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FAQs about Power Outages, Back-up Systems and Aquarium Systems
Related Articles:
Surviving extended power outages: how to keep your aquarium alive!
By Mike Maddox and Merritt Adkins
Marine Electrical, Marine Aquarium
Light Fixtures and Canopies, GFCIs
and Marine Aquariums, Pump
Problems, Related FAQs: Electricity
FAQ 1, Electricity FAQ 2,
GFCIs and Marine Aquariums, Grounding
Probes,
Don't feed your animals, system if/when the power goes... Period. | 
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A Cautionary Tale of UPS
Backup Power -- 10/19/2009
Hello to all at WWM,
<Hey Michael!>
I don't have a question, rather tale of caution.
<Lets have it -- always beneficial to others.>
I purchased a Trust 400VA UPS PW-4040T UPS, with the intention of it
providing a back up for my fish tank in the event of a power failure. I
only wanted it to power the pumps and an air stone, which came to a load
of about 25 Watts.
Well, the power failed, the UPS took over..........for about 7 minutes,
then shut down!
I reset the UPS, all ok for 7 minutes. This went on for about 4 hours,
on for 7 minutes, off, reset, on for 7 minutes.....until the battery
went flat (remember, this was at 2 O'clock in the morning and I was not
best pleased that my back up device wasn't working as intended).
Anyway, the next day, I looked up the specs on the Trust web site, only
to find that there is a minimum load of 50 Watts for the UPS to function
correctly.
<Ahh, yes -- many UPS devices on the market are for computer system
backup power -- the typical draw from a personal computer is in the
range of 200-300 Watts.. A UPS device that is specialized for home
audio/theatre equipment may be more appropriate.>
Could you add a note to any information regarding UPS backup, to check
minimum load requirements before purchase.
<Good advice to follow.>
By the way, love the site, read it most days.
Regards,
Michael Boxall
<Thanks for the kind words, Michael! -JustinN>
Unplugged tank and when
restarted no water circulation 5/18/09
Help! I am very new to this, and just unplugged tank to do weekly
partial water change. When I plugged it back in the lights came on but
no water
circulation.
<Do need a little more information than this! Like, what make/model of
aquarium is this? Is it an all-in-one unit with a single plug? Or are
there separate plus for the heater, the lights, and the filter? In them
meantime: switch everything off and remove the filter. Open the filter
and look at the pump part: is the impeller (the rotating propeller)
correctly seated in its little well? Put the thing back together again,
put it in the tank, and give it a good wiggle to make sure there's no
air trapped inside. Now switch it back on. If it still doesn't work, and
assuming it's not a blow fuse (if it has its own plug, obviously) then
it's time to contact your retailer. A word of warning: if the filter
media bacteria die, you have to cycle the tank again. So keep the media
healthy by removing the sponges and ceramic noodles, and placing them in
a wide/shallow bowl or tub just covered with aquarium water. This should
allow oxygen to diffuse into the water, and the media will fine for a
couple of days like this, giving you time to replace the broken filter.
It's very rare for filters to break down when brand new, but it does
happen. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: unplugged tank and when
restarted no water circulation 05/19/09
Hey,
<Hola!>
So, I still have no idea what happened, but in desperation I took my dog
for a walk, and when I returned the air was circulating again and I was
able
to add the rest of the water. Still worried, but no longer seems so
emergent.
<Wouldn't accept a product that works only some of the time. If you're
absolutely sure you followed the instructions (re-read them!) then take
the
thing back and have the pet store replace it; you absolutely do not want
the filter to die again at some inconvenient time.>
I will let the system settle and test the water, and wait for my local
pet guy to call me back. Thanks for responding.
Allison
<Good luck, Neale.>
Back up generator & tank update 04/03/09
Hi Crew,
<Summer,>
Neale, hopefully you're around to answer this UK specific query. I want
to get a backup power generator for my 240L Jewel tank, and was
wondering if you have any suggestions for purchasing one in the UK.
<Not really, no. Never used one.>
Also, I have a power surge protected multiple outlet extension cord. Is
that equivalent to a GFI?
<I'm not an electrician, but I don't believe so. A ground fault
interrupter (or residual current device) protects against imbalances
between the live and neutral wires, whereas a surge protector protects
against voltage spikes. I believe that many UK homes have ground fault
interrupters fitted to the main household circuit anyway (in my case,
they're the "trip switches" in the cupboard under the stairs) but surge
protectors are usually bought specifically for things like computers.>
If not, what do you recommend?
<I'm honestly not in a place to make a recommendation here. I'd suggest
talking with someone qualified or at least experienced; I'm neither.>
On another note, my 240L tank is doing very well except I chose to go
with Mbuna cichlids and despite my research and advice I got from the
LFS, a casualty occurred. I got 2 red zebras, 2 yellow tailed aceis, and
one yellow lab. The yellow lab, now named Satan, whom I though was the
least aggressive, ate one of my Rat Pack zebra Danios!
<Ah, well, most fish will eat anything they can catch/swallow. I was
pretty shocked to see my Glassfish eating Neon tetras! Labidochromis are
opportunistic feeders compared to the predominantly herbivorous Mbuna,
but even so, it's the nature of cichlids to "suck it and see".>
I saw a tail hanging out of Satan's mouth, had a wee cry, moved the rest
of the Rat Pack into a breeding net for a few hours until I got a filter
for the smaller tank into which I had already moved Speedy G (my snail),
and transferred them into it when I got the filter. Everybody's ok, and
water test results in both tanks are zero ammonia, zero nitrite, & 20
nitrate.
<Good.>
I keep making mistakes! At least the zebra died in a more natural manner
and not from water poisoning. Satan was in my bad books for a while, but
now I know he was just doing what he does, and he's very interesting to
watch.
<Not really his fault. Also, do separate aggression from carnivory;
funnily enough, most predatory fish are very peaceful towards things
they can't eat, specifically because they don't want to draw attention
to themselves.
In some case, uber-predators such as Needlefish and Ctenolucius
characins are nervous, schooling animals that can easily be bullied by
smaller but more aggressive fish! Piranhas are the classic examples,
with many stories of them being hounded by things like Convict
cichlids.>
He's moved every piece of gravel from underneath a piece of bogwood to
make himself a nest.
<Normal.>
At least I think Satan's a male, suppose he could be a she.
<They're quite difficult to sex; mature males should have longer dorsal
fin edges at the back, and a bit more black on them, but to be honest,
unless you have a bunch of them living together, telling them apart
isn't easy.>
I also want to get some Star Sapphire (Scientific Name: Placidochromis
sp. "Phenochilus Tanzania" ) cichlids and have ordered more yellow labs.
Are those ok with my current mbunas?
<The Pseudotropheus zebra and Ps. acei wouldn't be good companions for
Placidochromis, no. You'll notice that I invariably instruct newcomers
to the Malawi cichlid game to avoid Pseudotropheus spp simply because
they are far too aggressive. I know they're widely traded, but then, so
are cigarettes: doesn't make them good for you! Placidochromis are also
fairly large fish; we have a new article on them in the recent CA
magazine, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_1/placidochromis.htm
>
Many thanks,
Summer
<Cheers, Neale.>
Urgent Help Needed – 03/03/09
Dear knowledgeable folks,
My living room just shorted out and there's no electricity in here right
now. It's 11pm and no technicians available till tomorrow.
<Ooohhh>
I managed to tap another power supply to ensure the pump is still
returning water into the tank from the sump. The overflow inlet from the
display tank is also working fine since there is necessary displacement.
<Good... circulation is most important>
Question is, after the short,
my PH in my FOWLR tank spiked from 8.31 - 8.5. Don't know why this is so
but it's REALLY alarming.
<... and methinks spurious>
Is there any
cause to be freaked out coz I don't seem to understand how without
changing any perimeters, how there could be a PH spike - except the
powerheads aren't powered now.
<Don't panic...>
Other equipment I
have is a protein skimmer.
Would my fishes be able to hold out till
tomorrow at PH 8.5
<Yes... I'd do nothing here>
or do I have
nothing to worry about till the technician comes by?
<No sense
worrying>
Please please help.
Thanks,
Bazza
<Sorry to be so
late responding. Was... sleeping. Bob Fenner> Power
outage overflow 2/3/09
Hello. Thank you for all
the great information on your site.
<Happy it has helped.>
I have
a question regarding power outages and sumps. I have searched my
question, but have not seen exactly the solution my husband is trying to
use. We are currently setting up (slowly and methodically) a 150 gal.
FOWLR tank with a 50 gal. sump. That is all set, plumbed, and running.
In order to prevent a flood in case of a power outage when we are not
home, he wants to put a bulkhead at the top of the sump (above the
normal water level) with piping running out the door, which we could
easily do and hide since this set up is in a basement room. What do you
think?
<It will work, but will of course require the sump be topped
off when the power returns. Check out
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sumpdesf8.htm too. James Gasta has a similar
solution here.>
(and as an aside, thank you for promoting readable
messages and grammar on your site - I am an English teacher who spends
her days consistently appalled by errors).
<Heee, happy to hear from
those who appreciate it! Scott V.> Emergency power outage
care, FW 1/29/09
Hello. I am looking for info fast. My daughter has a 55 standard gallon
freshwater tank. Tested water Sat and was ok except little high
phosphates.
She has 1 2" angel, 3 2.5" dwarf gouramis, 2 1.5"
swordtails, 1 3" catfish, 1 2" Cory and 4 1" Corys, and 9 1" Danios. The
power went out at 1:15 a.m. Wed morning. I had already wrapped the tank
in blankets all around, including top. Temp then was 78F. At about noon
Wed I remembered a heat reflective blanket in an emergency kit and
re-wrapped it with that blanket against tank. Temp at that time was 74F.
We don't anticipate power for another few days (hopefully Sat). I can
get hot water (scalding) from a church but car ride is about 25 minutes.
Thought about floating a 2-liter of hot water. Presently am emailing
from our business and will go home to check soon. How soon do I have to
start worrying more about low oxygen as opposed to no heat? Last night
outside was 10F and I figure house temp is around 40F. There is no
source of heat in house. Cannot order battery-operated anything. Any
info is appreciated. Thank you. Tina
<Hello Tina. The short answer
is that if tropical fish are maintained at below 15 degrees C (about 59
degrees F) they begin dying after about 24 hours. This varies from
species to species, with cichlids for example being especially
sensitive, but in general you need to keep them above that lethal
temperature if at all possible. The Angelfish for example is a cichlid,
so will be particularly sensitive. The Corydoras and the Danios should
survive extended cool conditions fairly well, and to a lesser degree
Swordtails will tolerate short periods of cold. Gouramis are another
group of warm water specialists, and like the Angels, would be very
unlikely to survive prolonged chilling. I'm not sure what a "catfish"
might be (there are some 3000 species!) but assuming it's a Plec of some
type, then it will tolerate cool conditions for a while, but not for
more than a few days.
Now, there are ways to keep an aquarium safe
through a power outage. Have a read through this article:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/power.htm
While
aimed at marine aquarists, the basic ideas hold for any kind of
aquarium. Putting hot water into a floating container like a plastic
Tupperware is certainly viable, and anything you can do to generally
warm the room (e.g., lighting a gas or coal fire) will help
significantly. I wouldn't add boiling water to the aquarium directly
though as there's a good chance you'll scale the fish. As for the
filter, I'd disconnect the filter ASAP, and put the biological media in
a basin of water so that oxygen can get in. If the filter is off and
connected to the aquarium, the chances are the bacteria won't have
enough oxygen and will start to die within about an hour, causing a
variety of problems. Not least of these problems is that dying bacteria
will pollute the water, making things worse than they are. Better the
filter bacteria are sitting in an open basic of water (like a bucket)
just covered with water. Once the power is back on, you can re-connect
the filter after putting the media back in. Cheers and good luck,
Neale.> Re: emergency power outage care 1/29/09
Thanks for the quick reply. I neglected to mention we use 2 powerheads
for filtration. I guess there's no way to get the bacteria out of the
tank w/o removing the gravel. The catfish is similar to bristlenose.
Would a water change help?
<Undergravel filters are more resilient to
this type of problem, so I wouldn't be too concerned. The filters that
"die" are the ones where the bacteria are sealed up in a container,
e.g., a canister filter. Water changes wouldn't be a good idea, unless
the new water was warm (as well as dechlorinated). Adding fresh cold
water would do more than harm than good. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: emergency power outage care 1/29/09
Just an
update. All fish were still alive I think around 3:00 p.m. (at least
none were floating--hard to see in the dark). Tank temp 62F; room temp
44F. Tonight's forecast low of 21F. I put in a battery op air pump, and
floated 1 gal and 3 2-liters of hot water. The pastor at the church has
what looks to be a 40 or so gallon poorly maintained tank with temp 68F,
lots of algae, and a red-tailed shark. All this concerned me enough I
didn't take in my fish--figured it would be better to "freeze" at home
than get chased around by shark in dirty water. Let me know if you think
differently--the trip to church only takes 15-20 minutes since those
roads are fairly clear. I saw electrical workers on highway and hope to
have power tomorrow. Thanks for your help--this is all very trying. Tina
<Hi Tina, choosing between warmth and cleanliness is a tough call, but I
will make the observation that Red-Tailed Sharks are fairly sensitive to
poor water quality, so if the tank actually had dangerous amounts of
ammonia or nitrite, this fish would be dead. So while it might be murky
in the sense of the water being silty, it might otherwise be adequately
safe for fish. On the other hand, moving fish exposes them to stress,
and tanks that receive few water changes can have high levels of nitrate
that the resident fish are used to, but would be high enough to shock
(potentially kill) any new fish added to the tank. So it's a case of six
of one, half a dozen of the other. If your tank doesn't get much colder,
you might be okay, but if the water gets substantially colder (as
discussed earlier on) then moving the fish to a warmer aquarium may be
the lesser of two evils.
Naturally, you'll need to do all the usual
things involved with adjusting fish to a new tank, i.e., putting them in
a bucket with some old water (about half the bucket) and then spending
the next half hour or so adding water from the new tank a bit at a time.
Then net the fish out and add them to the new tank. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: emergency power outage care 1/29/09
Just called
our house and answering machine came on--think we have power!
Will
leave all blankets on tank until tomorrow to check. thanks for the help.
Tina
<All's well that ends well. Good luck! Neale.>
Re: emergency power outage care – 1/30/09
HOORAY! Sorry for the caps lock, but I am shouting--they're all alive!
Even the angel. Hopefully the power stays on--it was only out 44 hours.
Lots of folks will be out for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the help,
Neale.
Tina
<I'm glad everyone survived. When things calm down,
perhaps you'll consider dropping us at WWM a note, explaining any tips
and tricks you used. That way, others can share from your experience.
Cheers, Neale.> Re: emergency power outage care
2/2/09
Hello Neale. It's almost back to normal--2 days of
uninterrupted power and phone. Since we have a freshwater tank I'm not
sure how this would work for saltwater, but this is what we did. I was
home when the ice storm started
and knew it was probable that we
would lose power (predicted 1" of ice--we got 2" with 5" snow on top).
Before I went to bed I completely covered the tank with blankets, quilts
and pillows. I wanted to get as much insulation as possible on all
sides. The power went out around 1:00a.m. At noon I remembered a heat
reflecting blanket from an emergency supply, so I uncovered the tank,
put on heat-reflective blanket (sort of like thin aluminum foil) and
replaced the other quilts, etc. At that time water temp had dropped 4
degrees (after 11 hours). The next day around 3:00p.m.. I put in 3
2-liter and 1 gallon plastic jugs of the hottest water I could find
(floated them in the tank as heaters, not dumped it in). The temp was
then 62F. I don't think this raised the temp but the fish gathered
around
like it was a fire place. Replaced blankets--did not feed. I
also put in a battery op air pump at this time. The power came back on
about 7:30 that evening, and after the room temp returned to 70F (around
midnight) I took off most of the blankets--left one since it was night
and I didn't want to disturb them. The power was off about 44 hours
total, and the house temperature was about 42F.
In hindsight, I think
the biggest action that helped was putting on blankets before the
temperature dropped, and not lifting them except to add hot water
bottles quickly.
The other most helpful thing was to communicate via
internet about this problem. The folks around here were rightfully more
concerned about helping people and not wanting to hear 'fish stories'.
