Good Luck, East Coast

Crossfire

Cogito Ergo Sum
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As most of us East Coasters in the US are aware of, Frankenstorm Hurricane Sandy is barreling it's way torwards us, affecting all eastern states. Expect winds starting from 75mph, snow in the north, rain and flooding more south. It's going to be one heck of a nasty storm. Power outtages are to be expected, and most of you are probably panicking as to what to do. The storm is to arrive by late afternoon Sunday for Maryland, then head north to New York and New Jersey by Wednesday, where it will start to peter out and dissipate. For people below the Mason Dixon, it'll be there Sunday morning. For those of you not already feeling the effects, preparation, preparation, preparation is key. Here's what you need to do to save your fish:

1) Stock up on water condtioner
With no filter, ammonia will rise. Daily big water changes are essential, so you'll be needing a lot of dechlorinator.

2) Get some plastic water bottles
Some of you in the northern states will have cold temperatures. The lucky few with gas stoves can heat water and put them into plastic water bottles to float in the tank, keeping water warm. Beware of temperature fluxuations!
Covering the tank in a blanket will keep the heat in.

3) Float your filter media in the tank.
The bacteria will die if the media gets dry. It will also give it some ammonia to feed on and convert.

4)Don't overfeed and limit feeding
You cannot afford any spikes in ammonia. Fish can go weeks with no food, but only days with ammonia

5) Invest in a battery operated air pump.
I strongly, strongly suggest everyone get a battery operated air pump. With no lights for plants to photosynthesize, no power for the filter or air bubbler to work, CO[sub]2[/sub] will rise and the fish will die of hypoxia. I recommend using the Marina Battery Operated Air Pump, worked wonders. Stock up on D-cell batteries, and don't let the air pump run for more than three days. It will overheat and burn out, leaving you pumpless. Give it occasional breaks to cool down.
battery-operated-air-pump.jpg

This pump is readily available at Petco. Comes with air stone and hose.

6) Be vigilant
Monitor stats closely. Don't let things change too quickly or fish will die. Monitor fish behavior.

7) Buy some ammonia remover.
For some big, overstocked, or for messy fish, water changes may not be enough. Using ammonia removers or detoxifyers like AmmoniaSafe by Tetra or dechlorinators like Seachem Prime will help a lot.

8) Keep calm and carry on
Don't panic. This is the worst thing that can happen.

9) Stay safe.
Don't be that one idiot to go outside to videotape the storm. Who will take care of the fish if you get crushed by flying debris? If you house starts to flood, unplug all electronics and keep the wires dry and above the water.

10) Expect the worse
Better safe than sorry. Some more sensitive fish and invertebrates will die, and this cannot be avoided. Don't be too crushed, you won't be the only one.

If you can spare the money, buy a gasoline generator (don't use it indoors! Can cause fires and carbon monoxide poisoning!) or a battery backed-up power strip that can run your filter for a max of 10 minutes, but it eats up a lot of batteries!





Stay strong
staystrong.png
 
SSouthern Ontario here, I wont be hit till Tuesday but thankfully its just supposed to be heavy winds, rain, and snow. I got plenty of prime ( just bought another bottle last week ) and my parents have battery powered "generators" I could use if we somehow lost power. At least the three days we're supposed to be affected, are the three days I have off work so if something happens I can watch em
 
Luckily, I have a generator too. Hopefully it'll work and I won't have to worry about my fish..... & I hope Maryland isn't hit too hard ;(
 
Luckily, I have a generator too. Hopefully it'll work and I won't have to worry about my fish..... & I hope Maryland isn't hit too hard ;(

My neighborhood is always the first to lose power. I live in the woods practically :X
Like Scar said in the Lion King, Be Prepared!
 
I'll take the occasional earthquake over hurricanes and tornadoes any day. Good luck everyone.
 
One thing with America iv never understood is why they build houses that are in tornado areas out of wood that just blows away, surely bricks and concrete would be a more sturdy option??
 
