Things that go bump in the night...

[Triggerjay]

My wife just called me at work, and the power is out. Kind of funny. We just went through the ice storm, and 90% of Springfield was without power for 2 weeks, but ours stayed on.. but now its out. I knew I should have invested in a pressure bottle, or a battery pump. I had my wife unplug the return pump from the fuge to prevent a possible flood. I will not be home for about 8 hours. I have a gutted skilter 250 on the main tank, so if, and when the power comes back on, my little clownfish will get air. I have no idea how long they can survive without power. It went out for about 6 hours the other day and they were ok..It was pretty warm here today, so I dont think heat will be much of an issue.. but this is a good time to bring up the topic : what bottled gas is safe to use in a tank? and how long will a fuge be ok without circulation? Wish me luck!

Jason

 

[aquaman3680]

If there are just clown fish in there they should be okay for a very long time. This also depends on the size of the tank. If it is a little larger then it will take a long time for them to use up the dissolved oxygen. I think your clowns are ok!

Matt

 

[ReefLady]

A good preparedness tip: Go to the fishing section at your local Wal-Mart and pick up a couple of battery-powered aerators. They'll run for several hours on a couple of D cells and will help your peace of mind as well as the fish!

Also... used to use this when I was fishing or collecting and had fish in only a bucket for hours at a time... water gets oxygenated through surface agitation. That's all an air pump really does. So, one way of getting some oxygen in the water is to stir/splash your tank!

 

[blue_eyes53813]

I have some of those aerators.. they rock.... you will need something to hold them under water though...

 

[Triggerjay]

Thanks guys. My wife called about 1/2 hr ago, and said the power was back on. I had her plug back in my fuge pump, and restart the siphon. She said she didn't want to suck on the hose, but I talked her into it.... next thing you know, she was caughing, and gagging! LOL! I found lots of humor in it. But she got things back up and running. I'm proud of her.... I was thinking a bottle would be easier than a battery pump though, just turn a valve and be done with it. But I do not know what gas to use......I think all I need is a bottle of compressed air.... at a slow trickle, I believe it would last me a couple of weeks in a real pinch. Something like the gas scuba divers use...Thanks guys!

Jason

 

[meandean45]

Hi Jason!
The battery powered air pumps are the way to go. You can get them at the LFS that plug into a wall outlet, and turn themselves on when the power goes out for just 10 or 12 bucks. Truly cheap insurance, and will keep you and the wife from freaking out when the power goes out 1/2 hour past bedtime.
Loved your' website!
Dean

 

[Stevenmi]

I did that once and got very sick, make sure you watch her close for a cough.

btw she is now an offical reefer....Karma to her!!

Steve