When I wrote to this web site I really didn't pay attention to the fact
it was more about marine tanks, but chose it since the emails were
answered daily. It was important to me that someone else who knew about
fish and was outside the situation could help me think it thru. I very
much appreciated the quick and supportive response from Neale.
(Incidentally, I didn't look at bios until today--if I'd known how much
expertise there was at this web site I may not have bothered you all
with this--realized this is not really the type of questions for forum.)
Anyway, I am grateful that you were gracious enough to read and respond
to my questions.
Thanks for the help; sorry this rambled on so long.
Tina
<Tina, thanks for sharing this. I'm sure it'll be useful to
others. You are quite right about the fish moving towards the warm water
"pockets" in the tank, that is certainly what they do. (And
interestingly, scientists have observed some fish moving to unusually
hot patches when they're sick, apparently so they can "run a fever" by
warming up their bodies above normal.) For our part, we're happy to help
with any sort of fishkeeping issue, freshwater or marine, indoor aquaria
or ponds. Anyway, glad things settled down, and hope you all get some
relaxation time! Cheers, Neale.> Power Outages 1/26/09
Dear Crew,
<Joe>
A million thank you’s for your world-class
expertise and valuable time! I do love reading the daily FAQ’s and feel
like I learn something by doing so everyday. I also find a great deal of
satisfaction when reading the “Oops! I messed up!” posts realizing that
I too, have made that same mistakes and learned from the experiences.
Thanks!
<Welcome!>
The question:
I have moved into a wonderful
new house but have had brief (a few seconds) power outages almost daily.
My current small system is not significantly affected. The entire
neighborhood shares this problem.
<Yikes...>
However, a past reef
system that I once had could not handle outages like these. The pump was
a Quiet One and when the power would go off (even for a second) it would
jam and would need to be manually “jiggled” to resume pumping. I lost
some reef life to do this.
<I have had similar experiences with these
pumps>
I will be setting up a new system soon and am very concerned.
The plan is to use an Eheim 1262 as the main pump. If I do not use a
pump that is capable of restarting and pumping after an outage, the
system is already doomed.
Have you ever had a similar problem? Do you
think that the Eheim will be able to resume pumping after a brief
outage? Do you have any other suggestions regarding this situation?
<Mmm, Eheims are very fail-safe in the regard of restarting after power
is returned... However, I do encourage you to look into UPS
(uninterruptible power supply) for your tanks, and possibly other gear
(e.g. computers)...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply>
Thank you
again for your valuable suggestions!
Joe W.
<Again, quite
welcome. Bob Fenner> 55 Gallon Reef Question, power
outage input, Gobiid-Alpheid species pairing 12/29/08
Good Evening Crew,
<Dean>
I have a couple of questions I am hoping
you can help me with.
<I as well>
The first one has to do with my
aquarium in general. It has been setup for over a year, but a few weeks
ago we lost power for five days and my backup plans were, quite frankly,
inadequate as it turns out. I live in an apartment and cannot have a
generator, but since my disaster have updated my plans. I now have a
power inverter, additional battery operated air pumps, and quite a few
hand warmer packs along with a thermal camping blanked that reflects
heat. People in this area have had good success using the packs and
blanket - over several days.
<Thank you for this input>
Unfortunately my system crashed. I have an Anthelia sp. coral left, and
a few shrimp. I have a 55 gallon reef (36x18x20); 40 gallon sump, 25
gallons in two refugiums, Tek 6x39 watt T5 fixture, EuroReef RS 80
Skimmer, pH 8.3, Ca 420, Mg 1280, Alk 12 dKH. ATO with Kalk reactor.
Eheim 1260 return pump and 2 Koralia 3 pumps on a controller. Six inch
DSB and 70 pounds live rock.
If I ever get past the dinoflagellates
and Cyano breakout in the tank, which is only getting worse with five
15-20 gallon water changes over the past two weeks (the refugiums are
pristine), I will be restocking. One of my survivors is a pistol shrimp.
I have not identified the species yet, and he is too reclusive to let me
snap a picture so far. After reading your FAQs, is my understanding
correct that I am unlikely to successfully pair a watchman up with my
shrimp? Is any species more likely to pair than another?
<Mmm,
well... many species will/do match up with Cryptocentrus et al.
"watchmen" genera in captivity... that aren't found together in the
wild...>
My second question is about a watchman goby and a Jawfish
sharing the same tank. There is some ambiguity in the FAQs as to whether
Jawfish and watchman can cohabitate.
<If there's room... can be
done>
Some replies say it is possible, some say it can be
problematical as they are both benthic feeders and may see the other as
competition. If you can clarify this point it would be great, Also, do
you see an issue between a Jawfish and the pistol shrimp?
<Is a
possibility... but, again, if the space is large... a few square feet
per each>
When I do begin to restock, the Jawfish/watchman will go in
first and be allowed to settle down alone. My plan is to add a purple
Firefish, a fairy wrasse, maybe a pair of cardinals, maybe a pair
ocellaris clowns. And corals. Is this a reasonable mix?
<Mmm, yes>
Thanks, and Happy New Year to everyone on the Crew
Dean
<Thank
you Dean. To all the planet I say, let's move forward... put emphasis
where emphasis lies. Bob Fenner> Electrical Failure (RMF,
alternative thoughts?) 12/16/08
Over the weekend we lost
power. We currently have a 29 gallon tank that had 4 small angelfish, 3
cherry barbs, 3 white skirt tetras, that all died in the power loss. The
only survivors are 2 ACF's. My question pertains to my handling of the
disaster. I fear I may have inadvertently made the situation worse. The
next door neighbor had a generator so intermittently throughout the
weekend power was restored and then lost again. I would say the power
would be off for about 4-6 hours then come back on for 8-10 hours then
shut back off again. Did the filter poison the water because it sat and
then ran into the tank when the power came back on? I have owned fish
for a long time and this is by far the greatest loss I have encountered.
It did get cold but with the intermittent power was that worse than just
letting the tank sit, or manually stirring the water? Any help would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ivy
<Hello Ivy. In theory,
biological filters begin to die within, say, an hour of the water flow
stopping. It depends on various factors, and external canister filters
(which are effectively isolated from any oxygen except the water flow)
are the most sensitive. Filters that sit inside the aquarium, such as
air-powered bubble-up box filters aren't nearly so sensitive, because
the filter media usually gets at least some oxygen from the aquarium
water. Anyway, if a filter dies, and then is switched on, in theory at
least any decaying "stuff" in the filter will use up oxygen at a
ravenous rate, potentially causing water quality problems. While some
filter bacteria will be in a dormant state, and should swing into life
within hours or days at most, the dead bacteria could indeed be
absorbing a lot of oxygen and releasing ammonia as they decay. When I
switch off canister filters for long periods, I prefer to remove the
biological media and place in a basin, just covered with enough water to
stay wet. Oxygen from the atmosphere can diffuse in, and the bacteria
stay happy. Every time I've worked this way, I've been able to
re-establish filtration hours or even a day later without problems. As
far as fish go, do read over the article in this month's Conscientious
Aquarist about handling power cuts;
while aimed at marine aquarists,
the basic ideas hold true for freshwater fishkeepers too.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_5/volume_5_3/power.htm
If all
else fails, treat the fish as you would for shipping: place small
numbers in large buckets, with enough water for swimming but also lots
of air; cover with insulation (towels work great) and if possible raise
the heating of your home to at least 18 C (68 F) -- this is acceptable
to most tropical community fish for several days. Cheers, Neale.>
<<No further input from me Neale... but a comment that the most recent
issue/articles in/of CA ARE timely indeed. BobF>>
The Ice Storm came....power out in reef 12/17/08
Hi Wet
Webbies,
<A new one to me!>
Well we were one of many without power
for days here in New England in winter. No generator. We'll be getting
one.
Anyway, we saved our two clowns by moving them on the first day
to a home with power, but they're in a 5 g bucket with its own heater
and pump. We have done partial water swaps for the fish a few times
since this started.
The rest of the tank is now cycling.
<Not a
fun road to go down.>
Background: 55 gallon, two clowns, a few
corals, a crew of snails and crabs.
And lots of live rock. All that
now remains alive are the two clowns.
Yesterday we took out all the
dead stuff and did a 20g swap. We do have an ammonia rise and no
nitrates at present. So it appears to be early on.
<Yes.>
My
concern is we probably can't keep the fish in the temporary quarters for
long, or can we if we keep changing out their water?
<They will be
fine with water changes when needed, much like a quarantine tank. But if
you have a friend with a tank that may be able to host these guys for a
while it will make life easier for you and less stressful for the fish.>
How often should we do water swaps on the real tank?
<You will have
to treat this just as if you were curing the rock, it is basically what
you are doing here. See:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i3/Live_Rock/live_rock.htm
How much life is left on the rock depends, you may end up wanting to get
a few pieces of new rock to reestablish some diversity.>
Did we lose
all our bacteria?
<Undoubtedly not all.>
Also our ph is a little
out of whack (7.4) but we should tackle that after the main cycle, yes?
<It is so low due to the die-off/curing going on now. The steps you
follow while curing will solve the PH too; water changes, aeration.>
I am not sure what it was before this happened, but the corals (open
brain, frogspawn, and xenia) were doing pretty well. The open brain in
particular was enormous... a sad loss.
<Too bad.>
suggestions are
appreciated. Thanks!
<Welcome, Scott V.> Re:
Electrical Failure (RMF, alternative thoughts?) 12/17/08
Hi Bob --
Thanks for this. Would certainly suggest putting a copy of
the linked article in the FW and Brack sections, as well as the Marine
section.
Would imagine that this article will be of invaluable
service to many readers, whatever fish they're keeping.
Cheers, Neale
<Ahh, thank you for this note... Thought I had done this, but will
check... Is part of my routine when adding summat of extant linked files
(below) on CA articles. Cheers, BobF> Recovery
Question(s), power outage 12/15/08
Good
evening crew,
<Dean>
Well, not such a good week, compliments of
our recent ice storm. We were out of power from Thursday to late Sunday
afternoon. Those battery powered air pumps are great; unfortunately I
could not manage to keep the tank warm enough as it never got above 20
outside. The UPS lasted only so long. The tank got down to 54 degrees
this afternoon before the power came back on. It is up to 70 degrees
now.
<Brrrr!>
My system is:
55 gallon (36x18x20), 60 pounds
live rock, 5" DSB, 45 gallon sump with built in 10 gallon refugium,
second 15 gallon refugium plumbed to sump, 2x200 watt heaters, Osmolator
with Nilsen (Kalk) reactor for ATO, Tek 6x39 watt T5 light fixture,
Eheim 1260 or 1262 (can't remember which) return pump, 2x Koralia 3
powerheads on Koralia controller for waves.
The fish - pair of common
clowns, lawnmower blenny, pair of Firefish, did not make it.
My
yellow watchman is still unaccounted for, but I am not hopeful.
A
surprising number of inverts are still with me. A few snails were
partially out of their shell, and are now fixed to the glass. At least
two (of four) peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) made it. The corals
look amazingly good. The Anthelia was all extended and limp, but the
polyps have withdrawn. Two Sinularias look okay; one Sinularia looked
like it was melting and got pulled (and it smelled bad). One tiny and
unidentified leather hitchhiker looks ok. By looks okay, I mean they
appear about the same as they do when stressed, and have exhibited
change in amount of deflation since tank started back up.
First
question, my instinct is to leave them alone, correct?
<Yes... this
is what I would do also>
I have added a Polyfilter to my sump in
addition to the GAC normally there.
I am preparing a large water
change (20 gallons). Any other measures that I should be taking?
<Mmm, simply to be watchful... I'd pre-mix, store a good volume of new
seawater... just in case>
My skimmer (forgot to mention that) is a
Euro Reef RS80, and has been very finicky today, which I attribute to
the different water density due to temperature. Now comes my main
question. I know I am about to go through a cycle in my tank. Should I
consider upgrading my skimmer?
<I would not at this point/juncture>
My RS 80 would then go to my frag/QT system. I am concerned about a die
off and keeping water clean. I was thinking an AquaC EV-120 or something
similar. What are your thoughts?
<Stick with the EuroReef for now>
I am keeping my refugium lights on there normal RDP schedule. Should I
reduce the main lighting?
<I would not change this either>
Like I
mentioned, I expect a cycle and to go through normal algae succession.
Anything else I should expect? Any advice on how to help my system
recover? How long will this take?
<Perhaps an ongoing die-off for a
while... again, stick with your regular
routine, and leave the GAC,
Polyfilter in place>
Sorry if it's a lot of questions. I have never
been through something like this. Well, in 1971 with that ice storm, but
most of my guppies pulled though.
Thanks for your help
dean
<Steady on my friend. Bob Fenner> Dazed and confused,
Power Outage Recovery 9/17/08
Hello Fish guys and gals,
<Hi>
We have a 40 gal saltwater tank. No live rock, 5 fish, 2 clowns,
1 blue tang 1 blenny,
<What type of blenny, and the tang will need a
much larger tank.>
power went off, no filtration etc for about 10
hours, I know I know should have had a back up generator, IKE winds hit
Ohio with lost power everywhere. Since we powered back up, 40 hours ago,
fish are swimming wildly, not eating, acting very strange. checked
levels all fine, what do we do, just wait it out, what could be wrong
now.
<What is fine? I bet there is some water quality issues here.>
Thanks,
Jan J.
<I would be doing frequent water changes here,
chances are your biofilter took a hit and is effecting the livestock.>
<Chris> Power Outage, Recovery 9/17/08
Dear
WWM crew:
<Hello>
We've recently gone through a 24 hour power
outage in Pittsburgh, PA (won't complain too much given the situation in
Texas).
<Familiar, we got crazy rain here in Chicago, thought about
taking the fish for a walk.>
I do not have a generator and therefore
resorted to "manual" methods for preserving the 4 marine aquariums
(predominantly fish only) in my home. In short, I poured tank water over
the biological filter media in my sumps every 1-2 hours and siphoned 20%
of the tank water into buckets with sealed bags containing hot water
every 3-4 hours (quickly returning the water back to the aquarium).
<Nice procedures.>
In the process of siphoning, I also tried to
disrupt/mix the upper layers of tank substrates in order to facilitate
circulation (and hopefully promote oxygenation with the siphoned/aerated
water). Somewhat miraculously, all of the fish (and even a banded coral
shrimp) have survived without obvious ill effect, and I have slowly
resumed feeding the aquarium inhabitants.
<Good, due to your hard
work for sure.>
Of course, I will closely monitor water parameters
over the next several weeks, but my question is whether supplementation
with any of the purported bacterial additives will help to restore some
of the biological filtration capacity undoubtedly lost during the power
outage.
<None of the dry ones are worth anything in my opinion, and I
think I heard Bio-Spira Marine has been discontinued which did work.
Basically if you can find a similar product to this (wet and
refrigerated) it may be worth using, otherwise just monitor the water
quality and do changes as necessary.>
Alternatively, do you simply
recommend frequent water changes in advance of possible ammonia and/or
nitrite surges?
<This is what I would do.>
Thanks for your input,
Dana
<Welcome>
<Chris> Re: Power Outage, Recovery
9/17/08
Chris,
<Hi>
Thanks for your prompt
response--guess that I will be busy over the next couple of weeks.
Dana
<I think the biofilter will bounce back quicker than you expect,
hopefully just a few days.>
<Chris> Vacation - Power
Failure - Nuclear Holocaust – 09/14/08
Dear Crew,
<<Hello
Andy>>
I hope everyone had a good weekend.
<<Always have good
weekends mate>>
I returned yesterday from a week's vacation at the
beach to find that something tripped my circuit breaker while I was
away, killing every living creature in my 90 gallon reef tank.
<<Ugh,
very sorry to hear…and I can very much relate, as I experienced
something similar myself a bit more than a year ago>>
I'm talking
nuclear holocaust.
<<Yes…>>
I can tell from the decomposition of
my fish (and the smell in my basement) that this outage happened early
in the week. I lost 5 fish and 20 or so SPS and other corals. I don't
even want to think of the money I've lost …
<<Mmm, indeed… Mine is a
375g display…trust me…I can relate>>
I have my theories on why the
circuit tripped, none of which is system related, but that's water under
the bridge at this point.
