# Power Outages - How do you handle them?



## t2000kw

(I might post this in the "Equipment" forum on APC also)

When you have a power outage, how do you all deal with this?

Since it is really cold out there right now in our area, when the electricity goes out, it can stay out for days in some areas. I'm fortunate to be in an area where it gets fixed within hours because of the population density. But outlying areas have been out for several days not all that long ago.

I know of one family that lost their fish at that time.

You have heaters at the very least to deal with. Lighting can wait a while in many cases. Pumps/filters need to continue when they are required. And I don't know the effect it would have on CO2 injection, but that wouldn't affect me. Still, I am curious about that aspect as well.

I have a power generator but never had to deal with the situation, and I wouldn't want to run it continually for days on end, but maybe it would be a must. It is not a big one, good for 3000 watts continuous, and I would need that to be able to run the refrigerator once every few hours, and possibly jury-rig something to run the gas furnace every other hour or so. It's not made to run a whole house. I could get enough extension cords running to the heaters and tank equipment but it would be a mess of wires through the house. 

Some fish can deal with lower temperatures but others can't. 

I have an auxilary heat source but it wouldn't heat all rooms evenly, so keeping the house "hot" won't work well in really cold weather since the tanks are in several rooms. 

I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to have a couple large plastic "emergency tanks," possibly with dividers to keep some fish away from others. You could have at least 2 of these for two temperature levels. 

Then it might be practical to run the heaters off a DC to AC inverter hooked up to storage batteries, at least for a day or so. 

Of course I hope the power doesn't go out at all, but I'd like to know what some of you would do (or have done) when this happens.


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## CincyCichlids

We had our power out for two hours in West Chester last Saturday. Good times, temperature dropped very quickly with lofted ceilings as well the -5 deg blasts of wind. 

The basement was the warmest part of the house . Over 1000 gallons of water that are between 75 and 80 tend to radiate some heat. 

After that short stint I was considering getting a generator. I have several colonies of fish that are worth between $500 and $1000, a $300 generator would be a small investment for such a large amount of money of fish.

I'd probably end up running the generator in sections of the fishroom. Starting with clusters of smaller tanks. My 300 gallon takes a long time to cool down. This is another argument for larger tanks... 

As far as the CO2 is concerned with planted tanks, I don't believe it'd be a big deal. It's the same thing as running a Black Out where you're keeping the tank dark to kill of unwanted algae. If it was a week without power, I'm pretty sure losing your plants would be the last thing you need to worry about (read: a pretty bad disaster to take out power for a week, probably have to help neighbors or communities clean up). 

As far as the rest of the house is concerned, we'd light the fireplace, and get the sleeping bags out. I don't mind living in the cold for a while... I'm an Eagle Scout and have camped in weather that people refuse to go to work in around here.


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## Troy McClure

Good thread. It's always a concern. In a power outage in weather conditions such as these, when it's colder than a witch's teet, all you need to be concerned about it keeping the water warm. CO2, lights, filters, and scuba divers with bubbling treasure chests are all distant seconds. The fish will go into a pseudo-dormant state while the lights are out, decreasing their activity significantly so feedings aren't necessary, even for several days. They'll be fine. Since you won't be adding so much food and creating waste, filtration can be put on hold until you regain power. Battery powered airstones are inexpensive and will get the job done for aeration. You can also aggitate the surface with your hand or a plastic cup every so often to facilitate gas exchange. It doesn't have to be elaborate and you don't have to blow into a straw for hours on end.

Check out the battery backup units they have for computers. You might be able to find something that will run your heaters.


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## t2000kw

There were some cheap battery backups for computers at teh Dayton Hamvention last year, about $20 or $25, I believe. They wouldn't last for a long time at 300 watts, but then again, they were pretty cheap on a per unit basis.


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## t2000kw

What about using insulation of some sort around, under, and on top of the tanks (allowing for some air exchange on top, of course)?

Not sure what might be good for the task. I would avoid fiberglass. And I'm not going to store lots of polystyrene panels for the occasion--no room.


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## SpaceBug

I've known people to put blankets over their tanks to help keep the heat in. I'm not so worried about this myself living in central Texas. Seems like most homes around here have a fireplace which could be used to help keep the temp from dropping too much on the few days where it gets really cold.


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## Troy McClure

Well, I suppose you could go to the hardware store and buy some sheets of 2" thick owens corning pink board...the styrofoam stuff. Cut it to length of all the sides, double it up, and you'd have a decent box to surround the sides of the tank. That would slow heat exchange. I'm sure you could tank the top off the tank and lay some doubled-up insulboard over it to keep the heat in that way. It's a bit involved and you'd need extra space to store the pieces, but like you said Don, storing all that would be ridiculous. It would work to hold the heat in for a little while but it wouldn't matter over the course of a couple days though. Eventually the temp is going to drop without some outside influence.


