Power Outage Tips

December 14, 2008
Ed Duncan Jr

Power Outage Tips

The main concerns during a power outage are maintaining water temperature, keeping safe oxygen levels, and during sustained power loss keeping the water quality up without filtration.

Water Temperature- wrap the aquarium with a blanket to keep the existing warmth in the tank. Remember air circulation from the top should be maintained. Floating bags or bottles that contain warm or hot water can help keep the temperature stable. Refrain from pouring hot water directly in the tank. At this writing there are no battery operated aquarium heaters on the market. Another Option, a customer reported that they purchased hand warmers at a sporting goods store, taped the on the outside of their tank,before wrapping the aquarium with a blanket.

Oxygen Levels- battery operated air pumps are available and usually in stock at Eddies. Purchase ahead, when a blackout occurs we sell out fast. If not available, removing the tank water with a pitcher (or similar) and pouring the water back into the aquarium, will infuse oxygen like a waterfall. This might need to be done a few times every hour. If the fish are hovering near the surface, this is an indication of low oxygen levels.

Lack of Filtration- without filtration waste levels will increase. Most tanks that have been properly maintained can survive without filtration for several days. Feed sparingly if at all during a power outage. Small partial water changes can improve water quality in the absence of filtration.

If your aquarium has been properly maintained and is not over crowded the animals will have a much better chance of survival. Many species will live but begin to slow down in when the water temperature is above 60 degrees F. At cooler temperatures fish eat much less and their metabolism is much slower, so they produce less waste and need less oxygen.

Another Idea  Power converters are available from stores like Radio Shack and Best Buy.
These converters connect to your car battery and turn it into a power source that you can plug in to!

With all the variables that exist, predicting how long the fish in any given aquarium will last during a sustained power outage is a guess at best. However by employing these techniques many fish have made it through a power outage.

Best advice, plan ahead, think generator. Our entire store survived the 30 hour power loss in 2008 with a 2500w generator.