# scheduled work-power going out 4-5 hours or more. help!



## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

Hi all, not sure if this is the correct forum to post this.. but here goes:

what do i do if i know the power is going off for scheduled work (4-5 hours so they say) and i will be at work. I have 6 tanks... please help!

2 of my big main tanks 120 & 90 are set up with emergency air with sponge filters if the power goes out.

also i should mention 2 tanks are with fry & my other tanks are heavily stocked..

do i turn my filters off in morning or do i just leave them running? 
I'm guessing i should do a water change the night before but what else can i do?

please help!


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Rent a portable generator on wheels and get some extension cords. Set everything up the night before and turn the generator on in the morning before you go to work.


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## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

i don't have that kind of cash on hand.. i don't think... how much would that cost? 
I was looking for a more simple solution, I'm just a woman on my own, big heavy machines are really not down my alley...

would fasting them 2-3 days prior help?

what about the bacteria in my filters, what do i do just unplug and take the lid off? how long can the good bacteria survive?


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

If it's just for one day for 4 or 5 hours, you should be ok. I had my power go out for this winter for about 12 hours in the dead of winter and my fish survived. The tank water dropped down to the upper 60's too.

If your gonna be at work I would just let the filters run for as long as possible and let them shut off when the power goes out and turn back on when the power comes back. It shouldn't hurt anything and this will minimize the time the fish are in the tank without the filters. I don't think the bacteria starts dying off for a day or 2.


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

I think it should be fine but like you said it's a good idea to pass them a day before.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Get a cheap UPS. Don't hook your heater to it.

Your filters/airpumps consume a max of what, like 45W altogether?

A cheap UPS will last you five hours no problem. Maybe fifty bucks. Covers ur *** in case of future blackout also.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

You didn`t mention what kind of filters you have.
I have read a few postings on canisters that scared the pants off of me.
They said a canister had the potential of going anaerobic in as little as an hour.
Shesssh....
Anyone have the real information on this???
Tim, Toby...you out there?

The UPS seems a pretty decent plan for a 4-5 hr. outage.
You could spend it`s cost on a slew of battery run, air pumps
This is a pretty decent read, with some hints-n-tricks.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... hp?t=48578
Good Luck.


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## tlspmm (Feb 1, 2009)

jenandcoffee said:


> Hi all, not sure if this is the correct forum to post this.. but here goes:
> 
> what do i do if i know the power is going off for scheduled work (4-5 hours so they say) and i will be at work. I have 6 tanks... please help!
> 
> ...


Your tanks should be just fine!! Leave the filters running so they can come back on as soon as the electric come back on. It might only end up being 3 hours instead of 4-5. Might want to cover the tanks to retain heat, especially the fry tanks!!Wish you luck and please let us know how things turned out.


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## havo (Feb 9, 2010)

You will be fine. Now if were saltwater it would be another story. If you have hang on back filters they might not prime after the power comes on.My emperior 400's need help every time i shut power off. But like i said you will be fine. :thumb:


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## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

thanks so much for the great advice! i think i'm gonna stay home that day, just to be safe & i wont feed them starting today ( that's 2 days without food, no big deal) they will survive. i just did all my water changes tonight and lowered my temp on all tanks between 75- 76 degrees so i hope it goes well...


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

:thumb: Wow you really love your fish. It's great that you're home during that time even though it's not really needed. I guess when the power is out just stir the surface water of the tank with your hand every hour. It will help oxygenate the water. If the filters get a bit dry poor a cup of aquarium water in it. I guess you only need to do this once or twice after like 2 hours.

Again it's not needed, but you're home so why not. :thumb:


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## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

ya i'm a nut when it comes to my fish, lol! :fish:


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

I think the big tanks will be fine. What kind of fry are in the fry tanks I wonder? If you turn the heat up in your house prior to the outage that should stall a cool off just enough (Although I have had heaters fail and once had a tank, unknowingly, at 68 degrees for a week!... and nothing.)

