Power Failure

[AbbeysDad]

The power went out last night at about 3:00am. I called the power company's hot line and learned that over 2000 were affected and the estimated restoration was 1pm! Fortunately I was prepared (See When the Lights go Out) so I went down to the basement and hooked up the inverter to power the air pump so all the tanks continued with filtration and/or air stones.
For other good tips on being prepared for power outages, see Power Failure. ><((((º>

 

[TwoTankAmin]

There is one big hole in the above link, well two actually. The first is that the heat that might be needed when the power failure is in the winter. Where I am it can bu sub-freezing/ No amount of heat packs and tape or mylar blankets matter is the power is out for a day and the temps outside are 20F (-6.67C).

But what about the other end of the spectrum. We get to 95F (35C) in the summer. Unless one keeps fish that can be fine in pretty warm water, this can be a problem. Don't forget the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold.

There is really only one way to protect one's family and fish against an extended power failure, and that is a back up generator ar a massive battery. But this can only last so long. In 2011 and 2012 we had hurricanes which left us without utility supplied power for 13 days each time. Fortinately, we could afford to have a whole house back-up system. The longest our power is out is the 20 seconds it takes for the gennie to start.

I had to deal with a couple of power outages before then. In one I was removing water from tanks to kitchen pots, heating the water on out outdoor grill and the returning it to the tank. This was in tanks with breeding zebra plecos or offspring in them. I had some battery powered air pumps I rotated around my tanks at about 20 minute intervals. I would swish the surface water with my hand in other tanks when I moved the pumps. Fortuantely the power was only out for about 1/2 day that time.

I do outdoor tanks which will be going up soon. We have already had a 90F day and in the summer it can hit 100+ in a heat wave. The tanks are shaded. Fortunately, they all get filled with plecos from the Big Bend of the Rio Xingu on Brazil. Water teamps there can get pretty warm. Folks who spawn zebras etc. may take the tank temp into the low 90s as party of the dry season when doing a drty/rainy ti try to trigger them when they are being reluctant.

 

[AmyKieran]

It’s good that you had the initiative to do that, and also (by the sound of things) have things like check valves on air pumps, otherwise it could have been catastrophic

 

[Guyb93]

Fair play I struggle to find a pair of socks on the morning

 

[AbbeysDad]

There is one big hole in the above link, well two actually. The first is that the heat that might be needed when the power failure is in the winter. Where I am it can bu sub-freezing/ No amount of heat packs and tape or mylar blankets matter is the power is out for a day and the temps outside are 20F (-6.67C).

Obviously the first consideration that I believe I made clear in the one article is the health and well being of you and your family...In some extreme cases it may not be possible to save the fish.

I remember many years ago after watching the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" about severe climate change, I bought a large kerosene heater which seemed like a good idea living in an all electric house. Thankfully, it has set in it's box in the garage ever since!!
I eat well and take a one a day vitamin and drive safely but I could still be hit by a bus or a beer truck!
Most folks likely can't afford a backup generator, but we can be prepared for minor power disruption events in our day to day lives.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Obviously the first consideration that I believe I made clear in the one article is the health and well being of you and your family...In some extreme cases it may not be possible to save the fish.

I remember many years ago after watching the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" about severe climate change, I bought a large kerosene heater which seemed like a good idea living in an all electric house. Thankfully, it has set in it's box in the garage ever since!!
I eat well and take a one a day vitamin and drive safely but I could still be hit by a bus or a beer truck!
Most folks likely can't afford a backup generator, but we can be prepared for minor power disruption events in our day to day lives.

My new, preferred epitaph: "Hit By A Beer Truck"

 

[outofwater]

Fair play I struggle to find a pair of socks on the morning

Don't we all

 

[Colin_T]

A back up generator can be a car or car battery, a power inverter, and an extension cord.

The power inverter gets plugged into a car's cigarette lighter socket and turns 12 volt car battery into 220/240volt (or whatever voltage your country uses). You plug the extension cord into the power inverter and use that to run the fish tanks.

Most power inverters can have the plug that goes into the cigarette lighter socket, removed. And the 2 wires can then be put directly onto a car battery that is in the house. One wire on the positive and one on the negative.

Use a deep cycle battery for this purpose because they tolerate being completely drained and recharged. Whereas normal car batteries don't do well if completely drained of power.

 

[AbbeysDad]

A back up generator can be a car or car battery, a power inverter, and an extension cord.

Jeez...Look at the article I spoke of!!! ... When the Lights go out

 

[Colin_T]

Jeez...Look at the article I spoke of!!! ... When the Lights go out

Great minds think alike

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

There is one big hole in the above link, well two actually. The first is that the heat that might be needed when the power failure is in the winter. Where I am it can bu sub-freezing/ No amount of heat packs and tape or mylar blankets matter is the power is out for a day and the temps outside are 20F (-6.67C).

But what about the other end of the spectrum. We get to 95F (35C) in the summer. Unless one keeps fish that can be fine in pretty warm water, this can be a problem. Don't forget the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold.

