|
|
News & Reviews Article
| Title |
Keep Your Aquarium Safe During a Power Outage |
| Author |
|
| Last Updated |
2009-12-08
|
| Abstract |
|
|
|
Keep Your Aquarium Safe During a Power Outage
|
In the event of a power outage, you should know what to do to keep your fish and/or invertebrates from suffocating from oxygen depletion.
First, do not panic! Unless the power is going to be out for more than two hours, your fish and invertebrates should be fine. Unless your aquarium is heavily crowded (esp. with large fish), a two hour outage often will not cause any problems.
|
 |
After a couple of hours, you should consider means of giving your fish oxygen. The simplest remedy is to have a battery powered air pump on hand. These air pumps will usually run for about 24 hours without having to change the batteries. Even on a large aquarium, only one air pump should be required. This pump will provide your aquarium with enough oxygen to keep the fish and invertebrates alive until the power is restored.
|
Do not feed your fish during this period. Consider covering the aquarium with a light sheet or blanket to keep the aquarium dark and the fish more calm. Calm fish use less oxygen.
Another factor when the power is out is the loss of your biological filter. With wet/dry filters, the media will stay moist for 4-6 hours enclosed in the housing of your wet/dry filter. After that point, pour some of the aquarium water over
|
 |
 |
the media every 4-6 hours to keep the media moist. If your aquarium filter uses a biowheel or bio- foam for the biological filter, simply remove it from the filter and place it in the aquarium that is being aerated by the battery powered air pump. This will prevent the biological filter media from drying out and killing the beneficial bacteria. Once the power is restored and the filters are again operating, put the bio- media back in its original location. |
Another option for keeping your aquarium operating during a power outage is to purchase one of the battery back-up units often used on computers. These battery units often store enough power to run your aquarium water pump or filter for up to 24 hours. To conserve power, only run the filter for one hour, then unplug it for a couple of hours. This will extend the battery life in your back- up unit. These are more expensive but will operate most aquarium filters, canister filters and small water pumps.
With this information you should be able to keep your fish aquarium alive and well during an extended power outage. If you live in an area that has regular utility problems or an area that is affected by regular afternoon thunderstorms that can all cause temporary loss of power to your house.
|
|
|
|
|
|
