what to do if......

[Incaico]

Have any of you ever had a power go out for hours during a storm? If it goes out for long time during a storm what do you recommend doing for your fish?

[kewlkatdady]

it'll be fine for at least 24 hours...probably 48...

[Incaico]

oh ok...I was worried b/c in the past when there is severe thunderstorms my electricity goes out for a few hours.

[kewlkatdady]

few hours are nothing to worry about...

just make sure that none of your filters or airlines back up and drain your tank...

otherwise it'll be fine.

[Incaico]

I'll keep an eye out....i feel better now.

[masroberts9]

if you need to you can splash a spoon in the water. i ordered a cheap battery powered air pump from dr foster and smith, but it doesnt work. which reminds me of a thread i need to make.

[sjivani]

Wow, good to know! :)

it'll be fine for at least 24 hours...probably 48...

[Holey_Rock_of_Texas]

i always open the lids on my tanks to increase the air flowing over the sureface of the water. i also purchased 2 battery operated air pump from acadamy.

[schmidtyboy]

thanks i was wondering tha same thing:)

[Incaico]

hmm I'm going to need to invest in some battery operated air pumps.

[kewlkatdady]

they are a good safety measure...
I've never purchased...

If the power is ever out for more than a day...I just do a water change...

that seems to provide enough surface agitation...

[AndrewH]

If it's the dead of winter you can toss styrofoam on top of the water to keep in the heat, allow a small corner for a battery powered air pump (also available at Wal-Mart in their bait section).

You can also get 12V bilge pumps if times get real rough (I know OK went through a tough spell with lots of ice and power out for a while), or you can get a 12VDC - 120VAC inverter (car section at Wal-Mart) to run your normal pumps/heaters, etc. off your car battery. Simply run the pumps a few times a day, say 4-8 depending on your bioload.

[pam916]

I think it depends on how your tank is stocked. When I do water changes I always drain all of my tanks at the same time and then refill them. My discus never have a problem being in their tanks half filled with water but I lost several fish in another tank and I know it was because I had drained half the water and they didn't get enough oxygen and I never even thought about it being a problem until I refilled their tank and saw several dead and dying fish. I think if one can afford it, having a couple of battery powered pumps on hand would be a good idea. Especially since it won't be long before it is the time of year when we are likely to have a lot of storms. I was at Walmart just a couple of days ago and in their sporting goods section they had battery operated pumps, they had a couple of different kinds, one was small and another was larger and looked like it might be a pretty efficient one, I think it was around $13. Anyway, if you happen to be in Walmarts you might check them out. Incaico, this was a good topic.