Another Power Out!

[LookingToLearn]

Hey all,
For some reason I lose power a lot in the spring/summer months. My husband and I joke that whenever the wind blows we lose power. It is usually for about 8 hours or less. I have some questions about treating my tank during a power out..
I have 2 goldfish (about 2 inches each) and 2 small apple snails in a 55 gallon, planted (not a heavily planted tank but I do have a good amount of plants) tank. when the power goes out I take the filter and the aerobic sponges (Sorry if I am using the incorrect names for these) and put them in a bucket of tank water to keep them from drying out. Until I am able to get a generator, is this the correct thing to do? Is there anything else I should do during these power outages? Should I do a water change asap after one of these outages?

My power went out, again, today for about 4 hours. I had just done a 25% water change 2 days ago.

I am wondering how long my tank can survive without power b4 I need to start worrying? Is there some sort of fishtank generator I can get just to keep my filters and heater powered in the event of an outage? In the summer I lose my power probably once a month atleast (VERY annoying..)

Thanx so much for any help!

 

[Corleone]

You can look at a computer store for an uninturruptible power supply. The good ones can keep a typical PC and monitor running for 30 minutes to an hour after a blackout. If you just put your filter on it, it should last much longer than that. Depending on how cool the room is kept, it might be a good idea to put the heater on it, too.

 

[Neo8223]

Hi, i heard that the benefitial bacteria can die with more than 6-8 hours of a power-out Like the last post said, get a backup power supply. This is what i do... Get a spare car battery. then i connect it up to a 240v inverter...
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Power-Inverter-300W-...id=p3286.c0.m14
thats the ebay link for example. What this does is converts the 12v to 240v mains power. Works great. I've had some idiot break through our mains cable and we were out of power for 2 days. Had all 3 tanks working off 1 of those... (filter and pumps only but rationed lights and heating as they use the most energy)

 

[FishWishDish]

I've also seen battery powered air pumps for air stones -- as with a summer power outage the temp can go up, which reduces dissolved O2 in the tank, so that can be a concern.

I'm not sure if they make battery-powered filters, but it's worth looking for such a thing or trying the above suggestions to keep your tank cycle going while the power co. figures out what went wrong. . .

 

[Mikaila31]

It actually takes a long time before the bacteria will start dieing. As long as the sponge is wet it should last 24hrs, without any major die offs. If you do have a very long power outage, you may want to invest in a airpump to keep the water moving. I would suggest putting the media in the tank and just letting them float around as they will last longer than sitting in a bucket. If the filter is internal I wouldn't bother doing anything with it. Especially with such a small bioload in the tank. Plants will help remove ammonia as well.

 

[Snooks1!]

Especially with such a small bioload in the tank.

2 goldfish are considered small bioload?

 

[Tolak]

For heat fill a couple of used 2 liter bottles with warm tap water, float these in the tank. For filtration, take a large plastic cup, punch some holes in the bottom. Clip this to the inside of the tank, place your media in it. Every hour or so pour some tank water through it with another cup. The holey cup with media is your filter, you are the pump.

I would invest in a small generator, not just for the tank, but for your fridge full of food.

 

[OldMan47]

Tolak's suggestion makes sense since you have a fairly light load for a 55 and should not have water problems in only 8 hours. The pour through of water will keep the bacteria well enough oxygenated to survive until you get the power back and may even process a little of the ammonia that is starting to build.

 

[LookingToLearn]

thanx guys, I got some great ideas here. Really appreciate the help!

 

[acula]

I feel for ya, that must be so annoying.

I'd be calling up my power suppliers and telling em to sort their life out other wise im gonna be wanting a discount.