I dunno about that one, I personally wouldn't live in Tornado Valley or by the water where I get at least one hurricane a year, I couldn't even imagine what the insurance looks like. All I know about this storm coming up is that instead of going along the coastline like it always does, its branching off to the left and coming into land earlier then normal and its a special storm made from arctic winds combining with a tropical storm.

Add to that its hitting the highest populated area of North America, and we get some fun
 
"3) Float your filter media in the tank.The bacteria will die if the media gets dry. It will also give it some ammonia to feed on and convert."

Whilst it's true if the media dries out the bacteria will die off but just floating it in the tank will not be enough to prevent the bacteria from starving. The media needs water flowing over or through it periodically to 'feed' the bacteria so either place it in an area of flow (caused by your battery powered airstone maybe) or move the media through the water to maintain it.
 
One thing with America iv never understood is why they build houses that are in tornado areas out of wood that just blows away, surely bricks and concrete would be a more sturdy option??
I'm not in Tornadoe Alley, but it's a matter of cost. I know in Europe, especially Germany, the house foundation and walls will be concrete even though they don't expieriance tornadoes.
Personally, I don't know why they don't do that, but (not trying to be biased) people in Tornadoe Alley (midwest) tend to have lower income than people on the populated coasts. Some tornadoes can be vicious, F5s can be a mile wide and destroy entire towns in minutes. Just look at Joplin, Missouri. It's cheaper to have a wood foundation for the people in the midwest, although if you have the money you could have a custom built house with concrete. Keep in mind, that even "small" twisters like F3s can turn a piece of plywood into a brick shredding missle

In the long run, it is cheaper to rebuild your house out of wood instead of brick or concrete.

"3) Float your filter media in the tank.The bacteria will die if the media gets dry. It will also give it some ammonia to feed on and convert."

Whilst it's true if the media dries out the bacteria will die off but just floating it in the tank will not be enough to prevent the bacteria from starving. The media needs water flowing over or through it periodically to 'feed' the bacteria so either place it in an area of flow (caused by your battery powered airstone maybe) or move the media through the water to maintain it.

That's true, thanks for bringing that up. I'll add that in :good:
 
We get tornadoes here all the time and I'm unsure what you mean by wooden house? I'm pretty sure that by building code all bases need to be built from concrete.
 
Just a thought - a little off the wall but might work out.

Ammo-lock - or similar products if you can get to the pet store to get some it might be worth it - this will impact your filter though but if your expecting power cuts its going to happen anyway.

But this way your making the ammonia safe and then when everything else is sorted people can focus on their tanks and get the cycle started again.

Good luck though everyone, stay safe!

Wills
 
Well, stuff's hit the fan. Sandy's taken a sharp west turn, smacking right into Maryland up to New York.

New York City has issued evacutations for Coney Island, the Rockaways, Brighton Beach, Red Hook, Long Island Sound, and most of lower Manhattan.



Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and even Maine have declared states of emergency.
I'm breaking my own rules, I'm starting to panic because all the pet stores have sold out of battery operated air pumps :shout:

This is the affected area:

hurricane-sandy-time-map-500.jpg
 
Well, stuff's hit the fan. Sandy's taken a sharp west turn, smacking right into Maryland up to New York.

New York City has issued evacutations for Coney Island, the Rockaways, Brighton Beach, Red Hook, Long Island Sound, and most of lower Manhattan.



Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and even Maine have declared states of emergency.
I'm breaking my own rules, I'm starting to panic because all the pet stores have sold out of battery operated air pumps :shout:

This is the affected area:

hurricane-sandy-time-map-500.jpg

I'm hoping that she doesn't pack much of a punch when she reaches Lake Ontario where I am :look: I wasn't taking any chances either so headed out to get a battery operated air pump anyway! Still should be nothing like the hurricanes I went through in NC! Hurricanes AND tornadoes at the same time are no joke!!!!!!!!!! Be safe everyone :good:



Thanks,
Steve
 

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