IF YOU HAVE POWER OUTS due to the storm...

[Sk8r]

1. if you've got a computer backup battery, a bubble wand and an ordinary airpump, put the wand vertically somewhere it won't impact corals, and cycle the thing on for 15 minutes once an hour during the blackout. You can also do this with a squeeze bulb, an airline, and a rocking chair---honestly, no kidding. I've done it...all the way.

2. heat: lethality starts at 62 degrees water temperature. If you have a fireplace, you can warm ziplock bags of ordinary water and float them in your dt, not so many you block off air exchange, but enough to keep you above 62. You can also wrap your tank in insulation like blankets, etc. The live rock and sand will hold heat and that is where your fish will take refuge. If the tank is IN the room with the fireplace, hang plastic or blankets on the open interior doorways to hold heat as much as possible in that area and keep the air as warm as you can for you AND the fish. You can also use a votive candle under a tin can with holes in its side to create a little 'stove' to heat water...and warm baby formula: and remember that any live flame should never be left unwatched outside a fireplace.

3. if you're in for a prolonged blackout, and you CAN travel to an area that has power, take your specimens in a bucket, WITH the air pump, and get a cheap motel.

I hope you all fare well and come through this in good order. One thing about low temperatures more than high, chemistry runs slower at low temperatures than high, so the situation has far more leeway than an overheating event.

[RedM3]

I'm trying to think of additional things people may be able to do to help keep their tanks going. For heating purposes, would siphoning out say, a 5g bucket of water from your tank and placing that near the fireplace to warm it before returning that water to the tank help as well? Or could that cause other issues? I'm thinking to supplement the ziplock bag idea...

[yz250motoxrider]

you can also buy a 1000watt generator for $129.99. I think thats a small investment considering how much a fully stocked reef tank is.

[Sk8r]

I'd lid that !!!plastic!!!! bucket or saran-wrap it to prevent it absorbing stuff from smoke. But heating bricks and setting a bucket into a circle of fire-heated brick could work, so long as you don't melt the plastic: Raising room temperature could help bigtime. Water will not fall below room temperature. Then your big 'if' is your gas exchange and oxygenation, which MUST be carried on fairly often: hence the 15 min of bubble wand an hour.

Also, if you lack a 'safe' container, line it with garbage bag. That's safe.

[kcooley]

Inverter from in your car in the garage (with ventilation) and an extension cord to the aeration or pumps. Probably cant run a heater off an inverter unless it has a high rating. Most standard inverters are between 75 and 175 watts, you can get larger ones up to 350 watts in store and up to 4000-5000 watts online.

[Sk8r]

and for the record, you don't need the lights: lights-out for a week isn't going to hurt your tank.

[larrynews]

i bought a generator, a few years back and didnt need it so far this time, it was 200 bucks a big lots. it runs my 125 gallon, heaters return pump and the sump to the house.

[x19]

Fortunately I didn't need this, but things did get pretty hairy here. I know a lot of other folks in Chicago are without power.

Thanks for posting this.

[jzon414]

im in a chicago suburb and luckily we never lost power, few surges but thats it

[jcw]

we lost power twice last night. Second time for 4 hours.

I was very surprised how quickly the temp dropped in the tank.

[Angel*Fish]

Here's a helpful link that I found too late for my tank a few years ago - http://www.aquariumworld.net/hurricane.htm
I had no power at the time to get online. Print any tips or instructions you need in advance!! :D I wish I'd known about dosing hydrogen peroxide.

[Sk8r]

Excellent, Marie.

[Sport507]

We had fair warning on all this and I live in Indiana. Monday, I went to Radio Shack an bought a 350 watt DC to AC inverter. I had a car battery in the garage and charged it up before anything hit of course and also a long exstension cord to run to the truck which has a remote start.

I had planned to run an air pump with stone in the center of the tank and just the heater. I also got kerosene for the heater I have had for years. We have hand ice storms many time in the past, longest being 5 days without power.

So thankful the power only went off for a few seconds once. But I did not sleep well last night. Tonight lights out for sure for me sound sleep, I mean (slobber on the pillow stuff), it's passed us now.

[Rybren]

I have a Penn-Plax battery powered air pump that switches on automatically when there is a power failure (2 x D cells will run it for at least 24hrs) I also have a 400W inverter and a cheapie 1400W generator from HD.

My kit came in really handy earlier this week during a prolonged power failure. The house temp dropped a fair bit, but the tank was stable.

[suds1421]

An inverter run off your car battery can run an air pump for a LONG time. I have a 700 watt inverter and a 3000 watt genny...

If you have a genny make sure to start it BEFORE the storm hits :)

[blackx-runner]

My toyota tacoma came standard with an inverter and I have used it to run the powerheads on my tank during a power outage. I have an extension cord wired from directly behind the tank into the garage. Makes hooking it up quick and easy.