It's not the bacteria I'd worry about though, it's the oxygen. A UPS is a great idea. good luck


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## Pali (Dec 22, 2009)

I would not worry much about it, but I would not heat up my house extra or anything like that sugested.

The hotter the water = less oxygen in the water. So I would think about lowering the water temp a few degrees, befor the power out so you can get the oxygen levels up and not worry much about the temp drop over 4-5 hours without heaters in a insuated house. Im guessing it's located at room temp, not some where cold.

I don't know about your fish, where they come from, but I have my fish shipped from africa in bags with nothing but water and fish. They can handle 24-48 hours in a plastic bag in a insulated box, so my best guess is they can handle 4-5 hours in a tank with a lot of water that works as a huge temp buffer and a lot more gallons of water per fish compared to fish in a plastic bag.

If your really worried about your fry, you can get air pumps that run on batteries.

Good luck with it, I see no reason to worry about 5 hours without power. Maybe do a water change the day before, so your water quality is at it's best.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> I have read a few postings on canisters that scared the pants off of me.
> They said a canister had the potential of going anaerobic in as little as an hour.
> Shesssh....
> Anyone have the real information on this???
> Tim, Toby...you out there?


Not an expert on this John, but I'll throw my two cents in. I'd be leery of canisters also, but depends on how long it's been since they've been cleaned. The simple solution to me seems to be to give the filters a good cleaning the day before. Get all of the organics out of there. Don't give denitrifiers anything to feed on other than the nitrates already in the water. Thoroughly rinse the mechanical media and gently rinse the biomedia. All should be fine with them then. The nastier the canister, the quicker things will go bad if you lose power.

It is possible that in 4-5 hours enough denitrifcation can take place that all kinds of nasties including toxic levels of nitrite can be spit out into the tank once they come back online. Denitrification takes place on some level in any filter with pockets of slow or no flow. A canister that hasn't been cleaned in a while fits that bill. The denitrifiers can multiply quickly when conditions improve for them during a power outtage.

Conditions can deteriorate just as quickly for the nitrifying bacteria. How quickly they'd die off is hard to say and probably not that important as the nitrifying bacteria would exist throughout the tanks as well. The sponge filters will keep nitrification going just fine in the tanks for that period of time. The biggest risk comes from the byproduct of denitrification.

If you can drop an airstone into any tanks without these backup sponge filters, then I'd do so. Circulation always helps to aerate, and an airstone is a cheap, easy way to do that.

I think we can account for the variety of experiences by the varying conditions of the canisters involved.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*It is possible that in 4-5 hours enough denitrifcation can take place that all kinds of nasties including toxic levels of nitrite can be spit out into the tank once they come back online*

Thanks Tim..
What you said falls right in line with what I`ve read.
Kinda kicks it too all those that brag about only cleaning their cans once a year.

*And my electric bill tells me it's finally enough*
:lol: :lol: :lol:

***********
That was why I asked about jenandcoffee about their filtration.
I didn`t want to say, 
Sure..no problem, you`ll be just fine without the facts.


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

I'm one of those who clean the canister every ~6months. No problem for me. I've been monitoring water parameter very closely and it's all good. Nitrate is around 5ppm in my 55gallon with weekly water changes. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0. Turn the canister off for about an hour today to do water change. No dead fish yet, they look pretty happy.

Oh I set up the 100gallon for about 2.5months now. Haven't clean the canister in that one either. Also turn off the power for about 1 hour today with no problem. Water parameter is the same with the 55gallon.

That reminds me I haven't clean the skippy filter for the pond in like 3 years.  No dead fish there for like 6 years. The last one die because she jumped out of the pond during mating season. Dam aggressive males.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Good for you, not necessarily good for anyone else though.
All things being even, I would always go to the safe side of things when telling someone else how to handle their tank issue.
Just me. :roll: 
I worry too much. :-? 
Already carry enough guilt.


