Power outage please HELP!!
- Thread starter Addikted2Cichlids
- Start date
Yeah they def can come in handy, but i'm not sure how my neighbors would feel about that running all night.. Hopefully it will be back on soon..
every tank with a worthy $$ investment should have a decent stand alone battery backup with a relay switch deployed inline with the airpump & power supply. Once power drops, it switches automaticly to your airpump . If one is so inclined & a DIY junky, you can take that one step further & deploy a trickle charger to ensure peak operating conditions & a resistence paddle type setup above your tank so it drops the airstones in the tank when current stops flowing. Its only limited to your mind as to what you can achieve.
As for heating, if your home, a thick blanket over the entire set up if possible, or poly sheets that fit. If it goes for too long your stuffed regardless unless you have something else viable. However most outages are short term, at least in our regions.
As for heating, if your home, a thick blanket over the entire set up if possible, or poly sheets that fit. If it goes for too long your stuffed regardless unless you have something else viable. However most outages are short term, at least in our regions.
[QUOTE='vspec';439634;7]every tank with a worthy $$ investment should have a decent stand alone battery backup with a relay switch deployed inline with the airpump & power supply. Once power drops, it switches automaticly to your airpump . If one is so inclined & a DIY junky, you can take that one step further & deploy a trickle charger to ensure peak operating conditions & a resistence paddle type setup above your tank so it drops the airstones in the tank when current stops flowing. Its only limited to your mind as to what you can achieve.
As for heating, if your home, a thick blanket over the entire set up if possible, or poly sheets that fit. If it goes for too long your stuffed regardless unless you have something else viable. However most outages are short term, at least in our regions.[/QUOTE]
The thing is the air stone method just doesn't seem to help the BB inside the filters. If a filter is off for a day everything dies inside it. Then when power is turned back on the filter dumps all that crap into the tank and the fish die. The fish usually survive the power outage, they die after the pumps are turned back on.
I always change out my filter pads during a power outage and drain them as much as possible. When power comes back I (the fish) suffer through the "new tank cycle" again. So far I've been lucky but it's time to get a generator. No more hill billy "DIY junky" crap for me. I have way to much invested now..............
As for heating, if your home, a thick blanket over the entire set up if possible, or poly sheets that fit. If it goes for too long your stuffed regardless unless you have something else viable. However most outages are short term, at least in our regions.[/QUOTE]
The thing is the air stone method just doesn't seem to help the BB inside the filters. If a filter is off for a day everything dies inside it. Then when power is turned back on the filter dumps all that crap into the tank and the fish die. The fish usually survive the power outage, they die after the pumps are turned back on.
I always change out my filter pads during a power outage and drain them as much as possible. When power comes back I (the fish) suffer through the "new tank cycle" again. So far I've been lucky but it's time to get a generator. No more hill billy "DIY junky" crap for me. I have way to much invested now..............
yeah "Beneficial Bacteria"
I agree a couple hours is no big deal. After a day bad stuff can happen when the pumps are turned back on.
I agree with the stagnate flow bacteria is in the gravel and on the wood or sides of the tank will be fine. What about the bacteria that's living in the high flow areas, the stuff that was getting high amounts of oxygen and food. It's use to getting X amount of flow to get the food/O2 it requires to live. Maybe there's a thousand times that bacteria in the high flow areas (filters) than in the "stagnant" areas. What happens to the other 999 after the water shuts off? I think aerobic metabolism changes to anaerobic and nasty chemicals are the result.
Obviously I'm not a chemist but I see the fish swimming around fine just before the power gets turned on. Then 5 min after the power is on and the pumps start running again all the fish are at the surface gasping for air.
I always drain my pumps and change the filters if the power is out more than a few hours.
I agree a couple hours is no big deal. After a day bad stuff can happen when the pumps are turned back on.
I agree with the stagnate flow bacteria is in the gravel and on the wood or sides of the tank will be fine. What about the bacteria that's living in the high flow areas, the stuff that was getting high amounts of oxygen and food. It's use to getting X amount of flow to get the food/O2 it requires to live. Maybe there's a thousand times that bacteria in the high flow areas (filters) than in the "stagnant" areas. What happens to the other 999 after the water shuts off? I think aerobic metabolism changes to anaerobic and nasty chemicals are the result.
Obviously I'm not a chemist but I see the fish swimming around fine just before the power gets turned on. Then 5 min after the power is on and the pumps start running again all the fish are at the surface gasping for air.
I always drain my pumps and change the filters if the power is out more than a few hours.
Ok, so you interested in an experiment of sorts. lets put our science hat on for a min so we can get a better snap shot of what's going on.
For the others reading, the info below relating to bacteria is available in some form or another from anywhere on the net, in this case, a quick @ss search lifted from science.org
Egon, you've got the idea's flowing based on your observation, how bout a friendly homework assignment to prove or assist your theories bud. Your referring to aerobic strains producing toxins, thats as good a place as any to start.
Meta tags to try would be the logical usual suspects id say.
NitrosomonasNitrobacter
Toxoids
Exotoxins
Endotoxins
Fermentations & Adaptations
Now for the rest of us, or anyone that have the dissolved O2 kits already, this can be our own assignments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbclzk-T6To
For those in oz, if your looking for one, hanna inst code HI3810
http://www.hannainst.com/manuals/manHI_3810.pdf
For the others reading, the info below relating to bacteria is available in some form or another from anywhere on the net, in this case, a quick @ss search lifted from science.org
Nice & fresh - good!
Egon, you've got the idea's flowing based on your observation, how bout a friendly homework assignment to prove or assist your theories bud. Your referring to aerobic strains producing toxins, thats as good a place as any to start.
Meta tags to try would be the logical usual suspects id say.
NitrosomonasNitrobacter
Toxoids
Exotoxins
Endotoxins
Fermentations & Adaptations
Now for the rest of us, or anyone that have the dissolved O2 kits already, this can be our own assignments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbclzk-T6To
For those in oz, if your looking for one, hanna inst code HI3810
http://www.hannainst.com/manuals/manHI_3810.pdf
Well my power is back on, I will find out if any fish died during the tank restart, if everything did actually die in the filters and cause toxins, we will know for sure because I have 2 AC 110's and a Fluval 404 on a 75 gallon so there would be alot of die off.. Hopefully my fish will be fine but I will find out on skype tonight and let everyone know the damage.. Thankx for the help everyone.. I will be buying a generator when I return home..