<<Yes, but what are you doing to prevent a
similar mishap in the future? In my case…I now have two sump-return
pumps running on “two separate circuits”>>
I guess from now on I'll
be hiring a neighbor to check in on my tank every few days.
<<Always
a good practice; but as in my case, a power loss overnight (about 10
hours, actually) is all it takes in some instances…best to have someone
check on the system and feed the fish daily>>
Anyway, I have some
questions about how to proceed.
<<Okay>>
My ammonia reads 0.25
ppm, and my nitrites are pretty low (can't remember the number) as are
my nitrates (1.0 ppm). The tank is new but old--my 110g sprung a leak
about 3 or 4 weeks ago so I transferred everything to a new 90 gallon
reef ready. My 110g had been set up for about 14 months before the leak.
I got as many/much of the decomposing animals out as I could, and
trashed all my coral skeletons. I also siphoned the substrate to remove
as much detritus, fish mess, dead worms, pods, etc. as I could.
<<Excellent>>
I did a 50% water change last night when I got home
(that was all he water I had on hand last night) just to get the smell
out of the house. The water is finally starting to clear up.
<<I
would do one or two more 50% water changes>>
I'm running my AquaC
EV-180 and it's pulling tons and tons of black skimmate, and I've also
placed about 1.5 cups of carbon in my media reactor.
<<Very
good…though be aware the carbon will be “used up” in hours to days and
require replacement>>
I realize that I have 100 lbs of uncured live
rock and 30 lbs of uncured aragonite at this point, so I need to let
this tank run a complete cycle.
<<Indeed>>
I've always bought
fully cured LR from the LFS, so I've never had to cure uncured live
rock, much less in a tank.
<<Not a big deal and not uncommon….but
patience is key right now>>
Interestingly/fortunately, my fuge seems
to have done alright, and my Chaeto is still alive and very green.
<<Ah, fortunate indeed>>
I believe my fuge does have some live
snails, etc., so I'm hoping that some pods/worms survived in the fuge.
<<Possibly so>>
1. Should I continue to do water changes, or leave it
as is so that the tank can re-cycle? I was thinking of doing a 75%
change tonight. My thinking was that maybe there's a chance that not
everything is dead, like in my fuge. Maybe there is some bacteria, pods
and some worms that made it that I don't see, and my thought was that I
should get as much ammonia out of the water to give these things a
fighting chance. My hesitation, however, is that I might prolong the
cycle if I remove all the ammonia.
<<Prolonging the “cycle” is of
small consequence right now…go with your gut and do the water change in
my opinion>>
2. What's your recommendation on restocking my tank with
worms and pods?
<<A cup or two of substrate from your LFS/other
hobbyist’s tanks will be a good start>>
I guess the pods are easy--I
can just buy a bunch from an on-line vendor, but it's the other stuff
that normally comes with rock that I'm worried about. I am not about to
throw out 100lbs of premium rock and replace it with new rock just to
get pods/worms/etc. I was thinking of asking my LFS if I could scrape
the bottom of their LR tanks to get some of the grunge and put it in my
sump.
<<A good strategy…or maybe just exchange a “few pounds” of rock
in the display with new rock to re-seed the tank>>
3. Is there
anything else you would do to the tank that I haven't thought of above?
<<It seems you have it well in hand…naught to do at this point but wait
and let the tank find its “balance” again>>
When this thing settles
and my param.s are stable, I've decided that I'm going to run it
fishless for a good 4-6 months to get a nice pod population and to just
let things stabilize.
<<This is a very good thing…you will definitely
benefit in the long term>>
I didn't have a heavy bioload to begin
with, but still… As always, thanks for your valued insight/help.
Andy
<<Sorry to realize your loss…please do let us know how things progress.
Regards, EricR>> Re:
Vacation - Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust – 09/15/08
Thanks for the help, Eric.
<<Quite welcome, Andy>>
This was a big
blow.
<<I have no doubt>>
I had worked very hard on this tank and
felt very good about my accomplishments.
<<Indeed…I seem to recall
seeing some of your exchanges/discussions with the Crew re>>
I had
some really nice SPS that I "raised" from small frags--they were
starting to encrust all over my live rock and things were really looking
good.
<<Mmm…been there mate…>>
My wife said, "Are you sure you
want to go through this again?" ;-p
<<At least is was in the form of
a question [grin]>>
I did a 50% water change last night and will do
another 50% water change in a few days.
<<Very good…and at which
point I would “sit back and watch” for a while…save some periodic water
testing/chemical media replacement>>
My skimmer is still pulling some
serious skimmate, but at least it's not black anymore (I've seen dark
skimmate in my time, but nothing like the jet black stuff that I've seen
the last few days).
<<And a fine editorial to the use/versatility of
this fine piece of ancillary filtration gear>>
The tank water no
longer smells like ceviche gone bad, so that's good, and the substrate
is about as clean as I can get it.
<<Will do fine for now I’m sure>>
I'll replace the carbon every few days.
<<If/when the tank smells
okay, you might want to just leave this out while it cycles…no need to
waste the money/carbon re>>
One follow up question--I know it's hard
to answer, but I have a really, really nice piece of Pipe Organ (red).
It has not disintegrated like my SPS and LPS. Rather, each polyp is
closed up, although some of the polyps are hanging out of the "stem".
<<Mmm…>>
I smelled the coral and it doesn't smell totally rotten but
it doesn't smell "clean and fresh" either. Given that every single one
of my corals other than 3 Duncan polyps died, do you think I should just
chuck this Pipe Organ or keep it in the tank and cross my fingers.
<<If you like/want it, I would leave it for now until it either
recovers, or it becomes very evident that it is dead/decomposing>>
It's pretty big--probably 8" long by 3-4" wide--so if it's dead, I'm
sure it's a nice pollutant.
<<But a small risk at this
stage…considering>>
I don't know what I'm going to do about my
circuits, as my house was built in 1930 and really wasn't wired with an
aquarium in mind.
<<Ah yes…or even just the “load” of modern living.
Have you considered having an electrician add a sub-panel to service the
tank/your hobby>>
There are two circuits in my basement, and the
plugs for second one are pretty distant from my tank. I think my best
short-term option is to have someone check on the tank every day the
next time I go away (which, luckily, isn't any time soon).
<<Agreed,
but if you plan to stay/expand in the hobby…perhaps at least a
consultation from a licensed electrician is in order>>
Once my
ammonia comes down a bit, I'm going to pick up about 10 lbs of cured
live rock and add it to my system.
<<Excellent>>
I could use a
little bit anyway, and I figure this will give my tank a boost of pods,
especially if I'm going to leave the tank fishless for a while.
<<I
very much agree>>
If there is any happiness in all of this, my 30
gallon cube was not nuked completely. The mushrooms I had in the tank
disintegrated and my Pistol Shrimp and Lawnmower Blenny died, but
somehow my Yellow Watchman Goby, my Open Brain and my Duncans are alive
and well. The tank's ammonia and nitrite both read 0, and the nitrate is
only slightly higher than normal. I'll keep you posted once things are
stable and running again.
<<Please do>>
Thanks again.
Andy
<<Happy to share my friend. Eric Russell>> R2: Vacation -
Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust – 09/20/08
Hey Eric!
<<Hiya Andy>>
A quick follow-up question for you if you don't mind.
<<Not at all>>
So, my tank has been running 1 week since the
holocaust and cleanup, and my once beautiful coralline covered live rock
and substrate are now starting to be covered by diatoms--the usual new
tank process.
<<Indeed>>
My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all read
0 and have been that way for a good 4 or 5 days. Yesterday, just to test
the waters (no pun intended), I added 6 blue legged hermits and 6
snails, plus a 5 lb piece of fully cured live rock.
<<Ah, okay…should
help>>
I figured, let's just see what happens. Well, they are all
alive today and moving around, the snails are eating the diatoms, and my
param.s remain unchanged.
<<Good>>
Do you think it would be safe
to add some more hermits and snails?
<<I do>>
I would like
something in there to clean up the remaining carnage--the dead bristle
worms, hermit bodies, etc. that I wasn't able to siphon out, and I know
that 6 blue legged hermits aren't going to get the job done.
<<Mmm,
perhaps another dozen of each then>>
I don't think adding these would
add much bioload.
<<Agreed>>
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Andy
<<You have them, mate. Stick to your plan to remain fishless for
now/the next few months and this tank should recover just fine. Cheers,
EricR>> R3: Vacation - Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust
– 09/25/08
Howdy Neale.
<<Hee-hee! I think you have me
confused with another query maybe, Andy…this is Eric>>
Thanks for
your earlier reply.
<<Quite welcome (I think [grin])>>
I did buy
12 more hermits and snails. However, I need to bug you yet again.
<<No worries mate, fire away>>
When my tank crashed, I am guessing
that the lights were out for at least 5 days and maybe a full week.
<<Okay>>
I don’t know what effect this had on my coralline algae.
<<Obviously, there are weather induced periods of extended
darkness/reduced light in tropical regions…I think the loss of water
circulation, filtration, and subsequent buildup of decomposing matter
likely did more harm in this instance>>
I also don’t know what effect
the massive ammonia buildup had on my coralline algae.
<<It had some
deleterious effect, for sure…but this will probably bounce back rather
quickly>>
My rocks are still covered with coralline, and I believe my
glass has some new spots of coralline, so I’m hoping/guessing that the
coralline survived.
<<So it would seem…at least enough to re-seed the
tank>>
Given this fact, I have decided to run my halides and actinics
to ensure that the coralline continues to survive.
<<I think this is
fine…this also affects other biological processes, some that will help
to speed the tank to recovery, some you just have to deal with as part
of re-cycling the tank (algal succession)>>
However, and this is a
big however, since I started running my halides (two 14,000K x 250W), my
rocks--which were once pristine--are starting to sprout all sorts of
green algae, including hair algae, Bryopsis--which I NEVER had in 14
months--and some other kind of green algae that is light green and
“stalky.”
<<Not surprising really… The tank crash has swung the
balance in favor of these algae. But no need to panic…your plan to
remain fishless for a few months should give the system time to process
out the nuisance alga>>
Maybe it’s because I have no Tangs to eat
this, but this is not making me happy.
<<There’s no guarantee the
Tangs would eat it. I can sense you’re wavering here, but I think you’ll
be fine if you just stand by your original decision and let the tank
find its balance again before restocking. The nuisance algae will cycle
out faster without the added burden/organic load of piscine inhabitants,
in my opinion>>
I’m not feeding this tank, and my 30g fuge is doing
well/Chaeto is growing.
<<This is a time for patience>>
What
gives? Why would I have Bryopsis given that I never saw one ounce of it
since my tank has been up and running?
<<It has always been there,
and among other factors, was probably kept in check by a healthy
population of micro- and macro-organisms since wiped out (or at least
seriously depleted) by the tank crash. Conditions before the crash did
not favor the nuisance algae…but now they do…and it will take time for
the system to re-tip that scale>>
Should I worry about my Coralline
Algae, or should I just cut off the lights completely (or just the
halides) until I’m sure the tank has stabilized (2 or 3 more weeks) and
I start to add some SPS back in?
<<It is my opinion that the algae
will only return once the lights come back on again. It’s up to you, but
were this me I would put the lights on a normal schedule and let the
tank continue to cycle/process the algae…heck, at this point it is
actually working for you to help process excess nitrogenous compounds as
well as providing forage and shelter to bolster the aforementioned
beneficial micro- and macro-fauna>>
Your guidance is much
appreciated.
Andy
<<Always happy to share. Eric Russell>>
R4: Vacation - Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust, and Aplysia sel. –
09/26/08
Doh! Sorry, Eric. I was reading a post by Neale and
I guess his name was in my head.
<<LOL! He writes some informative
and memorable posts for sure…I should be flattered to be confused
with... No worries Andy!>>
Thanks for your help (again).
<<Always
welcome, mate>>
I am not wavering--I am committed to going fishless
for 4-6 months.
<<Great!>>
I was looking in my sump and tank this
morning and saw lots of pods crawling around, so I am very happy.
<<These will recover quite quickly with the improved conditions. And I
know you said you were not feeding the tank, but these critters (mainly
Amphipods and Mysids) are very predaceous, to the point of eating their
own. I have found that a few shrimp pellets every day or two tossed in
to the sump and refugium can go a long way towards boosting
populations>>
I also opened up my fuge to take a look and boy oh boy
has my Chaeto grown since the crash.
<<Ah…no doubt>>
My 30g fuge
was jam-packed, side to side, top to bottom, with Chaeto. I thinned it
out by about half (I usually trade this to my LFS for store credit, but
they are such a pain to deal with . . ..,I just decided to chuck it).
<<Excellent…but too bad about your LFS…some folks are just
short-sighted>>
I set my light cycle at 6 hours for the MH and 8
hours for the actinics (usually I run 9 hours and 11 hours,
respectively).
<<I see no reason not to go back to your normal
schedule…is closer to a “normal” tropical cycle too>>
The Astraea
Snails I added are doing a good job of eating the algae that's
accumulated on the glass. I was thinking of adding a Caribbean Sea Hare
to this mix, as I have had good success with them in the past.
<<Mmm,
okay…then perhaps you already know to be cautious of getting a
“temperate” species…often sold as “tropical”>>
My skimmer is still
pulling a decent amount of skimmate, so clearly dissolved organics
remain.
<<Don’t ya just love skimmers!>>
Take care.
Andy
<<And you my friend. Be chatting, Eric Russell…(not Neale [big grin]) >>
R5: Vacation - Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust – 09/26/08
Eric—
<<Andy>>
I want the entire FAQ's for today to have the
heading "Vacation - Power Failure - Nuclear Holocaust", so I'm going to
respond to you yet again ;-).
<<Ha! We’re well on our way!>>
Actually, I believe it was you who taught me long ago to feed my
fuge/sump with shrimp pellets, and I have been doing that since you
taught me and since the crash (what I meant by not feeding the tank was,
I'm obviously not doing what I normally would if there were fish/coral
in the tank).
<<Ah! Excellent>>
I am well aware of the problems
with the sale of sea hares. I have read such warnings here and in
Calfo's/Fenner's Reef Invertebrates.
<<Indeed>>
The Caribbean ones
are easy to distinguish from Aplysia californica, which unfortunately is
what most of my LFS sell.
<<And many others>>
Whenever I see them
on display, I make it a point to tell the owner that he/she shouldn't be
selling Aplysia californica to anyone that doesn't have a temperate
tank--they look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language.
<<Not
uncommon, I assure you>>
I even had one self-professed expert LFS
owner say "Really? They come from California?"
<<dismal…>>
Sadly,
one of the more reputable vendors, That Fish Place, sells them and notes
in their specifications that they come from the Indo-Pacific, which is
clearly false.
<<Perhaps you could send them a note re>>
As I'm
sure you know, the Caribbean varieties aren't as big or interesting
looking, but that's no reason to buy them.
<< The Sea Slug Forum
states that Aplysia californica has been reported to reach more than 30”
in length! Aplysia morio can grow to about 18” though I don’t think it
is a regular in the trade…the smaller species you refer to is probably
Aplysia dactylomela which grows to about 6” and is a much more
appropriate species for reef aquaria use>>
I will put my lights back
up to a normal schedule and let the greening of the tank continue!
<<Enjoy the adventure!>>
Thanks again.
Andy
<<Cheers mate.
EricR>>
That time again! (Storm Prep…Generator Run-Time) – 08/05/08
This is a spur of the moment email, there isn't a ton of info on it
yet and I think it's a good topic for aquarists in our region.
<<Indeed>>
It looks as if we're going to take a direct hit from
this storm in the Gulf of Mexico, currently Tropical Storm Eduoard
(sp). There is a pretty decent chance it makes a Cat-1 before
landfall here in the Houston area, and while that's not a big one,
we're likely to have some power outages.
<<Mmm, yes…a certainty
I’m sure…have you read here?
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/poweroutagefaqs.htm >>
Family is
always first concern, but it's hard not to think about the hobby
I've invested a ton of money into in the last two years.
<<Agreed…and it is also our responsibility to see to the needs of
our “wet pets” just like any other during these times. I live on the
East Coast and I too have a very large hobby investment…$700 for a
5.5K generator seemed like a small expense considering>>
I
wondered if you might give some thoughts or ideas again on
preserving livestock in what could be a few days with no power and
rather high heat.
