STILL no power (PLEASE HELP ME)

[nicholasdances]

havnt had power since Saturday night and I'm being told that I won't have power again for atleast another week. I can't find a generator/inverter/battery powered airator at any stores. my tank has dropped in temp to high 60's, and I have absolutely no way to warm water other then leaving lake water in the sun for a couple hours.
so I have several questions.

should I worry about oxygen levels in the tank when all I have in it right now is a SAL and a bunch of bichir? I know these fish don't require high oxygen.

Is it a terrible idea to put lakewater in the tank? I know it's not the best thing to do but I feel like I'm running out of options.

can I feed the fish a little bit because I'm doing small daily water changes?

and does anyone have any ideas on how to warm water with no power?


thanks you for the help ahead of time

 

[Piscine]

DO NOT put lake water into your aquarium....

What is the ambient temperature there? Have you tested the water for ammonia since you have no filtration? Most fish that were well fed beforehand can easily go a couple of weeks without food, so don't feed.

 

[fishguts]

dont feed. if temp stays in high 60s that should be fine. bichirs are air breathers so you one sal shouldnt use up much oxygen.

 

[nicholasdances]

DO NOT put lake water into your aquarium....

What is the ambient temperature there? Have you tested the water for ammonia since you have no filtration? Most fish that were well fed beforehand can easily go a couple of weeks without food, so don't feed.

it's been in the mid 70's here but the tank is in a basement that has been staying around 60-65
I'm just worried the water temp will keep dropping
could I use gallons of store bought water for water changes?

 

[ecoli73]

DO you use gas to cook? If so, you can cook a little water and mix in with the cold water to bump the temp up if that is a concern. Water quality is another matter, large water changes will be needed if your bacteria have died off...

 

[ziggy2]

Do you have running water? If so, you should be doing water changes everyday.

 

[nicholasdances]

DO you use gas to cook? If so, you can cook a little water and mix in with the cold water to bump the temp up if that is a concern. Water quality is another matter, large water changes will be needed if your bacteria have died off...

no gas electric everything. and all the grocery stores (that are still open) are all running out of water so gallons isn't really an option either:/

 

[nicholasdances]

Do you have running water? If so, you should be doing water changes everyday.

nope I have a well

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Keep an eye on the fish that are not air gulpers when the oxygen levels get too low they are likely to be sort of gasping near the surface (I assume this is because there will be some oxygen naturally moving into the water at the surface and they are looking for it) You can physically aggitate the water at the surface with your hands from time to time to encourage some extra gas exchange and also the break up the film that tends to form.
If the situatioin becomes worse with time you can remove any live plants to a bucket as they will consume O2 while in the dark and may also eventually begin to have dead leaves which will rot and further diminish the O2 and foul the water. Plants in a container may survive well enough to be replanted. I would not place them in direct sunlight, but perhaps where they get some indirect light.
I have had power outages during cold weather or heater malfunctions that allowed the temps to get quite low. I am sure it stressed the fish some but most of the time they dealt with being cool quite well.
If the situation becomes bad enough, you may consider culling a few fish to get the population down to what can be supported by the natural movement of oxygen thru the surface of the water. This way you only lose a portion of them. Not a good thought, I know. Some of the first tanks I ever set up had no pumps or filters and many had only air bubble type filters.

 

[FishNCash]

is there any sporting good store available?

You can try one of these to pump air into the tank if you can get a hand on one of these. But I still think best bet is to get a generator going so you can use it for the house and etc.