How long could my tank survive a power outage.

[Kobeclone]

I have a 30 gallon tank with an 8" pleco and a 2" red zebra cichlid. I have 15X per hour turn over per hour in my tank.

So my question is, how long could this tank survive a power outage?

I am smack dab in the midwest and have been having atleast one power outage a day courtesy of the ice storm. I am fortunate because I am on the same power curcuit as the Hospital, so power is usually restored fairly quickly- within 2 or 3 hours.

 

[vintageguy]

I would say a full day isnt going to kill them with that pretty low population, just watch to see if they are at the surface, if they are there in trouble and the only thing to do is water changes.

 

[mdspurl]

I lost power in an ice storm back in Feb. Lost power for almost 48hrs. Water temp dropped from 80 to mid 50's. No one wants to lose fish but with 2 little children, we had to leave the house and the fish to fend for themselves. I was really sweating it during that time. Had the water dropped any lower and I would have had to try something. The Fish are pretty hardy and I didnt lose a fish.

This week I lost power for just under 24hrs, water dropped again to around 62 degrees. No fish loss again but I was nervous. This summer I'm getting a generator so I dont need to worry anymore.

 

[Mystus Redtail]

This is a good question and one that I've been wondering about lately with the the weather as it has been. I'm not sure if there's another thread about this if so you can just post the link, but what is the procedure to prepare for a power outage if one is predicted, and what do you do once it starts?

 

[SmokinCoCo]

Someone suggested to me...get an inverter/charger combo and connect it up to some car batteries wired in parallel. Keep the inverter/charger plugged in to keep you batteries full for when the power goes out. Once the power does go out you should be able to connect your filters up to the inverter to keep things running. Not sure how long you can last per battery but the more you have the longer...

I've never done it personally but I have seen someone elses setup.

 

[Mystus Redtail]

what's the biggest killer, is it the lack of O2, or the buildup of toxins from no filtration, or the cold, (i'm sure that depends on the breed)?

 

[Kobeclone]

Someone suggested to me...get an inverter/charger combo and connect it up to some car batteries wired in parallel. Keep the inverter/charger plugged in to keep you batteries full for when the power goes out. Once the power does go out you should be able to connect your filters up to the inverter to keep things running. Not sure how long you can last per battery but the more you have the longer...

I've never done it personally but I have seen someone elses setup.

Sounds interesting, if the power goes out again I might try that.

 

[sillypony]

I'm wondering about this now, being in buffalo n all.

Does anyone know what the minimum temperature is for survival? (betta, corys, danios, loaches, plecs)

LeeAnna

 

[Mystix212]

Fish can handle cold temps for a short period of time (<24 hours). The best solution to a power outage is to have a battery powered air pump and a fuel powered generator for the heater and a small powerhead ready at all times. Filtering the tank isnt a problem. Just do a water change each 12-18 hours.