<<Hmmm…the obvious…a generator>>
I have a
generator,
<<Ah!>>
a 5k one,
<<More than sufficient… This
size should be able to run the sump pump to keep the tank fresh, as
well as the skimmer if you wish, and still provide power for some
fans, a light or two, and even the refrigerator>>
but in the
interests of preserving fuel in a worst case scenario, I can't plan
on dedicating it to the tank continuously.
<<The tank will
require a very small drain on power. Simply running just the sump
pump will sustain the system over the short-term. You could even
use/rig-up a “smaller than normal” pump to circulate water between
the sump and tank to reduce the current draw even more>>
While we
do keep spare gas on hand, it has limited run time.
<<If you have
a place to keep it, I advise a three-day supply. But unless this
storm becomes much worse, I think it likely there will be places to
purchase gas available>>
(Also, we have plenty of beer, too, and
that must be kept cold).
<<Ha-ha, indeed!>>
I've had my wife
save 2 liter coke bottles to fill and freeze, so that maybe I can
put them in the sump to try and cool the water.
<<A good
strategy…as long as they last>>
I won't be running any lights on
the tank at all to avoid unnecessary heat.
<<Very good>>
I can
run the filters some. The bio media in the wet/dry will be toast,
I'm afraid, but I've got plenty of live rock so I'm not too worried
about bio filtration.
<<Oxygen depletion (your biggest danger)
will malaffect all>>
How often/long (cycles) would you suggest is
the minimum for maintaining the tank?
<<If you simply can’t run
the generator on a continuous basis then I would start with an
hour-on/hour-off cycle and make adjustments (if needed) based on the
reaction/condition of the livestock>>
What do you think the
maximum temperature the tank can be to sustain the life (fish, LR)?
<<A gradual rise to 85F has proven acceptable in my experience. And
though it depends on the individual system, much above this for any
length of time will likely start to have deleterious effect>>
Are
there any other ideas that you can think of?
<<In your situation,
running the generator to power the circulation pump (even on a
punctuated basis) to keep gas transfer and oxygen levels up, and a
small fan for evaporative cooling, is about as good as you can do>>
Kind of general, I know, but any thoughts are appreciated. I've been
here 6 years without having to deal with a hurricane (though we've
had a few threats), but doubtful we can avoid this one.
Thomas
Roach
<<Watching the news it appears the storm made landfall
about an hour ago. I wish you and your fellow hobbyists luck. Eric
Russell>>Re: That time
again! (Storm Prep…Generator Run-Time) – 08/05/08
Yes, and it
turned a tad north, too, which was good.
<<Yes…dodged the
proverbial “bullet”>>
Plus it gained some speed in the night
which didn't allow it to strengthen, also good.
<<Indeed>>
I
did read that link on FAQ as well as my similar question last year,
however your answers were much more specific and very helpful.
<<Ahhh…I’m pleased to know>>
Fortunately I don't need to use it
this time, but it will now be there for next time!
<<Keep those
fingers crossed!>>
Best of care!
Thomas
<<And to you, mate.
EricR>> |
Generator/Battery Backup System 5/10/08
Hello Everyone,
<Hello Shannon.>
I'm hoping all you fine folks can give me some
advice on a generator/battery backup idea that I have.
<Surely can.>
I'm getting all my equipment together for my future 150 gallon tank,
which will be a future LPS and fish tank. I've been researching my
options for power outage
protection, as I definitely don't want to
lose any lives in my tank.
<This is a very overlooked, very valid
concern.>
Fortunately where I live the power has never gone out for
more than three hours, but I'd still want peace of mind.
<You would
hate to lose your livestock due to the once every 50 years storm that
may take days to restore power.>
When the electrician came to install
a GFI outlet for my tank I asked him about a portable generator, and
since I live in a townhouse and noise is an issue, he recommended a
small Honda portable generator, so I'm able to run my system pump and
Tunze pumps for circulation.
<The Honda is hands down the one to use
when noise is a concern. These units are very common here in California
where noise laws abound everywhere you turn.>
I'm planning on buying
one of these, but then I'd have to plug everything in, run outside and
turn on the generator. That's fine if I'm home, but I'm concerned about
the power going out in the middle of the night while I'm asleep or away
at work.
<This is the problem, a generator is good for longer term
outages, but you do have to be there unless you are in a situation to
have it wired into your circuitry and have it automatically switch over.
In a townhouse you likely do not fall into this category.>
Then while
browsing the internet I came across this:
http://www.jehmco.com/html/battery_backup_system.html
This got me
interested. I was thinking of getting one of these to use for those
situations mentioned above, so it will turn on automatically, while
keeping the portable generator for when I'm home and if the power goes
out for an extended length of time.
<Sounds like a good plan.>
What do you guys think of this? Is it a good idea? Any advice on this
would be greatly appreciated.
<I have built a few systems that work
exactly as this one does through the years. I have even considered
marketing the unit, it is nice to see someone else has fulfilled this
need. It indeed is the answer to your problem.>
Sincerely,
Shannon O'Rourke
<Have fun with the new setup, Scott V.>
About power outage 3/12/08
hi again
there will
be a power outage for 4 hours on Thursday here does this gonna kill
any of my stock from the salt water tank?
<Quite possibly.>
in
2003 We have a 48 gallon freshwater aquarium, and there was a 18
hours power failure, at the time it was all the bottom tankmates
died such as Pleco, and Corys, crown loach, and some cichlids, but
Gourami never died.
<Gouramis are air-breathers, so are generally
able to tolerate bad water conditions for longer periods than most
other fish. In any case, after about 30-60 minutes lack of water
flow through canister filters especially will allow the bacteria to
die. This causes problems with ammonia. So even if the fish tolerate
the cold and the lack of water movement, the ammonia can still kill
them.>
This time will have a 4 hours power outages, does the fish
can handle 4 hours without oxygen in water?, or do I need to do
something?
<You need to do something.>
I don't have a kw power
generator ready at home, or have any battery pump
<Then you have
a problem. I can't speak with authority for marine aquaria, but for
a freshwater tank, removing livestock so that they are placed in
multiple, lightly-stocked 5 gallon buckets helps. Regularly change
the water in those buckets. Keep a lid on them though to stop fish
jumping out! Disconnect canister filters and place the biological
media in open basins so they are kept submerged but close to the
surface of the water. This lets the bacteria breathe. Use towels and
other insulators to keep buckets and basins warm if the room
temperature is much below 18 degrees C. Using this method, I've
maintained freshwater livestock for multiple days without losses.>
Peter
<Cheers, Neale.> <<The span of time for the marines
should be tolerable... with proviso for any sealed filtration. Read
here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/poweroutagefaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>>
Re: About power outage (RMF, please comment if required)
3/14/08
hi
Thanks for the detail
<Welcome>
It was a
7 hours power outage from 9am to 4pm. I had been watch at my tanks,
every few minutes. I net the fish out to a bucket, and filled with
the tank water, and added some new water. I use the baster to pump
some air to water every 10mins to keep the water oxygenated. I
didn't have anything lost after the long power outage on that day :)
I have some snails in the tank I didn't take them out, and they are
still alive.
<Ah, good... Appears that temperature et al. changes
were not too great... Cheers, Bob Fenner> |
Prolonged power outage and low water temp 03/11/2008
Dear Crew,
<<G'Morning, Andrew today>>
I have experienced a power outage that
lasted almost 20 hours. During the outage the water temperature dropped
to 61 degrees. The tank is a 70 gallon and has a 20 gallon sump. I have
about 90# of rock and a 6"deep sand bed a few corals and 5 fish. During
the outage I twice changed out 5 gallons of water. The power has finally
come back on.
Aside for removing any dead creatures I am not
sure what my next move should be.
<<Checking water parameters, water
change as per the outcome of the parameter checks>>
What affect does
the loss of circulation and temperature have on the bacteria in a tank??
Is this tank going to cycle again? What affect does
the above have on
the deep sand bed?
<<Has anything died? Depending on the hardiness
of the stock in the tank, you could get away with hopefully no
disastrous effects>>
Any insights and advice would surely be
appreciated. Thank you. Josh
<<Thanks, hope this helps. A Nixon>>
Recovering from catastrophic power loss-12/22/2007
Hello,
<Deb>
Up until a few days ago, I had a 9 year old 55 gallon
indo-pacific soft coral reef tank with a coral beauty, a yellow-tailed
blue damsel, and many small hermit crabs and various snails as a cleanup
crew. My softies consisted of yellow polyps, green star polyps, orange
Ricordea, orange zoanthids, clove polyps, a mushroom leather and various
other little critters that popped up out of my live rock.
On Sunday
morning, we lost power and didn't get it restored until Thursday.
Disaster should've been averted, as I have a 20,000 Watt generator at my
house, but it was never installed correctly and never came on. The house
got down to 40 degrees for about 4 days, with nothing in the tank
running. So, long story short, I came back to a dead tank.
I started
breaking it down yesterday and found that, in fact, some of the hermit
crabs were actually alive! In addition, my yellow polyps are not
extended, but aren't melting down either. They're staying "upright" as
it were, so I think that they may be alive as well. So -- I disconnected
my canister filter, completely cleaned it out, packed it with new media,
including activated carbon, and hooked it back up.
<Good>
I have
a SCWD system running in there for water movement, and I'm skimming the
HECK out of it with a CPR BakPak. I've found and removed the only two
fish in the tank, as well as all of the dead snails/crabs that I've
found. I also did a 60% water change. My question to you is -- now
what???
<Time going by>
Is it even reasonable to think that I can
rescue this tank?
<Some of it, yes>
If so, what steps do you
recommend?
<Observation, testing... possible water change-outs...>
I'm making more RO/DI water as we speak and intend on doing a series of
50% water changes until it DOESN'T smell like the bay at low tide. I'm
also going to continue removing any dead occupants as I find them and
skimming the heck out if this tank.
<Sounds good>
Should I just
return what's alive to a fish store and give up on this, or is there
hope?
<There is always... or should I state, there could always be
hope>
Should I try to remove any dead corals or let them disintegrate
into the system. Will the cycling that's bound to take place destroy the
other corals?
<Mmm... I would hold out hope that some/all of the
"corals" might have some living tissue that might rally...>
Thanks
for any advice you can give.
Deb
<Hang in there. Bob Fenner>
A HUGE thank you! (power outages) 12/11/07
Here in
Oklahoma this weekend we're officially going through "the biggest power
outage in Oklahoma history" according to the power company's special
announcements on the news. Tens of thousands of homes are without power
due to a major ice storm that is still hitting us pretty hard. I'm in a
rural area & it's worse out here.
Over the past 6 months I've read
WWM 'cover to cover' in setting up my new bigger tanks. But now I've got
three 6 ft tanks with several 4 ft tanks with quite a few carefully
selected, loved & diligently quarantined fish, these fish have become a
real part of the family. I read the 'power outage' section of WWM many
times and my heart went out to all the people who'd lost entire long
time tanks full of beloved fish due to power outages. BECAUSE of that we
purchased a 7000kw Guardian generator with an automatic transfer switch.
The thought of losing all my fish I love so much had me scared to the
point of panic.
It took my husband 4 or 5 hours the other night to
hook up this big 4' X 3' propane powered generator and wire it into our
main breaker. When our power goes out the generator kicks on
automatically in 13 seconds.
The generator was $2000.00 (for those
interested) but I'm quite certain it would take well over that much
money in therapy alone to get over losing all my much-loved fish :-)
So while the majority of the Oklahoma City area and a large part of the
entire state is sitting without lights, water or heat, my fish are
heated, filtered, warm and safe.
I'm thanking God and WWM right now.
Neale has been blessedly patient with my questions and because of the
information on your website I won't lose a single fish due to this
horrible ice storm, nor any future power outages. It makes me sick to my
stomach to think "what if" I hadn't read your information and gotten the
generator.
So THANK YOU!! And a giant cyber-hug from my Oscar, Royal
Plec, Clown Loaches, Severum, Cory Cats, Eartheater & Goldfish to Neale
Monks
(different tanks of course-ha!). They're all raising their fins
in salute to this wonderful website that has undoubtedly saved their
lives.
Indebted beyond belief & on my way to make a donation
immediately!
Mitzi
<Hi Mitzi. I'm glad the generator did its job
and all your fishy friends are safe and sound. It's not often we here
the success stories, usually just the problems. It's like watching the
evening news where all you hear is death and destruction! But obviously
fishkeeping is fun, which is why people do it, and when people make
sensible choices up front, as you've done here, then they find the hobby
easier and more rewarding. So anyway, enjoy the holiday season, and
thanks so much for writing. Cheers, Neale. Oh, and you have some great
fish there... I think you'll need to start charging admission for when
people come over and visit your State Aquarium!>
Re: A HUGE thank you! (power outages) 12/11/07
There's an idea....I could charge 1 cube of bloodworms and my Oscar
would perform for them all day! Thank YOU, Neale, especially. I love the
theme of this entire website but it's been you who's made a lifetime
impression on me with your upfront honesty (harsh when they need it) and
endless patience. You've forgotten more than most of us will ever know
about aquatics. No need to take time to answer this one. I just want to
say thank you for being so generous with your time.
Mitzi
<Hello
Mitzi. I'm glad the WWM web site has entertained and informed you. It's
actually pretty good fun writing these e-mails and helping out, and most
of us here definitely "feel good" knowing we've done something to help a
few people keep their fish a little bit better. It's a great hobby, and
one I'm proud to be a part of. Enjoy your fish, and let us know how
things go! Cheers, Neale.>
New 300-Gallon FOWLR System...What Size Generator For Power Backup? –
08/17/07
Hi, Crew.
<<Howdy!>>
I am an aquarium newbie and
have been trying to quickly learn everything I can and your website has
been invaluable.
<<Ah, good!>>
Me and my little fishy friends
thank you.
<<Most welcome>>
I hoping you can help me with this
problem.
<<I shall try>>
Aquarium Design Group in Houston designed
our system. I have been asking them for the past 6 months to give me a
list of all of the equipment they installed. I have only gotten promises
and excuses, but still no information (so don't use them).
<<Mmm,
poor customer service indeed...but let me impress upon you that “you”
should to learn to identify/learn about the operation/function of this
equipment. Let me direct you here for a start
(http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm )...do have a read through the
two “set-up” trays>>
I have a 300 gallon FOWLR
(http://www.caller2.com/realestate/gabriels/s_homes/2007/0218/showcase.cfm
-- look in the photo gallery)
<<Impressive...though I can’t really
tell much about the aquarium from the photo other than it looks like a
beautiful installation/display>>
with a bio-ball filter, charcoal
<<carbon>> filter, and protein skimmer. The tank is plumbed directly to
a sewer line and the mixing tank, R/O and chiller outside. (A 60 gallon
water change takes only 5 minutes and all you have to do is turn 3
valves.)
<<A very nice feature. I have a very similar setup/can
perform this same function with my 375g reef display>>
I need to get
a generator installed for electric outages,
<<Ah yes, and I have one
of these as well...provides much “peace of mind”>>
but I don't know
what to tell the electrician regarding power needs.
<<Hmm... I have a
5.5-Kilowatt unit that provides enough power for my large reef system.
Considering nearly half the energy consumption on my system is the high
intensity metal halide lighting...and considering the fact your display
is a FOWLR system that typically would utilize a fraction of the
same...I think it very likely you could get by with a 3.5-Kilowatt unit
for your tank>>
Is there some way I can find out the manufacturers
and model numbers?
<<Unless these were “stripped” by the installers,
the pumps/motors/ballasts/et al powering your equipment/system should
have labels on them indicating their power requirements/consumption>>
Please help, it's hurricane season and I've grown attached to me new
little buddies.
