disaster looming need advice

[baloutang]

hi our electricity went out we have a 150gal tank...how long can the corals survive without power...we are scrambling to get a generator up and running ..its been 2hours with a potential 1hr left..temp inside our house is around 65degrees...many SPs and lps

[Hendersonracing]

MY ELECTRIC WENT OUT lasst week from 1:00 am til abougt 2:00 pm and everything was fine...keep in m ind they are shipped many hrs to our home!!

[-=Efrain=-]

Keep the water moving even if you have to use an egg beater to keep some 02 in the water. As soon as you can you can get battery powered air stones that turn on when the power goes out. An APC would also be a great idea to keep power to just your return pump and one power head.

[aquavista99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11851882#post11851882 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by baloutang
hi our electricity went out we have a 150gal tank...how long can the corals survive without power...we are scrambling to get a generator up and running ..its been 2hours with a potential 1hr left..temp inside our house is around 65degrees...many SPs and lps

Every reef tank is unique, however, tanks can crash within the first 4 to 10 hours due to oxygen depletion and lack of flow. Once the first coral shows signs of stress, it can trigger a chain reaction or meltdown.

Lack of light and temperature control are more long-term concerns....you first want to address your oxygen and flow issues.

[Joshua76]

After going through the ice storm in Oklahoma and being without power for 10 days I can tell you a couple key things.

1.Get a battery operated air pump
or more depending on size of tank.
2. Insulate your tank with blankets
3. insulate the air pump with a towel
to keep extremely cold air from chilling
your tank
4. get the generator to key things asap.

[leoskee]

If you have a cordless drill, take a wire hanger and bend it in a way that creates peaks and valleys (think heart rate monitor). Stick one end the drill and whisk the water every 10 minutes or so. This will get some oxygen going in the tank.

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11852813#post11852813 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquavista99
Every reef tank is unique, however, tanks can crash within the first 4 to 10 hours due to oxygen depletion and lack of flow. Once the first coral shows signs of stress, it can trigger a chain reaction or meltdown.

Lack of light and temperature control are more long-term concerns....you first want to address your oxygen and flow issues.

Having my tank go a little over a week without power (or a generator) during several hurricanes, I can say that I agree with this 100%. My tank survived on battery operated air pumps alone for over a week.

[baloutang]

Thanks everyone for your great advice. O2 flow was on my mind, but the temp fluctation was one of my concerns.
I got the generator running and I'm sure my neighbors weren't too happy with the noise in the night.
I'll definitely invest in the battery operated air pumps. Can any suggest a specific brand of batter operated pumps?

[miwoodar]

One day I will have a generator.

For now I have one of these (it's enough to run a small collection of powerheads for a couple of days):
http://jean.yen.tripod.com/id75.htm
http://www.easttnreefclub.com/battery.html

Don't bother with a computer-sized backup. They seem like a good idea but only last a few minutes.

You could also get an inverter and plug it into your car with an extension cord. The downsides...you would have to run your car and you would have to be home to set it up when the power went out.