Power Cut Advise

[holidayinn]

sorry for the confusion, i didnt make it clear...like keenonfish described i meant a rcd that is attached to your wall plug for safety reasons, I assumed with an RCD its safer to put your hands in the tank while everything is still running. Only reason I havent got one is because the ones I have come across need to be manually reset like the lawnmower example. I'll go back to B&Q and find the one that doesn't need to be reset. Thanks FHM and keenonfish.

 

[millie1]

mine went off for 8 hours.... and then my filter died.....

my fish so far *touch wood* have been ok

 

[GSD]

I must admit i have turned my filters off with no adverse effects, In fact i have done it overnight a few times and water has been exactly the same the next morning Im sure it would be fine for a few hours. Although mine are internal and this might make a difference.
I would be more concerned about the temperature.

 

[P&J]

Wouldn't the lack of oxygen start to kill off the bacteria in the filter before the lack ammonia got to them?

Just want to bring this question back to the top, as I'm interested too. I thought I had read on here before that as little as a few hours can kill a filter because of a lack of oxygenation, rather than a lack of bacteria. Any insight?

-P

 

[Mikaila31]

Wouldn't the lack of oxygen start to kill off the bacteria in the filter before the lack ammonia got to them?

Just want to bring this question back to the top, as I'm interested too. I thought I had read on here before that as little as a few hours can kill a filter because of a lack of oxygenation, rather than a lack of bacteria. Any insight?

-P

There is no yes/no answer to this. The bacteria we rely on is arobic, so it does need oxygen. A lack of oxygen can certainly kill it. However, it is largely going to depend on the type of filter. I would be worried about a lack of oxygen happening in a canister filter. If it is off for a long period of time. However if you had a HOB filter I would not be at all concerned about a lack of oxygen. If you were using biowheels I would worry about them drying out, and killing any bacteria on them. Internal filters I never worry about, I feel that if there is a lack of oxygen great enough to effect the bacteria, the fish will be effected as well. I'm not sure about wet/dry filters, cuz I'm not totally sure how they work

 

[keenonfish]

sorry for the confusion, i didnt make it clear...like keenonfish described i meant a rcd that is attached to your wall plug for safety reasons, I assumed with an RCD its safer to put your hands in the tank while everything is still running. Only reason I havent got one is because the ones I have come across need to be manually reset like the lawnmower example. I'll go back to B&Q and find the one that doesn't need to be reset. Thanks FHM and keenonfish.

When you go back there are a number of RCD's together some of them suggest they latch but others don't say anything so make sure it does clearly state this. Oh and the different versions look identical too!

BTW I personally wouldn't rely on an RCD to save my life while they do prevent countless deaths they are by no means a guarantee! Saying that I consider them mandatory when mixing water and electrickery like we do

 

[P&J]

There is no yes/no answer to this. The bacteria we rely on is arobic, so it does need oxygen. A lack of oxygen can certainly kill it. However, it is largely going to depend on the type of filter. I would be worried about a lack of oxygen happening in a canister filter. If it is off for a long period of time. However if you had a HOB filter I would not be at all concerned about a lack of oxygen. If you were using biowheels I would worry about them drying out, and killing any bacteria on them. Internal filters I never worry about, I feel that if there is a lack of oxygen great enough to effect the bacteria, the fish will be effected as well. I'm not sure about wet/dry filters, cuz I'm not totally sure how they work

Good point, I suppose it would depend a lot on the filter type. Thanks!

-P