<<If you want to be more precise you could ask your
electrician about using a “clamp-meter” to measure the power/amperage
drawn through the electrical lines supplying the display (with
“everything” on/running)...add 15% to this figure and you have the value
you need. Or, as I stated previously...a 3.5-Kilowatt generator should
provide ample power for your current system (based on the info you have
provided me)...but if you want to plan for some growth or think you
might one day want to have a reef system, then go with a 5-Kilowatt or
larger unit. Regards, Eric Russell>>
Hurricanes! Power outages 7/28/07
OK, last question
for awhile, I guess I'm trying to get them all outta the way. This one
has been revolving around in my mind for months. I live south of
Houston, and we always have the possibility of a major storm hitting
this season. When Rita came through, we were much luckier than those
just east of us, and never lost power. Those east of us lost it from
anywhere from a couple of hours to 3 weeks. We are far enough inland to
where home damage probably won't be a major issue, but if we take a big
hit, power loss is a definite possibility. With the money invested in my
fish, not to mention that they are living creatures, I want to have some
type of plan that will allow me to at least make the best effort I can
to protect them in case of, say, a three day power outage. There's not
going to be allot
<Wrong words>
I can do about temperature. The
tank is 200 gallons with about 100lbs of live rock. Removing the glass
lid is obviously one step. The biomedia in the FX5 and other canister,
is that worth trying to salvage? I am thinking about purchasing a small
generator, say 5000 watts. This has a run time of 10 hrs on a tank of
fuel, and of course I'd have as much gas stored as possible, along with
the typical bathtubs of water, etc. How often and long do you think
hooking up, say the FX5, for circulation on the tank, would be minimum
for supporting the fish?
<Days...>
I would have to use it on the
refridgerator and freezer to maintain temperature for our food for some
periods, and I would like to minimize the use of the generator to
conserve gas. I've even thought of creating turbulence on the tank
surface by hand for periods of time but I imagine that would be
traumatic for the fish, something they wouldn't need at this time, for
sure. I have also thought of freezing Ziploc bags full of water to float
in the tank for temperature control.
<Good idea>
Anyway, I'm sure
a lot of these thoughts are running together, but it might be a
worthwhile subject. I'm sure there are many of us on the gulf coast that
keep fish. Maybe it can help us prepare for the worst.
As always,
thank you very much.
Thomas Roach
<There are some FAQs files re
this topic/subject on WWM. RMF>
Plenum or DSB/Backup Power – 06/30/07
Hello crew.
<<Howdy
Eric…EricR here>>
I'm in the midst of planning a 125g mixed reef
setup and have a question about whether or not to employ a plenum layer.
<<Okay>>
If I were to have an Aragonite sand bed of <1", would I be
good (in terms of keeping nitrates to a minimum) with not using the
plenum?
<<Hmm, have you read any of Bob Goeman’s writings on plenum
methodology (here’s a place to start:
http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/guest/goemansandgamble/sandbedspart1.htm)?
Whether going with a DSB or a plenum system, a sub-1” sand bed is going
to do little for “direct” Nitrate reduction>>
I am planning to use a
30g sump, and if I were to go the DSB route there, would I use a plenum
layer??
<<Is up to you…I prefer simply to go the DSB route>>
Oh,
and I have one more question regarding backup power--aside from
something like a generator or a Yugo battery, are there other more
convenient options for a tank of this size that you'd recommend?
<<There “are” battery-backup systems available…most designed as backup
computer power. I find these expensive and of limited utility re hobby
use…though admittedly I have not done any extensive research on what is
available. For a system your size, a small gas-powered generator to run
the “essentials” would likely cost about as much (or less?) than some of
the proprietary battery-backup systems and will provide much more
useable and sustained power…in my humble opinion, of course>>
Thanks
for the education and terrific website! Eric
<<We’re pleased you find
it of use. Eric Russell>>
On QTs and power outages 3/1/07
<Greeting, Mich
here.>
You encourage all aquarists to establish quarantine tanks
right from the get go as part of a responsible set up. WE did
that......and felt rather smug about it.
<Hee!>
However, I looked the other way when reading about the need to think
through emergency back-up systems thinking batteries and generators,
etc, were complicated, too expensive. And frankly, who even wants to
think about such a problem?!?
<That smugness
coming back to bite ya! Eh?>
After just completing 42.5 hours
without power I have reconsidered that thinking.
<Ahh,
yes, experience is such an excellent teacher.>
How foolish we were
to invest all the time and money in a 75 gallon reef set up and not plan
for emergencies---not to mention the beautiful and precious creatures
depending on us to sustain them. So, my point is simply to encourage
anyone setting up a tank to consider back up power sources in the event
of power outages.
<Thank you for sharing this. Others will learn
from your misfortune.>
The good news: so far no deaths.
<Excellent. Very good news indeed!>
I immediately wrapped the tank
in Styrofoam and, when it was apparent the power wasn't coming back
anytime soon, began heating water on our camping stove in the garage
(brrrr), putting it in leak proof containers and adding it to the tank
every three to four hours. This slowed the heat loss.
<Clever thinking!>
I stirred the water a bit. When travel was
possible, some 24 hours into it, our LFS gave me two little
battery-powered air pumps AND we were loaned a 5500-watt generator!
<Wow! Generous folks!>
We hooked things up and then I was brave
enough to check the tank temp--66 degrees.
<Yes...
that... do I really want to know this... feeling in the pit of your
stomach.>
I've been reading the posts about power failures and I'm
watching for crypt, pH shock and hoping for the best. I can't quite
believe the whole thing isn't dead----me thinks some sort of miracle has
occurred.
<Many reef creatures are quite hardy.>
But, dear readers, do develop a plan for such instances NOW.
<Wise
words here!>
Unlike most cases, computer research isn't possible at
the time of crisis when the crisis is a power failure.
<Sometimes
it's the obvious that isn't so obvious.>
Have a great day!
<And
the same to you! Thank you for sharing your story. I'm certain others
will benefit from reading it. -Mich> Re: On QTs and power
outages - 03/02/07
Okay, I just couldn't resist telling
you that since I'm a bit math challenged--or sleep deprived from
Emergency Tank Management mode
<Hee! The department of ETM!>
I
miscalculated the hours we were without power: It was 50, count 'em
50, hours until we had the generator and 78.5 until our power was fully
restored.
<Dang!>
I'm even more amazed nothing
has died........yet.......and keep hoping recovery continues to go as
well.!!!
<Hoping for the best for you! -Mich>
Power outage - 1/18/07
Hello, I've been without power
for five days and my reef is gone. I have about 150 lbs of live rock and
100 lbs of oolitic sand in a 180 gallon tank. My sump is a 75 gallon
tank where skimmers are and return pump. The tank is filtering and the
lights are on until I get some advice. My concerned here is the live
rock and the sand. Thanks
<Hey Debby, I'm very sorry for your
tragedy in lieu of this winter blast America is currently experiencing,
however, you don't give us much to go on here. I'm not certain exactly
what question it is that you're asking... If you're asking if the live
rock and sand will be ok, then in my personal opinion, yes they will be
fine. If I've misunderstood here, feel free to shoot me back and I'll
answer your real question! Hope this helps! -JustinN> Re:
power outage - 1/18/07
Hello, do I have to do a 100%
water change ?
<Absolutely not, Debby! Execute a water change in the
range of 10-25%, and then shortly after completing the water change, do
water quality tests. The tests will indicate any remaining levels of
nitrogenous wastes, and will give you a further direction of action.
-JustinN>
Back-up electrical generator question
1/14/07
Hello Bob,
I was going to pose this question to the
crew, but thought I should cut right to the source (hope that's okay).
<Certainly>
I have been thinking for a long time about a small home
generator system. I am not crazy about the gasoline run equipment.
<Mmm>
I am a (not to strong) woman living alone and those things can
be quite heavy. Also the idea of keeping a gas can does not appeal to
me since I have no garage.
<Not all that heavy
nowadays... and the fuel can be stored elsewhere... which I advise if
there are ignition or flame attendant devices in your garage>
Now
that I have a Koi pond (and they are getting big) and have invested
quite a bit of money in my reef tank I get (and stay) nervous all during
hurricane season. That being said, can you recommend a company that
might install a small home generator system that won't cost an arm and a
leg? May be a ridiculous question, but thought if anybody would know,
you would.
Thanks for any help you may be able to offer.
Best
Regards,
Lisa Crugnola
<The best route here is to investigate
through your local utility... Contact them re your concerns and ask in
turn who they suggest to advise you... Not necessarily very expensive or
difficult to have your own back-up system. Bob Fenner>
Earthquake response - 10/17/06
Aloha from Oahu,
<Hi from
Kentucky! MacL here. I'm glad to hear there were no deaths.>
All's
well after the earthquake yesterday, USGS upped it to a 6.7 now with a
6.0 aftershock. Hope Bob is ok if he's on the Big Island. This was a
wakeup call for everyone, especially us aquarium hobbyists.
When the
quake happened, I hopped out of bed, leaned on the front of my 55
gallon tank just in case mother nature decided to get even more
crazy. No need, a bit of water did splash out, but I had built
the stand to stay put, angle braces at every joint. The models I saw
in the stores were way too flimsy looking.
From 7:00am Sunday until
1:00am Monday I was churning the water in my tanks every 15
minutes. PH dropped to 7.8, I added 3/4 teaspoon buffer to bring it
up. Around 9pm my bicolor Anthias couldn't take anymore and
expired. Today I bought 4 battery operated air pumps and D size
batteries that are within reach of my aquariums. I'm hoping they really
do work, but am thinking about buying a small generator.
Tested PH
tonight and it was up to 8.8, so I added 2ml Fritz ph lower (phosphoric
acid). PH is now at 8.4 at the start of the night cycle.
I hope I
did everything right and that things are back on track, and if need be,
the air pumps will suffice to prevent another loss. Please add any
suggestions so I can know what to do in a lengthy power outage in the
future.
<I think you are doing a wonderful job. The
oxygen level is very important and the power heads will take care of
that. If you have water that you can use to make a water change you
might consider doing that in a day or so as well if the power doesn't
resume in a couple of days. Unfortunately the changes might bring some
stress related diseases on like ich etc when its back on so be aware and
be watching. Good luck and if you start to have problems let us know,
MacL> Power Outage Leads To Dead Aquarium
We have a 3m
x 0.6m x 0.78m aquarium tank on our farm in the Northern Cape. This past
weekend we lost our entire aquarium due to a power failure.
Unfortunately we were not at home to try & fix this. Thus my question is
are there any UPS systems available which can be installed or is there
any other solution for solving our problem?
Where could I find more
information regarding this if possible? Thanks
Rian & Nina
<Computer stores have electronic backups for when power goes out. They
act as little batteries. They may provide power for a few hours but I am
not sure how long they will last. Will probably depend on your power
consumption.-Chuck> Power Outages...How Long Will My Tank
Last? - 09/28/06
Mr. Fenner / Eric R,
<<EricR here...>>
Thanks for all your advices & hope everything is fine there!
<<So
far so good today, thanks>>
Time to time there are power cuts around
the area I live.
<<Mmm, my area too...overhead power lines and lots
of big trees...>>
My tank has 1 little Red Knobbed Starfish, 2
Dancing shrimps and lots of live rock for now but I am also going to
introduce maybe 4-5 fish (small & medium sized) to my 80G tank and not
more.
<<Ok>>
So how long do you think my tank can survive
without electricity (I mean what’s the maximum time the tank can survive
without major water changes as a result of electricity failure)?
<<Can vary...affected by water temperature, room temperature, bio-load,
etc...but I generally don’t start to worry till the power has been off
more than an hour or so (then it’s time to fire up the
generator!). It’s also a good idea to monitor for signs of undue
stress/abnormal behavior and take action earlier if necessary>>
And
also after the maximum time (if there is any) how much water should be
replaced?
<<I wouldn’t “replace” necessarily as this too can add
stress. Simply dipping out/pouring back in to circulate/promote gas
exchange is fine. Doing this a couple times every half-hour can keep a
tank going for quite a while. I have used this method in the many times
over the years. If your system has a sump, be sure to dip from the sump
and pour in to the tank until water fills/flows down the overflow...this
will keep your sump happy too>>
Do you think the use of a UPS is a
good idea just in case to survive in these types of situations?
<<Can be of great utility to run a small air pump/airstone...this simple
step can keep a tank “alive” for many hours>>
Thanks again in
advance for any advice, best regards, Rachel
<<A pleasure to
share. Eric Russell>> Electrical generator figuring
9/26/06
Hi Crew. Due to all of your help and fine articles, all
of my 4 FW aquariums are now under control and nitrates are at 10 or
less for 3 mos. now! Wow! I thank you for your help. Now to a strange
question that one of you might be able to answer?
Our rural
electricity goes out from time to time during bad storms and am about to
buy a gasoline generator for the winter months. I have no idea how many
watts I need for the following and hope you can give me some idea?
<Mmm, can "add up" the watts/wattage (volts, likely 120 maximum times
rated amps/amperage equals watts...) for each item as if all might be
"on" at a time... and get something with a capacity higher than this...>
A 29 gal. bow with emperor 280 and heater...A 75 gal. with two emperor
400's with 2 -100 watt heaters...A 100 gal. with two emperor 400's with
two 170 watt heaters....All tanks kept at 78-80 deg. The 4th is a QT
tank of 10gal. The lighting is...29 gal. 20 watt fluorescent...75 gal.
has two 40 watt fluorescents and the 100 gal. has two 24in. 20 watt
fluorescents. Do any of you have an opinion on this? Thanks again...DR
<Likely the smallest of consumer units... something about 3,800 watts,
will do for you for your tanks here... You'll need more should you want
to run large electrical appliances (washer, stove)... Bob Fenner>
UPS and GFCI? - 09/14/06
Hi folks-
<Jake>
My fishy
endeavours have led me to the realization during the hurricane season
here in the Carolina's I'd greatly prefer not to have a wipeout of my
29G due to an electrical power loss. We generally have a very stable
power grid here except during the season and the week or two of ice
storms.
Last weekend I dug out my old APC Back-UPS 300 and purchased
a new battery for it. I promptly discovered while attaching the
electrical lifeblood of my tank that one of my magnetic drive Hagen
powerheads chattered something fierce while running on battery.
<Can>
I have two questions:
1) Do you think it would be OK to
put my GFCI between the UPS and the power strip feeding the tank?
<Mmm, I do think this will be okay>
I know it will have zero
efficacy before the UPS, but am now concerned about harmonics and the
'squarish' wave output affecting it's efficacy.
<Should not be a
factor... am given to understand that the basic principle of these
devices is electron "counting", not a measure of wave differential>
2) My plan is to run only the Emperor 280 and one Hagen 30 175 GPH
powerhead on the UPS and split everything else off to a separate strip.
<Good idea...>
I figure there is no need to run lighting, skimmer,
etc. in emergency situations.
<Mmm, not as much... but may need to
add insulation, some source of heat/ing>
I may run the skimmer for
short periods for increased aeration only. Does this make sense or
should I simply run the filter?
<I'd measure the total amp-life
capacity here and run as much as you can for the supposed duration it
may have to>
Another concern is during the winter months the heater
will need to run more often than usual as the tank is in my lab/home
office which normally is 27C due to all the computing equipment with the
tank holding steady at 78F. Ultimately power will be less of an issue
when I get out of this apartment and back into a house with a planned
5KVA UPS for the room and a whole house generator.
<Wow!>
Time
permitting, my plans are to dry-run the UPS tomorrow to check the
runtime under load. Charts be damned,
<Our sentiments agree here>
the only way to really know is to run under load. Somehow this all
smells of an upgrade to the UPS....
<Why oh why didn't I invest in
the stocks of these companies when I knew of their impending utility,
likely sales volume? Booo hooooo!>
Thanks very much for the
investment of your personal time, and the invaluable information which
the site provides us all.
Regards-
Jake
<Welcome. Bob
Fenner> - Overflow Box and Power Failure 6/27/06 -
Hi Bob/
staff,
<Hi.>
I have joined a forum so I have been bothering you
guys less lately, but even the members of the reef tank. com can't
answer this one. Here goes.
Ok, I have a hang on overflow on the 29.
