Power Outages?

[kristalynnd1]

Hello all,
I haven't had this happen yet (but I'm still new at fish keeping), but what happens durring a power outage?
what got me thinking of it was last year right before I started fish keeping, I came home from work and everything in my apartment was out, I went to the office and they informed me that every apartment has had their power down for at least 3 hrs because someone hit a pole or something and they didn't know when it will come back on, it took 3 more hours.
Anyways, I am living in a different apartment now but thought, what if that happend again? I know I won't just be worried about my food in the frige, what about all the aquarium equiptment and the fish?
Is there some sort of battery operated back up power box? (magic outlet maybe? xD)

 

[Mikaila31]

A tank should be fine for 12 hours easy during a power outage. If you know you are going to be in for a long haul toss a heavy blanket over the tank too keep the heat in. If you have a HOB or biowheel like filter I feel it is best to float the media in the tank.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi kristalynnd1

Unless your home heats up or cools off very quickly, the fish will be OK. The biggest problem will be keeping your beneficial bacteria alive if the power is off for an extended period. Since they require both oxygen and food, you will need to circulate tank water through the media. If you have a HOB filter, just pour tank water through it every now and then. Box filters can be jiggled to move water through. This will also help oxygenate the tank water which will help the fish.

Perhaps someone else can suggest ways of circulating water through other types of filters.