunlight). Thanks, I'll
look those up!)

 

[Archerfish]

I fully understand your dilemma especially since I live in Florida! Thankfully, we have dodged a couple of monster hurricanes but the power going out for hours or days is common.
You mentioned a 'make-over' and that might be a good idea.
Here is what I did:
Keep a very low bioload in the tanks. This is probably the most significant thing you can do.
As you do, I run sponge filters. We are in hurricane season so if you have extra sponge filters, start them now to get them seeded.
Battery air pumps are fantastic. Air pumps don't require 110Volts and run for a couple of days without a battery change. Get a bulk pack of batteries at Sams or Cosco and you are good to go. I have Penn Plax battery air pumps and they work well.
Rethink the plants you keep. I transitioned to low light plants. It was actually a relief getting away from a high-tech planted tanks!
What I did was think, "What if I have to evacuate?" This is a good question to ask for your planning.

 

[Colin_T]

If you get battery powered air pumps, get the bigger models and use plastic multi-coloured airstones for them. The multi-coloured airstones put less back pressure on the pump and the batteries and pumps last longer.

If you are at risk of regular power failures, you might also want to run an air operated sponge filter in each tank in addition to the normal filtration. Then if you have a long power failure, the battery powered air pump/s will be able to run the air operated filters and keep the fish alive for as long as you have batteries to power the pump.

-------------------

If you know there is a cyclone/ hurricane due in a few days, clean the tank and filter before it hits land so the water will be cleaner. Then if you do lose power, the cleaner tank will sustain the fish for longer than a dirty tank, and you won't have to do a water change using potentially contaminated tap water.

 

[Herbibore]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm far enough away from the coast, and on a small hill, so evacuation due to flooding won't be an issue.
A direct hit by a tornado or falling trees might, but then my tanks would be the least of my problems . . . .

 

[GaryE]

That's one for preventative planning. I stock very lightly in my tanks. If I lose power in summertime and I've been keeping up my water changes, it's no major issue (except for overheating, which gives me a chance to finally have to spell "Mississippi" and say my environment is different from there). We have begun to get hurricanes - once an every ten years event, and now more than once every year. That's something new to live with.
Inland, tornadoes, once mythical movie things are now becoming a summertime issue.
My summertime power loss regime is to immediately drop to feeding every third day, sparingly. The lights are off, so the tanks are calmer. Battery pumps are okay if you have one or two tanks. They work. Beyond that, sacrificing to the gods (no humans) or incantations are about as useful as anything else. You just have to wait it out, and hope.
By next winter, I'll have a generator I can use, as that is my danger period. Other than heat and oxygen loss in the water, summer isn't that bad, beyond the truly catastrophic storms.