The overflow is by ProClear and has the overflow box with slits and a u
tube that carries that water to the pre filter on the back. <Very common
design.>
suppose this happens. The power fails for an extended
period while am away. So the overflow will keep draining water into the
sump until the water level drops below the slots, no biggie. But then
the power comes back on and the return pump is working again. So all
that water gets pumped back and it fills the overflow box slits. Will
there still be a siphon or will the tank flood until the sump empties
and the return pump blows out? <There should be if both ends of the
U-Tube are submerged. This is something you can and should test by
simply unplugging the return pump.>
the second box that hangs on the
outside of the tank is designed to retain water if no new water is
coming in because the standpipes comes up a few inches and the u tube
gets submerged in their. But I don't know because if water doesn't come
into those slots in the internal box, and all the remaining water gets
sucked up by the u tube, wont it suck air and have no siphon? <It
doesn't start moving until water flowing into the slotted (tank-side)
box.> I'm really worried so if it will loose siphon, what can I do to
prepare or prevent the possible flooded floor, blown out return pump,
and likely fire? <Well for starters, everything electrical in and around
your tank should be plugged into a GFCI outlet. That will remediate any
possible fire dangers. Otherwise, I think you should unplug your main
pump and see what happens. I think you will be surprised. Over the long
haul, just keep the U-Tube clean as this is the weak link in the chain.>
Remember to look closely at the picture provided in the link. <Am very
familiar with this design; have sold more than I care to count.> Thanks
John
<Cheers, J -- > Choosing A Back Up Power Source -
01/27/2006
Hi crew can someone direct me on what to purchase for
back up power during a power outage?
<Start by figuring the total
watts you'll need for the desired equipment. Use that to determine the
size generator. Check with hardware or computer stores for options on
back up power.>
I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
<Sure.
- Josh>
UPS Backup Power 1/26/06
I
purchased a 525 watt UPS for backup power in the event of short term
unattended power loss.
I have the following electrical equipment:
1 - Seio high volume powerhead 620 gph - 10 watts
2 - MaxiJet 1200
powerhead 295 gph - 20 watts
3 - 35 watt pump for protein skimmer
4 - Quiet One 4000 50 watt in-sump return pump
5 - 200 watt heater
6 - Approx 450 watts of lighting
Would you power just the powerheads
which total 30 watts and get maximum
duration out of the battery or
would you add the sump pump too? <I'm thinking with your lighting you
have corals/live rock. I would want a good flow in the tank in this
regard. I would leave the sump pump off.> What about
protein
skimmer? <I'd leave off.> Keep in mind that this is for unattended power
failure. We have a generator that we can use for long term/attended
failures in which
case we could run the whole she-bang. I was
thinking that using the powerheads only would provide nearly a full
day of power from the battery, what do you think? <Yes> I guess the real
question
is, would the two powerheads provide enough gas exchange?
<As long as your tank isn't overcrowded you should be fine with the
powerheads.>
We live in Houston so I am not too concerned about a
free fall in temp as most power losses occur in summer with severe wx.
If anything temp will rise
not fall so I have concluded that I would
not need to put the heater on the back-up system.
It is a 90 gallon
Oceanic, rectangular aquarium.
Your thoughts please...<As
above. James (Salty Dog)> Crucial Components In Power Outage -
01/20/2006
Dear WWM friends,
<Hello Inna.>
I have a
newly set up 125 gal ( with you great help!) saltwater which is slowly
becoming a reef. Everything is going very smoothly, I started stocking
it up. I'm planning to have soft corals in it plus some fish plus some
cleaning inverts.
<Sounds good.>
Now I have troubles sleeping
(he-he-he) of fear of power outage and
decided to invest in an
emergency power supply unit. Probably I will not be able to get a unit
which can support everything - heater, lights, skimmer, powerheads,
return pump. So I have to come out with a list of absolute necessities.
I assume heater will be one of those.
<Yep.>
As for circulation
- I'm not sure if I have to have on emergency circuit a main pump or a
powerhead will be enough.
<Enough for a power head should be fine.>
Another aspect - lights. Would it be OK for softies if they do not have
lights for a day or they would get damaged?
<Hmm...Would be fine.>
Ones again, thanks for all your help!
Inna
<Gladly. You may wish
to add a small air pump to this plan as well, and I'd keep the skimmer
running. - Josh>
Powerless - 18/01/06
Crew
My
reef tank was without power for about six hours. The temperature went
from 77.5 to 74.5, pH at 8.3, and ammonia just under .25ppm. Do I need
to worry?
<It's difficult to give clarity without knowing more about
livestock and your method of filtration... but any ammonia is not good.
I would monitor ammonia and nitrites and do sufficient, carefully
conducted (!. No sense stressing the inhabitants further) water changes
to keep them as low as possible. The temperature drop wasn't too severe,
so I'd be fairly bullish provided you can keep parameters in check.>
thanks
<Welcome! Best regards, John.> Back-up Power Needs
Means Generator, UPS, or the Like 11/9/05
Hello,
<Hi
there.>
I have a 155 gallon aquarium with saltwater fish in it. I am
moving into an area were they have occasional power outages.
<That's
no fun.>
I currently have one of the filters that setup in the
bottom of the tank.
<In the tank, or under the tank?>
I believe
it is called an overflow system. Anyway I was wondering if you might
know of a backup system I could use incase the power goes out to catch
the water that back flows into the filter or is there a pan I could put
under the filter to catch the access water.
<A backup generator will
be your best friend for this. Extended loss of power can have more of an
impact than just overflowing. Are you using a wet/dry or sump type
filter? How is your water returned to the tank? If you're using a sump
and your returns are not in danger of siphoning out your tank, then this
is a little easier to avoid.
When you fill your tank (before any
pumps are running) simply let your tank fill the sump, stopping about
three inches or so from the top. When you turn on your pump, the water
level will drop. When it stops dropping mark that level with a marker.
This is your max. fill line when doing top-offs, never add more than
this. Test it by turning your pump off. It should only be able to fill
back to that original full height, before you started your pump. If it
overflows (turn the pump on before it actually does) then there's a
siphon. This is assuming your sump is of adequate size of course. I'd
still rather get the generator though. - Josh> Picking A Battery
Backup Device - 10/25/05
Hi Crew,
<<Howdy>>
I have a
55-gallon saltwater tank with a Mag 5 powering the skimmer, another Mag
5 powering the water return back from the sump and an Iwaki powering the
water through the system on the other side of the sump.
I have 2 VHO
fluorescents for lights with a ballast. I want to look into purchasing
some kind of battery back up power supply that would automatically go on
in the event of a power failure. I live alone and work all day and I
need to protect my fish if the power goes out.
<<A good idea, yes.>>
I know Staples sells battery power supply backups for PC's and I've also
seen a product from Azoo (sp?) as well in a fish supply catalogue. How
do I know how much wattage system I need to power my system sufficiently
in the event of a power failure.
<<Check the labels on the pumps for
"amps" or "amperage" and multiply this times the voltage to get the
"watts" for each pump. This will give you a baseline to size the battery
backup device. Multiply the total wattage of all the pumps by the number
of hours you want to provide backup power, add another 20%, and this is
the size backup device you will want to purchase. I wouldn't plug-in/run
the lights from the backup power supply...not necessary.>>
The ones
at Staples are quite large in size and have different wattage levels.
I'm unsure as to what would be best for my system. Can you help?
<<Size the device as outlined and get one that will provide power until
you can get home to take other measures. EricR>>
<<We also use
these UPSs for surge control with particularly delicate electronics.
MH>> Re: Picking A Battery Backup Device - 10/27/05
Thank you Eric, this is helpful and I will put your formula to good use
to protect my investment and finned buddies!
<<Excellent my friend,
and most welcome. Be chatting, EricR>> Keep tanks running with no
electricity 9/5/05
(Editor - I have read your website and
gained loads of valuable information.
I would like to share the
article I wrote below with the visitors to your
website. All I ask
is that you reprint it in its entirety. Thank You)
<Thank you much
for this posting. Will share. Bob Fenner>
Hello,
I would like to
start out by saying my heart goes out to the gulf coast
victims of
Katrina. We were hit by her directly when she was only a category 1.
The plan of attack provided below is the same one I used to keep 3 fish
tanks powered (and a small fan) going for the 3-4 days we had now power
as a
result of hurricane Katrina. This plan is tried and true.
I
have been reading on a lot of fish keeper forums that everyone is
wondering how to keep their tanks running when the power goes off? I
have
lived in south Florida my whole life and in between the intense
lightning
storms and the hurricanes living temporarily with no power
is definitely a
regular and expected event. Worry no more as I am
about to share a couple
tips with you that will not only keep the
air going but your filters and
heater too! If you follow all of
these tips you could theoretically run your
tanks forever without
using a wall socket.
Here is what you will need:
1-Odyssey
925 cranking amps, sealed, deep cycle, dry cell battery. Odyssey
makes batteries for the military and recently made these available to
the
public. This battery is smaller in size than your car battery,
but packs
wayyy more amperage. The reason I specify THIS battery is
because: IT IS
DANGEROUS TO BRING A NORMAL CAR BATTERY IN THE
HOUSE!! DO NOT DO THIS!
Normal car batteries contain sulfuric acid
and are prone to vapor leakage.
VERY DANGEROUS! The Odyssey is a
SEALED, DRY CELL. Nothing will ever
endanger you inside this battery
unless you were to crack it open with an
axe. There are other
sealed, deep cycle batteries on the market but none are
as small or
low price as this one. Also has lifetime warranty. If your
budget
permits I suggest buying two of these as it will allow you to keep
your tanks running seamlessly if planned right.
http://www.batterystore.com/Odyssey/PC925.htm
1-400 Watt DC to
AC Power Inverter. I use a Black & Decker model I purchased
at
Wal-Mart for $40. Has quiet built-in-fan. I suggest using a 400 watt
inverter as they have 2 outlets available on them. I have used power
inverters from other companies and they will basically all do the job,
however I must admit the Black & Decker unit was definitely quieter and
of
better quality. Make sure you get one that comes with alligator
clamps that
can be clamped directly on the battery. When you get
this unit open it, test
it, and become familiar with it.
I
suggest having extension cords available as some people like me have
more
than one tank but not in the same room as each other. Remember
you are no
longer relying on wall sockets. Your power is going to
come from the
inverter and if you have multiple tanks you probably
have to run extension
cords to allow your pumps plugs to reach the
inverter (again this is only if
you are powering more than one
tank).
Now to get to it. The inverter is going to come with
alligator clamps so you
can attach it directly to your car battery.
I suggest you find a location
that is in the middle of all your
tanks. Put down a towel or some thick
cloth on the ground. Place the
battery in the middle of this towel. This is
just to keep the
battery off the floor and moisture away from it. Place the
positive
and negative (red and black) alligator clamps from the inverter on
the terminals of the battery and turn the unit on. If you have
everything
hooked up correct the inverter should power up, if
anything is wrong the
inverter will sound an alert or simply not
power up. You can now plug in your pumps to the inverter.
If you
have a big tank with air and multiple pumps, I suggest using only one
pump per tank while the power is out. This will allow you to keep the
water
moving for the most amount of time. You don't even really need
to keep your
air pump going so long as your water is moving
(circulation oxygenates water
all by itself). On my 75 gallon I have
a canister filter and an Emperor hang
on tank. I keep just the
Emperor running when the power goes out as it not
only circulates
the water but also heavily oxygenates due to its bio-wheel.
By doing
this your fish can basically go on happily and never notice a
change
in the water chemistry. After hurricane Katrina hit my power was off
four 3-4 days. I didn't even have to do a water change when the power
came
back on my 26 gallon since the Aquaclear 50 on their tank never
stopped
running. Silly that I have to mention this but do NOT bother
plugging in
your lights unless you have a reef system that NEEDS it.
Lights will drain
your battery much faster than your pumps will.
Ok now here is how you can keep this system running FOREVER with no wall
power.
1-The Odyssey battery is really a super car battery. If you
were to purchase
TWO of the Odyssey batteries you could have one
powering your tanks and keep
the other. you guessed it. UNDER YOUR
HOOD! If you have one functioning as
your car battery it will always
be full. When the power in your home goes
out and use all the power
in your battery just swap it with the one under
your hood. Since the
battery you are putting under your hood will be dead
you WILL need a
jumpstart to get your car started. You could do this forever
and
always have a battery full to run your tanks. I know this is a lot of
work but hey you only have to do it in times of extreme weather/power
outages and anyway no one said this was supposed to be fun. It's about
keeping your fish ALIVE!
-----OR-------
2-Harness
the power of the S U N! Solar power panels are very inexpensive
now. You can purchase a "briefcase" that opens up to be 2 solar panels.
You
can then use this to keep your Odyssey battery fully charged.
This unit is
one example of the "solar power briefcase":
http://www.action-electronics.com/solar.htm. If you search these on
eBay you
will find a bunch at great prices. While these could power
your fish tank
pumps by them selves, they will only work while the
sun is out so better to
use them to keep your battery charged so you
can keep the pumps running at
night as well. (I have never used the
solar power method explained here, I
just provide it as a
suggestion. I highly recommend you do a little homework
on this and
search for the best solution for you)
If you are sure you have
everything planned out properly you could even use
the inverter to
power your cell phone charger, run a small fan, etc Any of
the
really low power things you have that need electricity.
Best of luck
to my fellow fish keepers~!
Adam Goldstein
<Again, thank you for
your efforts, sharing. RMF>
Protecting your aquarium setups
in power losses
Well I searched WWM for this info but didn't see
it so I figured I'd offer this fairly inexpensive protection for our
pricey setups. I went to Best Buy and bought a battery backup and
surge protector rated for computers this allows for brief power outages
without losing vital pieces of equipment. mine bottom of the line unit
(65$ before rebates 20 after) will run a internal filter with air line
attached for about an hour or so which with a 55 gallon tank the O2 runs
low after 2 hours or so which I run the filter for 15 min etc there are
some figures to get it right for your tank but the other great part is
that if a piece is fried by a power surge the company will replace or
repair from 50,000$ or more depending on different models. I bought mine
from APC and the warranty doesn't say what you can't use it on you just
write what it is used for. I have saved hundreds pf dollars in fish and
LR by powering my heater, and that cheap filter to keep the flow and O2
going its a cheap but effective piece that should be a part of any
serious aquarists system fresh or salt. its the life insurance policy
you'll be glad you got.
<Jager, my only concern would be is that the
"bottom line" APC would not have the current capacity to run say a 100
watt heater and/or other equipment. James (Salty Dog)> Power
outage
Hello. I posted a message on the chat room and got some
good advice from Steven. However, since then I have done a few things
and heard more news. My situation. Power outage occurred last night at
about 3:30 a.m., it is now 3:30 p.m. (12 hrs). Taking Steven's advice I
placed 2 battery operated Hagen air pumps in my aquarium. <good> 75
gallon reef tank, shrimp, hermits, some softies, coral beauty and true
percula clownfish. I last checked on my tank around 2:00. Everything
seems to be okay. the corals, of course, are not really out due to the
lack of light and circulation. <yes sounds about right>
The power co.
said the power will HOPEFULLY be back on by Thursday. <good to hear>
150,000 homes are without power in Toledo due to storms. <bummer> I have
also been adding freshwater to the tank. I unplugged my filter (emperor
carbon system). I read that when the power comes back on it my kick
extra unwanted junk into the tank. <yes, this has happened to me before>
Is there anything else I should do. <Not really...if you feed your
clownfish make sure you feed them very very sparingly> I read also not
to do a water change until the power comes back on. <I wouldn't bother
doing one until the power came back on> I had some water mixing last
night, but now the power is out. I have not did a water change since
last Thursday. the 4th of July and traveling set me behind. Please
advise. <Your aquarium should be fine until the power comes back on>
Your advice is always good. I also have a p. firefish into qt. I placed
an air stone in their also. <Yes, he should be alright...just make sure
you have a tight fitting cover. they are jumpers you know>
I have had
my set up for about 8 months, and have done really well. Damn Mother
Nature. <Everything should be ok, just be patient my friend>
Thanks
mike in Toledo<You're welcome, IanB in Orlando>
Power failure for 15 hours 8/1/04
Hi all, I blew it big time
last night. I turned off the power to our 90g reef tank w/o knowing
it. The power was out for 15 hours. The cleaner shrimp, kole tang,
sailfin tang, a fang blenny and emerald crabs died. <Yikes!! Sorry for
your losses.>
5 green Chromis, snails, conch, brittle star and
Clarkii clown are still alive. All the corals appear to be doing pretty
well. The tank has a 4-5" sandbed, Berlin skimmer, 3 powerheads, sump w.
sandbed. Our lights are 4 x 96 pc.s. We have roughly 100 - 125 lbs of
LR. We immediately took out everything alive (rock, fish, inverts) and
performed a 50% water change. Then we put the rock back in and it's
running now. There are also some snails which were hiding in the
sand. The water temperature is fine. The current nitrite level is
roughly .5, the ammonia .2 and nitrates 25mg/l. We use ro/di water and
it gets changed weekly - 10 - 15%When we turned on the tank there were
lots of copepods (dead) floating around and small slug-like animals
sucking on the glass. We have 2 smaller tanks which we put the corals
in. I plan to add a PolyFilter to the sump. <You are fortunate to have
other tanks to house your survivors! Please keep them where they are
until you have confirmed that the tank has re-cycled and ammonia and
nitrite are undetectable. Also, you may wish to employ some mechanical
filtration to get rid of any pod corpses or other yuck that may be
floating around.>
My question is how is the sand bed affected by the
loss of oxygen? Do we need to replace part or all of it? <You may want
to consider replacing it. It is hard for a sand bed to recover from a
major die off (which may or may not have occurred). A good compromise
may be to replace about half of the sand (removing side to side, not top
to bottom) now and the other half in a few weeks. This will allow
bacteria and surviving critters to populate the new sand.>
Should I
put the inverts back in the tank? The tank was healthy before and would
like to know the best steps. I didn't see anything similar so I'm
writing. Thanks, Nancy <You certainly can move the animals back after
the cycle is completed, but do add animals back slowly if possible and
pay close attention to water quality as you do. Best regards. AdamC.>
Power failure questions II 10/8/03
I need as much info as
possible. The sump/power outage/water on the floor issue is the last
question I have...but it's a big one my apartment is full of books.
