Power has gone out, will my fish be okay?

[ZachariahBeanz]

Hi, so I woke up today, and a couple minutes later the power went out in my house. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but it’s been 20 minutes. I don’t have an aeration stone for my tank as well. What do I do?

 

[crazyfishmom]

Do you have an estimate from the power company on when power will be back?

Also, breaking the surface of the water frequently will be a big help toward maintaining oxygen levels in the water. Find a large cup and submerge it in the tank and then put the water back into the tank several times then set yourself an alarm and do it every hour. This will help aerate the tank.

What water volume are you working with? Do you have a local shop that has air stones? Do you have a battery pack?

 

[ZachariahBeanz]

Do you have an estimate from the power company on when power will be back?

Also, breaking the surface of the water frequently will be a big help toward maintaining oxygen levels in the water. Find a large cup and submerge it in the tank and then put the water back into the tank several times then set yourself an alarm and do it every hour. This will help aerate the tank.

What water volume are you working with? Do you have a local shop that has air stones? Do you have a battery pack?

I don’t exactly have an estimate, but when the power has gone out before it’s been out for a couple hours. And thanks for the aeration advice. Sadly I don’t have a shop that’s close enough to go to.

 

[crazyfishmom]

A few hours shouldn’t be a big deal if you make sure that you aerate the water. Try to keep the tank from overheating if possible if you’re in an area that gets super hot by keeping the windows closed or putting a blanket over a window if close to the tank.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

This is only necessary if the outside temperature is much lower than the tank. It takes quite a bit of time for a tank to lose temperature. I wouldn’t do this unless OP is in a cold area.

 

[ZachariahBeanz]

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

Yeah, my outside temp right now is about 70°f, and should be rising throughout the day, so I don’t think I’ll need to. But thanks for the suggestion

 

[BristleWormHater]

A few hours shouldn’t be a big deal if you make sure that you aerate the water. Try to keep the tank from overheating if possible if you’re in an area that gets super hot by keeping the windows closed or putting a blanket over a window if close to the tank.

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

Measure the water temperature with some kind of thermometer that should give you a rough estimate. If it is rising do what @crazyfishmom said. If it is falling do what I suggested

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

Maintaining temperature is going to be a big problem. Get some tank water boil it, then put it in a watertight container and drop it in the tank.

its the middle of summer? I think you want the frozen water bottles here. ;-) put them in the sump. I leave a couple frozen 2L water bottles frozen in the freezer just in case.

 

[BristleWormHater]

its the middle of summer? I think you want the frozen water bottles here. ;-) put them in the sump. I leave a couple frozen 2L water bottles frozen in the freezer just in case.

Yeah I realize that now.

 

[crazyfishmom]

its the middle of summer? I think you want the frozen water bottles here. ;-) put them in the sump. I leave a couple frozen 2L water bottles frozen in the freezer just in case.

There’s no flow from the sump at the moment since there’s no electricity but good point on maybe wrapping frozen packs in plastic bags and putting that in the tank if the temperature goes above a certain range. Should not be necessary unless the temp goes higher than where OP likes to keep their tank.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi, so I woke up today, and a couple minutes later the power went out in my house. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but it’s been 20 minutes. I don’t have an aeration stone for my tank as well. What do I do?

Get a bowl, put it in your tank and take out some water then pour it back in from higher up so it creates some bubbles/flow. Repeat a few times, take a break, then go back and do it again in 10 min.

I did this during a very long power outage and lost a lot of sleep but only had one loss which could have been the cold as it was during a bad blizzard and tank got into the 60s (I wrapped it up but ya).

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

Does your vehicle have a 110v outlet? Our van does and I used it once to get through a short outage. Not efficient but it worked. II ran a drop cord into the house to power up he pump.

Do you have a lithium battery pack for starting a vehicle with a dead battery? Sometimes these have 12v barrel ports you could possibly plug a pump or powerhead into.

Do you have a water dish fountain for other pets? The pump in that may be powered by USB. If you have a USB power pack for your phone you could use that pump and the power pack to temporarily move some water in your tank.

 

[kingranch2003]

These are great for times like this. It's a portable aerator pump box that runs on D batteries. It clips on the side of a bucket to keep fishing bait alive. They're very cheap and Walmart has them. I'm pulling for your critters!!

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

These are great for times like this. It's a portable aerator pump box that runs on D batteries. It clips on the side of a bucket to keep fishing bait alive. They're very cheap and Walmart has them. I'm pulling for your critters!!

Just to add to this, since I have seen it mentioned with these before. For adding flow to spread the oxygenated water around the tank more I would use this in conjunction with an under gravel filter lift pipe/head so it generates more flow.

 

[sfin52]

Hi, so I woke up today, and a couple minutes later the power went out in my house. I waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but it’s been 20 minutes. I don’t have an aeration stone for my tank as well. What do I do?

I was able to keep my tank going for 4 days with out power. Battery powered air stones and I would remove water shake it up in a mason jar pour in bucket stir really well and pour it back in the tank.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

If you have a store nearby, that sells live bait, they often sell the Battery operated air pumps, complete with air line and Airstone. Just remember to take the metal weight off. BTW, batteries are not included.

 

[Tamberav]

Also Walmart usually has these in store. You can check online if they are in stock near you. Don’t forget the batteries.

 

[kingranch2003]

Just to add to this, since I have seen it mentioned with these before. For adding flow to spread the oxygenated water around the tank more I would use this in conjunction with an under gravel filter lift pipe/head so it generates more flow.

Absolutely, when his power comes back on.

 

[ZachariahBeanz]

Thank you all for the advice, it really helped! Luckily my power just kicked back on, and everything seems to be running smooth