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## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

i have all kinds of canister filters on my tanks ( rena xp2 & xp3, fx5,ehiem and 1 hob and sponge filters for my fry) i clean the canisters every 40-60 days, depending on the water flow (that's usually what reminds me to clean them) how often do you guys clean your filters? but i also do weekly changes and each water change is between 35% -50% depending on the tank sometimes 2 times a week- some are heavily stocked & i do the substrate as well at the same time as the water change.

my nitrates are high like 40-70, always have been i cant seem to get them down to 20 unless i do daily water changes, which really sucks, i take pride in my healthy fish but i cant seem to get these dam nitrates down, everything else is good though, this is why im a little worried about the power being off.... any tips for me to get the nitrates down - other then getting rid of some of my fish??


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## mlancaster (Jul 24, 2009)

I only use HOBs, but i thought in the event of a power outage a canister filter (or air pump for that matter) have the potential to create and continue a siphon spilling onto the floor?

Again no experience, just what I though and since you knew your power was going out wanted to see if anyone had herd of this to make sure you are set.

Thanks,
Matt


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

KaiserSousay said:


> Good for you, not necessarily good for anyone else though.
> All things being even, I would always go to the safe side of things when telling someone else how to handle their tank issue.
> Just me. :roll:
> I worry too much. :-?
> Already carry enough guilt.


Yea, do what work for you. I'm not against it. Someone mention something about reduce flow cleaning, that's a good idea too.



mlancaster said:


> I only use HOBs, but i thought in the event of a power outage a canister filter (or air pump for that matter) have the potential to create and continue a siphon spilling onto the floor?
> 
> Again no experience, just what I though and since you knew your power was going out wanted to see if anyone had herd of this to make sure you are set.
> 
> ...


 :roll: If that happen, who would buy canisters? Canister filter is basically just a box with an inlet hose and outlet hose. Both of them hook up to the tank so there won't be any water spilling on the ground. (Unless the seal is bad, from damage or age).


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*any tips for me to get the nitrates down - other then getting rid of some of my fish??*

Sounds like you are doing all the right things.
Keeping the filters cleaned.
Light feedings?
Keeping debris in check by sand/gravel cleaning at water change time?
Making sure there are no dead fish hidden anywhere in the tank?

I think you would have mentioned if your fish seemed stressed by the nitrate levels.
You have fry, pretty good indicator of healthy fish, eh.

Pretty sure, if you followed Tim`s advice, good filter cleaning, etc. you will come through the power thing ok.
Good luck.
After it`s over, let us know how it went for you, if you would.
*****************

*canister filter (or air pump for that matter) have the potential to create and continue a siphon spilling onto the floor? *

Anything is possible.
Would be just my luck to have the seal on my can fail or the check valve stick on my air pump, just at the worst possible time.
How does that go, 
Expect the good, but prepare for the worst.


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## jenandcoffee (May 3, 2008)

hello all,

Just wanted to let everybody know all went well. i was home when it went out and unplugged all my filters and added my battery operated air pumps to each tank(ended up using a splitter for the air) did a 10% water change and then cleaned each filter one by one, then i put tank water in them and kept the lids open, by the time i was done the power came back on - was out 4 hrs only( they were not even breathing funny) the temp didn't really drop, so all was good!

I rather think the worst and come out on top with no problems, lol!

thanks :thumb:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Strange coincidence but I also had tanks out of electricity for a moderate period. Grandkids were sleeping over so I was in a different room next to the fish and bam shortly after six AM all the filters jumped into gear. I could hear water running and paniced at the thought that someway my remote switch had malfunctioned on my reserve water supply That would have meant pumping onto the floor! Rushed in to find all was well and just one HOB was splashing. The power had been off for six hours after a storm blew a transformer. I totally missed the storm. 

Had I known in advance, I might have worried.. :zz:


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