Please help, Y-
<Yuell... this is very difficult to explain via
e-mail. And yet could be answered or realized in seconds with a visit to
a local fish store or member of a local aquarium society. Regardless of
your overflow box/hole source... the prevention of a sump overflow is a
remarkably easy thing to calculate properly. What big city do you live
in or near? I can perhaps suggest someone for you to consult locally to
make this all very clear. Else, you can make sure the return tube does
not extend below the water surface in the display. Then fill the display
until it just begins to overflow, then stop.... then fill the sump until
it is near the top, then stop. And at that point with all power off...
and the display and sump filled... you are at max system volume. When
you next turn the power on, then water level in the sump will fall as
the plumbing gets filled and after that level stabilizes... you simply
mark a line on the sump as the max running level. You now know at that
point for the future that as long as you never fill the running sump
beyond that point, your sump cannot overflow. Hoping this helps.
Anthony> -Loss of power-
Hello! <Hopefully the power
still remains, I apologize for the delay!>
I just got back to my home
in DC to prepare for the coming hurricane, but have not been able to get
any battery-powered powerheads for my fish tank (a generator would be
out of the question as I am inside an apartment). Here's my
question: I have a 90 gallon fish tank with 80lbs of live rock, 3" of
sand, a sump, 2 tang, 2 ocellaris, 1 neon goby, 2 shrimp, no coral. I
know I should have planned more for this contingency, but what should I
do if the power is off for a substantial time period (2 days)? Are
there any household tools that I can use to get oxygen in the
tank? Should I stir the tank, even blow bubbles into it with a
straw--and how often? <I'd stir it up vigorously a few times per hour to
get some kind of gas exchange going. Bubbling through a straw, although
fun to watch and do, will do little to keep the oxygen level up.> How
long with no water movement will they be ok? <It's tough to say, just
keep stirrin'> Any info you can give me is greatly
appreciated--hopefully I will get your answer before we lose power!
<Good luck on this potentially bad situation... -Kevin>
So many
thanks,
Laura - Weathering Ivan -
You've given us so
much valuable advice and once again we have some questions. We live in
the Gulf Breeze/Pensacola area and had to evacuate on Tuesday. <I can
sympathize - I live in Boca Raton, and had to deal with Frances but
didn't have to evacuate... that certainly complicates things.> We have 4
tanks: 1 reef tank with fish, 100 gal; 1 FO salt water 100 gal tank with
dogface puffer, Naso tang, maroon clown and Chromis; 1 fresh water tank,
100 gal with plants and fish; and 1 salt water FO 180 gal tank. We fed
all our fish on Tuesday before we left. We have battery operated
bubblers in all our tanks. <I hope those batteries last. Have you ever
tested these units to get a sense of how long they'll run on a fresh set
of batteries?> We also have a 5,000 gal Koi Pond. <Well... that will
certainly get a water change.> We are not sure when we can return to our
home, or what condition it will be in, but we are hoping we can get back
by Saturday. <I'm hoping with you.> When we get home, we have a
generator to get the pumps running. Our main concern is how long can
our fish survive without food? <They'll probably be fine, but certainly
will be very hungry by then... would be prepared for some amount of
loss, let's hope it's not your home.> We are so worried about all that
is going on, and would welcome any info you can give us. <Well... these
things are so variable, depending on exactly when you lose power, how
soon you can get back, what kind of health the fish were in to begin
with, etc. I'm glad you have a generator, is very wise given the number
of tanks you have, and with some luck you've got a good stock of fuel
available and won't have to wait too long for renewed supplies. It
sounds to me like you've done all you can do short of bringing all the
fish with you in buckets which really isn't practical so... I'm crossing
my fingers for you and hoping for the best.>
thanks so much,
carol
<Cheers, J -- >
Riding Out The Storm (Preparation
For Possible Power Failure)
Hi Scott,
<Hi there!>
I have
been doing pretty good and I hope you have too. I am sure you are
still on the tea.
<In fact, just made a fresh batch of Thai Iced tea
today!>
I am not going to keep you even through I would like to
catch up since it's been a while since I have wrote.
<No
problem...It's always a pleasure>
But to the question.... if this
hurricane causes the weather to get bad enough to lose electricity
what can I do for my two tanks. One is a 73 gallon salt water and the
other is a 125 salt water. What can I do or long long will they be ok?
Please reply ASAP. My computer is broke and I am having to use one
at work and I can not get on here a lot. Teri
<Well, Teri- first and
foremost, I hope that you and everyone else in Florida can ride out this
storm with no damage. Our thoughts are with you! As far as protecting
the fish during a long power outage, about the best thing that you can
do (short of finding a backup generator to supply power) would be to mix
up as much fresh salt water as you can, and perform frequent water
changes (like every other day, if you can). Battery powered air pumps
are good, but I'm sure that they are not going to be easily available to
you right now. Best you can do is to try to change water to minimize
metabolite accumulation and provide some additional aeration
periodically. You could also simply scoop up water from the display and
pour it back into the tank...A primitive aeration technique that can
help. Hope it does not come to that, but it's best to be prepared. Do
let us know how everything works out! Regards, Scott F.> -
Hurricane-induced Power Outages -
hi
We live in Florida and
have a 100 gal marine tank, and a 30-gal freshwater tank, with all the
hurricane activity we wondered how long can fish typically live without
electricity for the air- filters and pumps. <Well... provided you do
something about it, perhaps as long as you have the energy. For a system
of this size though, you'd be best off with a generator and a supply of
fuel to make it through a week. Your other option is to keep the water
aerated by removing pitchers of water and then pouring them back in to
circulate the water and keep the oxygen levels up. Depending on the
density of livestock in the tank, the tank could probably make it 12
hours or so with no intervention, but by the end of that time serious
problems would be developing. Personally I wouldn't wait more than an
hour to intervene.>
thanks
<Cheers, J -- > - Dealing
With Frances -
Hello everybody
I live in spring Hill Fla
right where hurricane Frances is heading for! I have two well
established salt tank with a bunch of animals in my reef as well as my
fish only tank. Our power is sure to go out when it hits Sunday/Monday.
I cant find a generator or battery powered air pumps even. What is the
best thing I can do to save my animals and their bacteria bed during the
power outage? <Your best bet is to try and remove pitchers of water and
pour them back in from a height, so that you both move water around and
aerate it.> I was thinking of dipping water in and out of the tank for
the tank and pouring water through the skimmer box for the bio bed and
then returning water to the tank. <Yes, in this case, you want to make
sure the filtration system gets some water too.> How often do I have to
do that to everything going. <Depends on the size of the tank - the
smaller, the more frequent - I would think between 15 to 30 minutes.> I
think I have some sleepless nights ahead of me! <Yup... I live in Boca
Raton and had several, even with my generator.> You advise would be
great
Thanks
Kirt
<Cheers, J -- >
RE: Potential Disaster
Thanks
<Hi, MikeD here>
We were
spared. Lots of our neighbors to the south were not.<Ditto. Clearwater
here> I bought some
battery pumps just in case but never lost
power.<Again, ditto. congratulations on Mother Nature being fickle!>
Power outage questions?
Hello Folks,
<< Blundell this
afternoon. >>
I Need to ask some questions, There is a hurricane
forecast to come ashore close to were I Live. Can you tell me
If my
power goes out for along period of time how I can help my fish Make it.
<< I live no where near hurricane areas, but we do have lots of power
outages here. >> I have a 140, and 210 reef tank a 30 gal with Proven
Mated pair of Maroon Gold stripe clowns,
and a 55 cal Fresh water
with 2 Orandas in it. I also have a 5000 gal pond with 12 KOI in it. I
am worried if the power goes out about oxygen. I don't care about
lighting, << You got it, oxygen is key... also temperature. >>
It
just the aeration and filtration. How long will everything last without
this and what can I do manually to help. << I won't tackle the pond
issue, but for the reef tanks I can help. The best thing we do here is
to take a pot from the kitchen, and dip it in the tank, scoop out a pot
full of water, and pour it back in. This really helps with oxygen and
aeration. More help than you would think. As for temperature, well
that is tough. I have a gas stove, so I can always heat up water, put
some water in a two litre bottle, and float it in my tank. >> Any
advice would be a great help.
Thank you so much in advance and I
hope I get a answer to help before it comes. << Keep turning over the
water, that is my best advise. >>
<< Blundell >>
Hurricane Help
Hello. <Hi MacL here with you today>
I know I
sent question early and normally I can wait For replies, However time is
getting critical. <I definitely understand that.> The county I live in
may be shutting off power and water. <Before the power goes out mix up
some water that you can use as replacement water and store it in as many
containers as you can find. If nothing else you might need to use it as
drinking water for yourself. What the tank is going to need is oxygen
exchange, you might want to get one or some of those battery powered air
pumps. You can stir the top of the tank periodically for air exchange
if the power goes. Remember that dilution is the help for pollution so
you could be prepared to do water changes pretty frequently. You might
also invest in something like Prime to make an effort to chemically
remove ammonia. I also know one enterprising person who bought some
carbon and used a picture to run amounts of his water through the carbon
and then put the cleaned water back into the tank. You could consider a
generator to keep the power going but that's high cost I do know.> Power
company is saying it could be up to 2 weeks with no power. What can I do
to try to save my fish. <I love my fish as much as anyone but don't take
chances with yourself most of all. Please let us know what happens and
our best wishes are for you to make this through as safely as possible.
MacL> Hurricane Advice follow-up
Dear Crew, <Hi Scott,
MacL here again.>
I want to thank you for quick response, And Help.
Just to let you know I got Extremely Lucky and God Was on my side. 1
Hour before it was to come ashore as a Cat 4 140mph - 155 mph , it took
a turn and made landfall a bit south. <I am so glad to hear that you
were spared Scott.> No power outage or damage. I think we are out of the
woods here. While I do not wish this powerful of Hurricane on anyone,
And as a retired Sheriff Deputy I feel for the persons devastated by
this storm, I just thankful it was not me and now maybe I Can help
others. <It might be a good idea to see what and who needs some help
with their fish down there Scott, its not a pet that most people think
about when doing evacuations.> Again thank you for your help. I will
keep all this info at hand as I found out there are 2 more out in the
Atlantic unknown where to go. <Prayers and good thoughts are with you.
MacL>
Thank you all.
Scott..
- Ice Storm Power Loss -
We had a huge ice storm here which cut
power to over 150,000 people... basically our entire town. <No fun...
have been through a couple of these.>
I had no power, nor a
generator for 5 days. We had to leave the house due to the extreme
cold.
Coming home today, as expected, everything in the saltwater
tank is dead.
All I can try to do now is salvage the
live rock, if possible. After running my tank for 5 years, with little
hitches, I'm faced with a problem. Should I look at the live rock NOW
as basically uncured and try to salvage it by attempting to cure it with
a heater etc outside the tank? <I'd cure it in the tank, might as well
let all settle back in together.>
The stench is tremendous... mostly
from the die off of the live rock, I think. <Quite likely.> I'd like to
try and save what I can, any thoughts? <Well... what's to save? I mean
the rock itself will be starting from scratch. I'd run some activated
carbon in your filtration system to get rid of the smell, and then get a
couple of new pieces of live rock to re-seed the rock in the tank. Would
let all cure in the tank... I'm assuming you have a protein skimmer.
Things will make a comeback. Sorry to hear of your losses, but much
better that you and your family are safe. Cheers, J -- >
Back up power supply
Bob,
Have you ever or do you know anyone
who has used a computer battery power back up supply to keep filters
going during a power outage ?
<A few folks>
I purchased one at a
Staples store, it is rated to keep a computer and monitor going for 52
minutes so I figured it should at least drive my Magnum 350 canister
filter, I'm not so sure it would drive my wet/dry pump but I would
settle for the Magnum to keep running for an hour, what's your thoughts
on this. I paid $150.00 for the unit.
<You can either check/calculate
by the wattage, ampere hour rating of the devices to estimate how long
they might work together... or better (what I would do) actually test
them against the uninterruptible power supply. I suspect you will want
to only run one item... maybe just an air pump and stone.... and drain
the canister filter down to leave an air space if it's left off for more
than an hour or so... and secure, store a thermal insulating blanket to
wrap around the system for such an emergency. Bob Fenner>
Thanks
Fred Power Problem in winter
<<JasonC here, filling in
while Bob is out diving.>>
I am new and getting ready to setup my
first tank. I will have the basics few fish 50 pounds live rock and
cleaners. My problem though... I live in a small town and when we get an
ice storm in the winter and power goes out, it sometimes is out for 2 or
3 days. <<that is a problem.>> My question with out buying a generator
do you think I could get away with using a computer ups (uninterrupted
power supply) and just hook my whisper filter up and the submerged
heater? It says it will run a pc and monitor for like 20 min.s I figure
I should be able to get more than that with just those 2 little things
or is there a better way? <<a UPS [that's Uninterrupted Power Supply]
suitable for a 2-3 day stint, even with only a small pump and heater
would still be more expensive than a generator. I think you'd find the
model you were looking at would last little more than a day, if that.
With computer UPS, often the design is such to give you enough time to
shut down the computer with risk of damage/loss of data - not meant to
run the machine for days.>> Trying to plan ahead. <<Indeed - complicated
issue, real problem.>> If it helps any its a 55 gal. Thanks Tim
<<Really think hard about what you are about to do - if this is a real
issue where you live and something you can bank on [will happen without
fail] then you might have to make one of two difficult decisions -
either forgo the tank for the winter OR buy a generator, perhaps a small
used one. Cheers, J -- >> Power outages & SW tanks
Hello
Bob (et al),
<You got Steven today.>
Had a 12 hour power outage
last night. My 210G reef tank fell about 3-4 degrees. My 45G seahorse
tank probably dropped a little more. I vigorously stirred the water by
hand every few hours. I also was able to get the pumps running on a
generator after about 8 hours but only for 30 minutes (the generator
wasn't working right).
I don't see any stress in the critters this
morning. The only sign of stress to the system was a single, full load
from the protein skimmer that might have been more related to me clearly
a partially blocked venturi air inlet than the outage (no way to tell).
Didn't see too many fish in the deep of the night but the ones I did see
looked normally (moved away from the light; no heavy breathing.) The
corals were normal for the night.
My thoughts are that since the temp
drop was not severe (bottomed out about 73 degrees)
<Brrrr>
and I
moved the water around and noticed no signs of low oxygen that I'm out
of the woods. What do you think? Just what is a tank's tolerance to
outages?
<The 12 hour point is where I start to worry. My biggest
concern now is that in many instances a temperature drop is a trigger
for an outbreak of crypt. Keep a close eye on things. You may also want
to invest in a battery operated air pump. They are pretty cheap and a
nice unit to have around in case of emergencies.>
Thanks! -Marc
<You are welcome. I will keep my fingers crossed. -Steven Pro>
Power Outage
Bob,
There was a power outage in my area last
night. The good news is the power was only out for about an hour. The
bad news is that I fell asleep prior to the power coming back on and the
outage tripped the GFI's in my tank, so the tank power was out for about
6 hours. My first question is does anyone make GFI's that don't trip
when there's a power outage.