There is really only one way to protect one's family and fish against an extended power failure, and that is a back up generator ar a massive battery. But this can only last so long. In 2011 and 2012 we had hurricanes which left us without utility supplied power for 13 days each time. Fortinately, we could afford to have a whole house back-up system. The longest our power is out is the 20 seconds it takes for the gennie to start.

I had to deal with a couple of power outages before then. In one I was removing water from tanks to kitchen pots, heating the water on out outdoor grill and the returning it to the tank. This was in tanks with breeding zebra plecos or offspring in them. I had some battery powered air pumps I rotated around my tanks at about 20 minute intervals. I would swish the surface water with my hand in other tanks when I moved the pumps. Fortuantely the power was only out for about 1/2 day that time.

I do outdoor tanks which will be going up soon. We have already had a 90F day and in the summer it can hit 100+ in a heat wave. The tanks are shaded. Fortunately, they all get filled with plecos from the Big Bend of the Rio Xingu on Brazil. Water teamps there can get pretty warm. Folks who spawn zebras etc. may take the tank temp into the low 90s as party of the dry season when doing a drty/rainy ti try to trigger them when they are being reluctant.

Wow, your here too! You really get around!
Always nice when you post. Very informative. Thanks!

 

[AbbeysDad]

Great minds think alike

Great minds...and crazy people! ... The votes aren't all in. lol

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Wow, your here too! You really get around!
Always nice when you post. Very informative. Thanks!

TY- I am not a fan of social media. I have always known that it is where information goes to die. So what remains these days are the few sites like here or AquariaCentral and Planetcatfish etc. which have survived.

Here is my favorite part about all of this. Fish keeping is a very broad hobby. There are many ways to do it and more fish available than even one huge public aquarium can keep. So we all do and keep things in the hobby that appeal to us. For me one of these was the smaller B&W plecos from Brazil. I have been working with these since 2006. I have no web site and I am not on social media. Yet people keep finding me who want some of the rare species I have.

I have no special skills or training relative to keeping fish like most in this hobby. But what I did learn over the years was where to find the best information and how to get the help I needed along the way. I also learned that science is far from stagnant. For years science had it wrong about the nitrifying bacteria in tanks. Then they were finally identifed. And then they discovered ammonia oxidizing Archaea and this was followed by the discovery that the Nitrospira pegged as doing the nitrite to nitrate step in tanks were actually able able to process ammonia to nitrate.

And this is why no matter how long any of us as been at this hobby, the more we need to keep an open mind about it all. The most important thing we should always be doing is spending the time to learn what we need to know in order to keep a healthy tank or tanks.

Perhaps the most important skills we as fish keepers need, and which is one of the hardest to master, is patience. I know that old folks like me still use a lot of old sayings, but some do carry a bit of wisdom: “act in haste, repent at leisure” aka "look before you leap" and my personal favorite from the world of construction, "measure twice and cut once."

 

[davros]

Just got power back yesterday afternoon, out for about 48 hrs. As I get older I do regret not having a whole house or at least electric start generator. I have a 5KW(claimed) unit so I can and have run my oil furnace and rotate fridges and freezers. Mine is older and really loud, shut down around 10pm and switch to two small inverters (on hand) connected to my vehicle which I chose to leave running- just some efficient lights and device chargers ( how that need has grown!) and the fish pumps. First long outage with fish.
All I could hear in my head was you guys saying" when you turn off your filter bacteria die"

Last long outage was deep in the cold winter so this was easier, no firewood and frozen pipe worries.

Planning to buy more long cords, powerbars and bigger inverters....

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

TY- I am not a fan of social media. I have always known that it is where information goes to die. So what remains these days are the few sites like here or AquariaCentral and Planetcatfish etc. which have survived.

Here is my favorite part about all of this. Fish keeping is a very broad hobby. There are many ways to do it and more fish available than even one huge public aquarium can keep. So we all do and keep things in the hobby that appeal to us. For me one of these was the smaller B&W plecos from Brazil. I have been working with these since 2006. I have no web site and I am not on social media. Yet people keep finding me who want some of the rare species I have.

I have no special skills or training relative to keeping fish like most in this hobby. But what I did learn over the years was where to find the best information and how to get the help I needed along the way. I also learned that science is far from stagnant. For years science had it wrong about the nitrifying bacteria in tanks. Then they were finally identifed. And then they discovered ammonia oxidizing Archaea and this was followed by the discovery that the Nitrospira pegged as doing the nitrite to nitrate step in tanks were actually able able to process ammonia to nitrate.

And this is why no matter how long any of us as been at this hobby, the more we need to keep an open mind about it all. The most important thing we should always be doing is spending the time to learn what we need to know in order to keep a healthy tank or tanks.

Perhaps the most important skills we as fish keepers need, and which is one of the hardest to master, is patience. I know that old folks like me still use a lot of old sayings, but some do carry a bit of wisdom: “act in haste, repent at leisure” aka "look before you leap" and my personal favorite from the world of construction, "measure twice and cut once."

We’ll, nice to see you here. I get what your saying about the whole information dying part. Your knowledge is so valuable, and I hope you continue to educate fish enthusiasts