« If I buy an Aquapod 24g, what additional equipment would I need for a saltwater set up?how should i restore my 14 gallon biocube for salt water fish? i only have a featherduster at the time? »

What to do in a power outage with a salt water tank?

Aug 16th 2008adminBioCube Aquariums

biocube
Mrs. Sirius Black asked:


We have a biocube salt water tank with two clown fish and a fire shrimp. Our power went out last night for about 4 hours, during which I kept getting up to check on the tank because the filter went out with the power. Thankfully they’re fine and the power came back on, but how long can salt water fish survive without the filter working and what should you do in that sort of an emergency?

Nano Reef Gear

Tags: , ,

6 Responses to “What to do in a power outage with a salt water tank?”

  1. tikitiki on 18 Aug 2008 at 3:55 am #

    I would check into buying a battery operated air pump. Drs. Foster and Smith sells a few very cheap, around 6.00. I bought a few after going without power for 3 days after Hurricane Charlie hit, and having airstones hooked up to my generator. Just hook it up to an air stone-everything was included with the one I bought, and that’s it. Granted, these were freshwater tanks, the most important thing is to get the water agitating at the surface to allow oxygen and CO2 to exchange at the surface.

  2. 007 on 19 Aug 2008 at 2:29 pm #

    Look into getting a battery powered air pump that turns on when the power goes out.
    The bubbles will keep the water moving.

  3. BIGgourami on 21 Aug 2008 at 7:27 am #

    small household generator that way everything else can stay on too.

  4. Joepitts71 on 21 Aug 2008 at 5:02 pm #

    i solved this problem by going to petsmart (local pet store) and buying a $10.00 battery operated air pump that plugs in the wall. when the power goes out the pump turns on whether your home to turn it on or not. it has saved my 55gal reef tank twice now! well worth the money! the pump is a penn-plax, silent air ll. hope this helps

  5. Chris C on 21 Aug 2008 at 10:01 pm #

    4 hours is not a big deal. I’m sure they could last weeks without power, if you do the proper maintenance. This would include more frequent water changes and rapidly stirring the top to create oxygen at the surface. The only real harm would be the lights b/c they need a constant day/night cycle or they’ll become very stressed and more prone to disease and injury.

    I would recommend investing in a generator. Not just for the tank, but the fridge and anything else you might need during the next power outage.

  6. jamiesm2481 on 22 Aug 2008 at 1:35 pm #

    Buy a battery powered air pump. They are very cheap. And usually come with a tube and airstone. Check the link below.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply