Power outage looming!

Discussion in 'Beginner Discussions' started by tracyp, Oct 29, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. tracyp

    tracyp Lotus

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2010
    Messages:
    1,619
    Likes Received:
    31
    Location:
    Stanford, Western Cape
    I've just learned we're going to be without electricity for 12 hours on Sunday. You experienced folk must know how to deal with this? What do I do?
     
  2. Guest




  3. riyadh

    riyadh

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2010
    Messages:
    363
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Cape Town, Cape Town
    Damn, I havent had an outage for that long. Fish in planted tanks should be fine, temp should be ok, seeing we ar having warmer weather now
     
  4. Zoom

    Zoom Retired Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2009
    Messages:
    8,469
    Likes Received:
    119
    Location:
    Jhb- Fourways
    If your tank is fairly big, then the temp fluctuation should be ok. If it is small, wrap the tank in blankets.

    Go get yourself a battery operated airpump... they fairly cheap from most LPS.. Get batteries, plus EXTRA batteries. Take your filter media out the filter.... put it into a bucket of AQUARIUM water, and put the airstone UNDER the filter stuff. This will help keep the filter bacteria alive.
     
  5. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2010
    Messages:
    4,077
    Likes Received:
    61
    Location:
    Pretoria
    Warm weather is just the problem.....warm water holds less oxygen than cooler water....thing to do is to ALWAYS have a battery opperated air pump as a backup - this has savd my fish(and filter bacteria...) many times in the past.. I usualy put a T-piece in the airline --> One in the tank and one in the filter(If possible,depending on filter type...)...Should see you thru no problem.....Just remember that in general,filter bacteria that has had no circulation for 4 hours or more,is dead...treat your tank as a "new" system for the next 4 - 6 weeks...large waterchanges,feed lightly....
    Can't get hold of a battery opperated air pump? Inflate a car inner tube and jam the ait intake open - attach an airline with airstone to this,into tank - by placing some weight on the tube,you get some air into the tank...
    Good luck - hope my ideas help....
     
  6. Nirv

    Nirv Trachelyopterus

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2010
    Messages:
    466
    Likes Received:
    17
    Location:
    Cape Town southern suburbs
    Just wondering which areas will be affected? This is the first time I've heard of this.
     
  7. mydummyname

    mydummyname Balala shark

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2010
    Messages:
    2,302
    Likes Received:
    41
    Location:
    cape town
    +1

    this is one of the better ideas i've ever heard as a short term solution to getting some air into your tank!!

    if it has a valve in the tube, you can turn the valve to open slightly, just enough to leach a small stream of air out. like a slow puncture would, so you can make the air last for quite a while, especially if its directed mainly at your filter media! and if the tube is emptied, you can pump it up again by hand :)

    in fact, if you have an actual spare wheel with a tyre over it, it would hold much more compressed air than a tube on its own, having a tyre wrapped around it and that..
     
  8. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2010
    Messages:
    4,077
    Likes Received:
    61
    Location:
    Pretoria
    @ MDM: Actualy this is the way our "pioneering forefathers" of the hobby used to keep their fish alive in the 1940's when the first real international interest began in tropicals....
    One thing to ote though...the air in a tube is stale(and sometimes filled with nitrogen - something to do with better wear on the tyres...don't know cars - I know fish...),so first completely deflate,then refill tube with hand or foot pump....not a compressor - these put minute bits of oil into the tube that can be harmfull to your fish....bit of extra work,but works a charm...
     
  9. riyadh

    riyadh

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2010
    Messages:
    363
    Likes Received:
    5
    Location:
    Cape Town, Cape Town
    hmm cool, guys some good ideas. How about gravity fed filters. I have one with my pond. I will have to check the max head height on it though. I do know that it goes below the pond and the water feeds round and round.
     
  10. Khalid

    Khalid Loricariidae

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2009
    Messages:
    1,515
    Likes Received:
    19
    Location:
    Lenasia
    @tracyp - I would do a nice clean up today and a large water change. This would minimise the waste toxicity build up when the power is off.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2016
  11. azurekoi

    azurekoi Loaches & Gobies

    Joined:
    Sep 29, 2010
    Messages:
    4,077
    Likes Received:
    61
    Location:
    Pretoria
    no problem there Riyadh.....just upgrade to bigger airstones,longer airline and a truck or tractor inner tube.... as long as you get airflow(wich creats current that takes de-oxygenated water from the bottom to the top) past the media,some bacteria will survive and reseed your filter in a much shorter time than if nothing was done to preserve the bacteria....
     
  12. OP
    tracyp

    tracyp Lotus

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2010
    Messages:
    1,619
    Likes Received:
    31
    Location:
    Stanford, Western Cape
    Okey dokey! Thanks for the swift responses! I've gone and acquired the relevant equipment, and am now prepared! Oh, Nirv, with regard to which areas, I don't know for certain, but I think its just Stanford!
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2010
  13. 10i

    10i catfish-a-holic

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2010
    Messages:
    329
    Likes Received:
    13
    Location:
    East London
    i have an air powered filter in each tank, running on a ups. for extended power failures i have a bait pump to run the air filters. had a 25 hour long power outage a few months ago and did not loose a single fish. remember to take the filter media out of your other filter and place it in the tank.
     
  14. Gert Combrink

    Gert Combrink

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2008
    Messages:
    1,786
    Likes Received:
    16
    Location:
    Protea Hights, Brackenfell, Cape Town.
    Diving cylinders! - for those members, among us, that are divers. Unscrew the second stage of your DV, and connect your airline/air supply pipe to the Regulator hose. Regulate the airflow, with the tap on the cylinder. 10l of air at 200 bar, now that could last for a while!
    This is great for those with fish-rooms.
    Gert.
     
  15. Zoom

    Zoom Retired Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2009
    Messages:
    8,469
    Likes Received:
    119
    Location:
    Jhb- Fourways
    Can you imagine if something were to go faulty with all that air and pressure?
     

Recent Posts

Loading...
Similar Threads - Power outage looming Forum Date
Power outage emergency- please help! General Discussions Jul 13, 2020
Backup power during outages? General Equipment discussion Jun 14, 2018
Lighting cycle, water temperature, power outages and aeration Beginner Discussions Jan 14, 2016
Power outage question Species Tanks Nov 3, 2015
surviving an power outage General Discussions Jun 24, 2015
Power outages and don't know if my air pump is enough for oxygen General Discussions Nov 5, 2013
Power outage in roodepoort General Discussions Sep 5, 2013
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page