Power just went out....HELP!

[Picassoclown]

Hello everyone. The power just went out on my system that's 6 weeks old. It is 215 gallons. I only have 2 clownfish and 2 hermit crabs (luckily!) with no corals. Will my tank be okay until morning when power comes on? My thoughts are that the system is so big, it would need a solid 10-12 hours to heat up significantly. Right now, the house is around 72-74 degrees and outside is 85. Will everything be okay? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Spare time]

The biggest thing for me would to make sure at least a powerhead can be plugged into some battery backup or battery backed airpump (airstone at the minemum). You just don't want stagnant water

 

[LeannaBanana]

I have a couple of battery-powered airstones I ordered from Amazon, but are also sold at Wal-Mart if you have one near you to run out or Instacart real quick (I'm not sure how late it is there). My 55g fresh tank has gone > 1 week with a power outage with just one tiny little airstone, but my salt tanks haven't faced anything longer than a blip of a few hours. We're considering a bigger generator (right now our small one can run a few things at a time, but nothing tank worthy) since we live in an area with frequent storm outages year-round.

 

[Picassoclown]

This is bad. I have no way of circulating the water in the tank, the only thing I have is a portable charger for a cell phone, but there's no way to get that to connect. Don't know what to do. Any creative ideas?

 

[Seneca]

Aerate water manually

 

[Picassoclown]

I have a couple of battery-powered airstones I ordered from Amazon, but are also sold at Wal-Mart if you have one near you to run out or Instacart real quick (I'm not sure how late it is there). My 55g fresh tank has gone > 1 week with a power outage with just one tiny little airstone, but my salt tanks haven't faced anything longer than a blip of a few hours. We're considering a bigger generator (right now our small one can run a few things at a time, but nothing tank worthy) since we live in an area with frequent storm outages year-round.

I literally just purchased a back up battery operated generator. Any other ideas to get the water moving?

 

[Picassoclown]

Aerate water manually

How long of a window do I have until I have to do that?

 

[t5Nitro]

I have the battery powered air stones from Walmart also for these scenarios. I've had to use them multiple times now. Bubble box i think they're called. Found by the fishing gear.

 

[jhuntstl]

Do you have a car with an ac outlet? And an extension cord?

 

[Privateye]

Look, I've been there. 8 days without power in the same temperatures after hurricane Irma. After 8 days with just 1 battery air pump moving from tank to tank every few hours (I had 5 that needed it then) I only lost one frogspawn due to light starvation. SPS, LPS, and softies recovered. Cloudy days happen at sea. Watch your temp. If it gets above 82-83 then you can put a frozen water bottle or something else cold and sealed (e.g ice in a bag or 2) in the tank to cool it a bit.

You're gonna be okay.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

You could do it manually. Dump a bucket in and splash it back in every now and then. Fish make it shipped in a baggie with very little water for a day.

 

[Seneca]

How long of a window do I have until I have to do that?

Everything but the clownfish is probably good for 8+hours. Fish need a lot more oxygen. Probably four hours, but it's impossible to know without knowing oxygen consumption in your tank. If you happen to have a mild bacterial bloom going that you don't even notice O2 could be consumed rapidlyif you have very little else using O2 it could be days

 

[Privateye]

Battery air pumps are a must though. If you can't find one online or from a store quick you can get at least grab a "bubble box" from Walmart.

The best emergency pump I have is a rechargeable Japanese one. Charges off a micro USB and lasts hours.

 

[Picassoclown]

I have the battery powered air stones from Walmart also for these scenarios. I've had to use them multiple times now. Bubble box i think they're called. Found by the fishing gear.

Literally just ordered 3 of them now.

 

[Picassoclown]

Do you have a car with an ac outlet? And an extension cord?

Live in a complex, can't get the car close enough for extension cord

 

[Picassoclown]

Battery air pumps are a must though. If you can't find one online or from a store quick you can get at least grab a "bubble box" from Walmart.

The best emergency pump I have is a rechargeable Japanese one. Charges off a micro USB and lasts hours.

Can you please share where you purchased that from?

 

[Seymo44]

If you’re near a Walmart or sporting good store, go to the fishing section and get a battery operated aerator that’s used for live bait.

 

[Tamberav]

YOu can do it manually as said... I did that for an entire day. Every 2 hours or so I would take a large bowl and fill it with tank water and drop it back in from up high.

Question though... 2 clownfish isn't a lot in 215 gallons... wouldn't it take a long while to use up available oxygen?

 

[LeannaBanana]

I literally just purchased a back up battery operated generator. Any other ideas to get the water moving?

I mean, you could just stir your tank every few hours? If nothing else, a clean utensil/something (dip & swish in your ready-to-go water first if you have some on hand) to just manually break the surface tension every few hours. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but before bed, when you get up, home from work, etc.

 

[t5Nitro]

Also nice to have is an old school mercury style thermometer that you can suction cup to the tank to use during power outages.