<As far as I'm aware they can/do trip or
not depending on the "even-ness" of electron flow through their
circuits... not whether the power is on or not... Perhaps moisture from
condensation had something to do here with yours tripping>
I know I
need GFI's because I don't want to get zapped, but now I'm going to be
worried sick every time I go on an overnight trip that the power will go
out and the tank power will be down until I return to reset the GFI's.
<Practice throwing the breakers over (on/off) on the circuits that are
GFI protected in your house... they shouldn't trip... they do sometimes,
"go bad"... may need to replace an in-line one... or have help locating
the leg/s that are allowing the fault>
My second question concerns my
fluidized bed filter. When I first started setting my tank up last
summer, I had originally planned on an all fish tank so I installed a
fluidized bed filter on the sump. Instead, I've ended up with a flow
blown reef tank (live rock, skimmer, many soft and stony corals and only
2 small fish). I've been considering shutting down the fluidized bed
filter for some time now,
<Yes, I would... just pull it>
but
since all water parameters were excellent, I figured why mess with a
good thing.
<May not be as "good a thing" as you can have>
Well,
I've read that the bacteria in fluidized bed filters can die very
quickly if there is no flow through the bed (like I had for six hours
last night!)
<An hour is too long...>
Well, I didn't want to blow
all that dead stuff into my tank, so this morning when I restarted
everything, I mad the decision to shut down the fluidized be filter. Do
you think this was wise, or should I turn it back on.
<You were
wise, and fortunate to have done so>
Sorry this was so long winded.
By the way, the good news is that everything seemed to be doing fine
this morning when I left for work...hopefully all
will be well when I
return this evening.
<Yes>
Thanks for you help,
Phil in San
Diego
<Bob F. in San Diego... where in our area we didn't have an
outage... that dang futility, I mean utility!> Power Outage
Bob, or whichever of you fine gentlemen are answering today,
<do I
have to answer this query in a suit to still qualify as a gentleman?
Anthony <G>>
I just had my first wake-up call regarding a power
outage. We had a
transformer blow in town and the power was out for 3
hours. Just came back on. I have a 90 gallon mini reef with 6 fish. The
temp surprisingly only dropped maybe one degree if that. My question is
what is the limit for how long the tank can survive without circulation,
light, and heat? I realize it depends on the size of the tank -
<and
mostly bio-load/O2 demand... however, reef inverts can take a lot more
abuse than fish can. especially larger fish. A battery operated air pump
on hand will help get you by to around 10-12 hours with little or no
damage if the temp doesn't drop too much. Keep Styro sheets handy to
tape the tank sealed and dark in such an event. At least cover the tank
to prevent any fish from becoming excitable and consuming more precious
O2. As a rule, less than 10 hours is not a big deal in a properly
maintained tank (not overstocked, overfed, etc)>
I guess I know I am
ok for 3 hours now.
And while on the topic, what is the best
solution? A generator or is there something else I can get for just the
tank itself??
<the main thing is aeration for the fishes.. the corals
are tough and have a much more stressful 3-5 days on import>
Thank-you in advance once again. I appreciate your resource muchly. Oh,
also I would like to purchase a book on corals - did I read that one of
you had published such a book, and if so is Amazon the most likely
source on-line. Seems hard to find good books on corals.
<actually,
John... that was my Book of Coral Propagation: Reef Gardening for
Aquarists. Thank you. At least two of the advertisers on this WWM site
sell it as well (Di's aquatics and Custom Aquatic). Best regards,
Anthony Calfo>
John RE: Power outages & SW tanks
Hi,
Bob/Steven,
<Steven tonight.>
Just an update on my tank after 3
weeks. As we'd discussed earlier, I had a 12 hour power outage 3 weeks
ago. I circulated water regularly by hand but the temp dropped 3-4
degrees. No sign of fish stress or disease so far; looks like I may have
gotten lucky although I won't really know for another 2-3 for sure. That
seems to be the full time it takes for stress to show given past
experience.
<After three weeks, I would think you are pretty safe.>
Steven had indicated that he thought the 3-4 degree drop in 12 hours was
pretty severe but it seems like fish survive worse (in degrees per hour)
in a long trip home from the fish store or even if the store keeps their
tank 4 degrees warmer than my own. Do you really think one degree per
three hours is a major stressor for fish? Not that I'm looking to repeat
the experience.
<A temperature drop is one of the leading triggers
for an outbreak of crypt.>
I'm embarrassed to say I actually have the
tank and other key circuits in the house wired for switchover to a
generator but had never bothered to get that running before. I have
since put the generator on line. Nothing like a scare with the tank to
get me off my butt and finally get that working...
<I know the
feeling.>
While I've got your attention, my juvenile asfur and my
purple tang are still acting very shy and do not swim out much except
when the lights first come on. In the dealer's show tank with lots of
other tangs, the tang was quite out going. I'm wondering if my shy asfur
is making my tang more skittish. Think he might get more bold with other
larger fish in the tank?
<He maybe chased out more by other large
fish in the tank, but that is not necessarily good for his overall
health. Usually time and plenty of hiding spots makes fish comfortable
enough to show off.>
After the tang and asfur my next largish fish is
a medium sized flame angel. The two have been in my tank for over 5
months. I will be trying a more "island" rock arrangement when I tear
down my tank in a bit to replace a cracked tank (and won't add any fish
until after that but that gives me a chance to introduce new fish with
the asfur and tang.) I assume a second asfur would be a bad idea?
<Yes, bad idea.>
Would you suggest any other tangs?
<I would avoid
other long nose, Zebrasoma, tangs. Perhaps a large P. hepatus.>
Thanks! Marc
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro> Re: S.O.S. Power
Outage
Dear Craig - we are still w/o power and my husband has to
fill it up every 45 minutes night and day. Our neighbor has threatened
to call the police if we run it after midnight. I guess you have better
neighbors. That's why I wanted to know how long they can go in between
running. Meantime we are going to try to rent a larger more quiet
generator. Connie
<I would try to use a barrier to muffle the noise
and see if one of the local fish stores still has any battery powered
AIR PUMPS still in stock and use those. Also, call the police up front
and ask them about the noise ordinance in emergencies.....I'll bet they
have special provisions for generator noise in power outages.
Your
neighbor is a piece of work. This is just one of the reasons I live in
the country. I can pretty much do what I want, up to a point....I can't
make any noise that can be measured at 100db or higher at my neighbors
house. How loud is your generator at your neighbors house? I would
think there is a measurable level.
Gee, it can't last that long, if
there are no more air pumps in stock, get your neighbor some earmuffs,
or Prozac. Craig> Power Failure EMERGENCY!
Hey
Crew...Salutations. Happy New Year! Thanks for the help in curing my
tank of ICH, the natural way. Superior water quality, high
temperature(83 F), combined with a high nutrient food for 2 months did
the trick. Unfortunately the Santa Ana winds undid all our patience by
knocking down my tree and the electrical with it. I woke up this morning
to all my fish desperately trying to breathe near the surface. A quick
glance also confirmed a few dead ones on the bottom with at least 50
pc.s of coral mainly Acro. sp. and Monti. sp. very unhappy. My guess is
that the electrical went out sometime early morning around 12AM and was
without circulation or temperature until I got up for work at 7 am. As
far as I know the electric is still out. What should I do? What can be
saved or I can hope to save when/if electric comes back on?
<If you
can, "waft" or better still, use an all-plastic pitcher to scoop up,
pour back in the water... continuously... till the power comes back on.
Do remove the dead organisms, don't feed, open up windows if they'll
throw any light on the system. If the water is "warm", lower it (with
your remaining ice cubes) to the lower seventies F. to increase gas
solubility while decreasing metabolic rates>
The tank is 150gal full
blown reef and I fear what I might find when I get back to the house
this evening. What do you think can be salvaged? Where do I go from
here? I guess a power generator should have been on my X-MAS wish list.
<Or an uninterruptible power supply (UPS, like those used for computers)
to run at least air pumps... or even just battery operated air pumps.>
Sincerely,
Dennis
<Good luck. Bob Fenner> No Power!
Hello all,
<Scott F. here today>
I have a 55 gal corner bow with a
magnum 350 with a large russelli lionfish. He is doing great, but I am
still waiting for some money to buy an Aqua C Remora skimmer.
<A
great HOT skimmer!>
The reason that I don't have the skimmer yet is
that I have been saving for a new electric service (ours is an antique)
and that brings me to today's question. The electrician says that he
will have the power off for at least 8 hours. Is there anything special
I can or should do for my fish while his air and filters are off? I
have no neighbors near enough to borrow electric from. Should I rent a
generator? or am I just being overly cautious?
<Ideally, I'd go for
the generator (depending on whether or not you're as anal as I am!)! At
the least, I'd recommend trying to use a battery powered air pump and an
airstone to provide some aeration. Should be okay for this period of
time. I'd worry more about the possible heat loss in some areas of the
country, and take measures to keep the tank insulated during this period
of time. Lionfishes are pretty tough fishes, so he should pull through
just fine!>
Thanks as always for a great website, Bryan Flanigan
<And thanks to you for stopping by!> - Dealing with Power
Outages -
Hello all:
<And hello to you, JasonC here...>
After experiencing a three-hour plus power failure last night, I was
wondering how long fish can cope under these circumstances without
jeopardizing their well-being. <Not for too much longer than that, but
there are variables - bioload, prevailing temperature and insulation of
your home, etc.> We have a 125G FOwoLR. When the power returned, most
pumps, UV and heater operated normally. Only the pump on the protein
skimmer did not come back on, which I will address when I get home from
work tonight.
I realize that there are battery-operated water
circulating devices that can be used in the event of a power failure.
What is your opinion of these? <I've only seen battery powered air
pumps, which would be worth having if the power stayed off too long.
Having just moved out of New England, my pervasive fear was ice storms
which would keep the power out for more than 24 hours - in those
situations, a generator is really your best ally. Battery-powered
devices tend to be low demand - or conversely, not high output... so on
a system like yours, they will provide only a modicum of benefit.
Oxygenation of the water is most important in these circumstances,
followed by temperature control.>
Thanks,
Mitch
<Cheers, J -- >
- Power Outages -
Jason:
<Howdy...>
Well, I cleaned the
impeller of the skimmer pump, but unfortunately, it did not return to
working order. Is it possible that my surge protector really is not that
good and that either the power outage, or power surge upon
regaining
electricity, caused the pump to malfunction? This is the second impeller
in less than 6 months that I will now have to replace for this Rio 1700.
<Yeah... the impeller in the RIO pumps is prone to failure. Check out
the end of the magnet. In my experience, the hole that should be round
tends to oval-out making it easier over time for the pump to stall.
Cleaning the pump frequently tends to keep this problem at bay.>
I
look forward to your comments.
Thanks,
Mitch
<Cheers, J -- >
- RE: Power Outages -
Thanks for the prompt reply, Jason. <My
pleasure.> Fortunately, my bioload is light and the home has great
insulation, so I do not believe that the temperature dropped off
significantly during this period. The weather in So Cal has been mild,
luckily. <Certainly no worries about ice storms then.>
As far as the
pump for the skimmer, I am hoping that the impeller got jammed with the
power outage and that once I clean it, it will return to normal
operation. <My thoughts exactly.> Any input as to why only this pump did
not begin working would be appreciated. <Well... skimmer pumps tend to
get the dirties water... and in my opinion people [in general] don't
clean then as often as they should be - about once a month is really
ideal.>
Thanks,
Mitch
<Cheers, J -- > Power Outage
HELP !!! <Sure. Scott V. here this morning.>
CAN ANYTHING BE SAVED?
<Yes> IS MY SAND AND ROCK STILL ALIVE ? <Mostly, yes> WHAT ABOUT ALL MY
CRITTERS? <It depends, how do they look?> OUR POWER WENT OUT FRIDAY
NIGHT AND WAS JUST TURNED BACK ON MONDAY EVENING. <I live in Northeast
Wisconsin and mine went out Thursday night. Probably the same storm :)
> TEMPERATURES IN THE HOUSE AND FISH TANK FELL TO THE LOW
FORTIES (GOTTA LOVE MICHIGAN ) FOR ALL THREE DAYS. <If power was out
for a day, why was it three days before the temp came back up?>
ALL
CORALS, SHRIMP, CRABS ETC. ARE DEAD. <Bummer> AFTER REMOVING THEM
MONDAY EVENING I DID A WATER CHANGE WITH NEW FILTERS/FLOSS ETC. NOW I
AM NOT SURE IF I SHOULD REMOVE THE ROCK AND SAND AS WELL? <No, leave
them alone. Just look for any die off and remove anything that you
think is dead> TANK SPECS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 7 GAL MINI BOW WITH 2 32WATT
PC'S, HOB SKILTER 250WITH SKIMMER AND RIO WATER PUMP FOR MORE CURRENT.
APPROX 15 LBS FLORIDA LIVE ROCK WITH 2" OF (LIVE ?)SAND. TANK WAS ALMOST
2 YEARS OLD WITH ASSORTED LEATHERS, MUSHROOMS, XENIA, AND ONE BEAUTIFUL
HAMMER THAT MY WIFE PICKED OUT. WE ALSO HAD 1 CLEANER SHRIMP, 1 HERMIT,
1 BOXER CRAB, AND MISC CRITTERS THAT PROVIDED HOURS OF ENTERTAINMENT (
NO FISH AT FOR LAST 4 MO). COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE ADVICE ON HOW TO
PROCEED SETTING THIS TANK UP AGAIN? <Sure> DO I NEED TO START
COMPLETELY OVER? <No> OR CAN I START STOCKING AS SOON AS MY WATER TESTS
ARE OK? <Pretty much, yes. Just be patient. Continue removing
anything that looks dead. Continue doing water changes. Test the water
as often as possible and increase the frequency and amount of water
changes as needed. Since there was/will be die off of organisms on the
rock, you will pretty much be curing it all over again. The tank will
also have to cycle again. Watch all the tests and wait until after the
Nitrates have spiked and settled back to normal before even considering
adding more to the tank, and then do so slowly just as with a new
tank. It will take a little time, but should go much more quickly than
cycling a new tank. Just take your time.>
I WILL BE BUYING A
GENERATOR TO KEEP THE TANK RUNNING DURING POWER OUTAGES, EVEN IF THE
REST OF MY HOUSE FREEZES!!! <Good idea!>
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FROM
FROZEN IN MICHIGAN. <You’re most welcome from Scott V. in Wisconsin>
<Oh, and drop the caps when writing e-mail or doing anything
online. It’s harder to read and online it means you’re yelling. Well,
in this case I guess you might be :) > Scheduled Power Outage -
what can I do?
Greetings all!
<Hi Jeremy, Don here tonight>
My 20 gal nano is at the office and our building is planning a power
outage for next weekend. I've read the FAQ's but I'm looking for all
possible things I can do to keep things happy during the outage.
<OK>
The outage is going to last aprox. 24 hours. We are prohibited from
entering the building during the outage because the security system will
be disabled.
We have an Uninterruptible Power Supply we can use but a
test last week
shows it will only run the powerhead for the skimmer
for 3.5 hours (I
have a Remora with a MaxiJet 1200).
The tank is
stocked with:
1 Yellowheaded Jawfish
1 Peppermint Shrimp
Assorted snails/hermits
Zoanthids
Star Polyps
And 2 colt corals
(these are cuttings from a friend and I'm planning on
transferring to
a larger tank once it is up and running).
The FAQ's mention using an
airstone or two to keep oxygen levels up. I
can certainly do this and
the UPS will probably run these for much
longer than the powerhead.
I'm not worried about temp since it is very
warm here now and the A/C
will be off in the building during the outage.
So, other than
airstones to keep oxygen up, what else can I do? I'm
looking for any
and all options.
<Given your description of the problem, I would say
the airstones
are your best bet. Have you looked into a battery
operated air pump?
These can be a life saver (literally) in a power
outage and are good
to have around.>
Thanks in advance!
<No
problem, hope this works OK for you.>
-Jeremy
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