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## Troy McClure

Wait, I've got it....get a stationary bike with a generator and start pedalling!


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## t2000kw

Troy McClure said:


> Wait, I've got it....get a stationary bike with a generator and start pedalling!


That would also keep the aquarist warm on those cold days without power!


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## cs_gardener

Here in Oregon it never gets that terribly cold like some have listed with temps well below zero. I did lose power for a day because of an ice storm. I kept the main living area heated with my woodburning stove and that kept most of my aquariums warm. 

The one aquarium in the bedroom was out of range of the heat so I covered it with blankets. I was just about to start heating water on the wood burning stove and putting it into freezer bags and then into the tank when the power came on. I know that putting ice into bags and floating them has been mentioned for cooling tanks on a hot day, so I figured the reverse would work for a cold day. I've no idea how effective it would be, but for my 29 gallon tank I thought it might prevent further temperature drops. Hopefully, I'll never have another chance to try it out.


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## Six

All my fish tanks are in the basement too. Nice and warm there  If there's a power outage, I plan to call the company several times to get it back on ASAP. Living in the suburbs of columbus have a few perks. Our power usually doesn't stay out for long, plus I'm near a mall and lots of businesses. There would be a lot of complaining if it stayed out longer than a day. 

Otherwise I understock most all my tanks, so the oxygen isnt a problem. The heat may be, although I'm betting most all my tanks can take a little dip and maybe only get an ich outbreak.

I know many people that go to micro center (a computer store) and get a small backup for $25, like you said. In town, it's worth it since the power outages aren't too frequent or long.

GL


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## gibmaker

If I had a power outage I would probably take my U.P.S. off of my computer and hook it up to my heater at least. As many others have said in this thread I think your critters will survive with no filtration for a week or so. A uninterupted power source is not a bad thing to have, specifically for an aquarium, they may be expensive once you get a large one that will last a while once a power outage occurs, but in the long run it is deffinetley worth it, although it would probably only last for a day or 2.....maybe more with just a heater running.


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## epicfish

gibmaker said:


> If I had a power outage I would probably take my U.P.S. off of my computer and hook it up to my heater at least. As many others have said in this thread I think your critters will survive with no filtration for a week or so. A uninterupted power source is not a bad thing to have, specifically for an aquarium, they may be expensive once you get a large one that will last a while once a power outage occurs, but in the long run it is deffinetley worth it, although it would probably only last for a day or 2.....maybe more with just a heater running.


If you hook up a 250W heater to your UPS, it'll last maybe a few hours...I'd hook up an airstone.


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## anonapersona

*my plan for hurricanes*

We have had big power outages for hurricanes, less often in winter. When hurricane Rita shut down things here in Houston, I had a plan.

First, I had battery opperated airpumps that went on automatically when the power went out. These were inserted into the big sponge filters I had set up a few days earlier, so the regular air pump line was alongside the batterypack air line. Sponge filtration never stopped. If did a big water change and filter cleaning the day before the storm hit, so I had some time before things went toxic in the canisters. I had also stopped feeding the fish the day before to keep ammonia down.

First thing in the morning I opened each canister, 2 on each discus tank, and put the media into a sealed plastic bag to keep it aerated and moist. I added a dose of Prime to every tank.

Power came back on after about 12 hours so I didn't have to go further but I did have a plan to hold me for a week or so.

I don't know how long the batterypack airpump would run, but I expected a few days use, and I had spare batteries. If that failed, I'd add Prime each day lightly and stir the tank for aeration, adding H2O2 in an emergency, just a touch, like before going to bed when stirring wouldn't happen.

Power outage in winter are much more serious. That'd involve adding a blanket and small water changes with heated water. Not changing the temp too much would be important I'd think, I'd probably try to float a bucket in the tank to hold heated water and monitor the tank temp closely. If I lived in a an area where that happened, I'd probably have foam boards cut to fit the front and sides of the discus tanks at a minimum.


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## gibmaker

epicfish said:


> If you hook up a 250W heater to your UPS, it'll last maybe a few hours...I'd hook up an airstone.


it depends what size ups you have, you can spend 80 dollars on one or 300 dollars, ther is a huge difference.
The power supply for my computer is 350 watts and my ups will run it for 5 to 7 hours and it isnt a top of the line ups.


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## Troy McClure

Hmmm...I didn't think about just doing water changes to keep the temp steady. That's assuming you don't have an electric water heater and you have enough hot water in the storage tank to take care of the humans, pets, and the fish. I guess with a gas heater that wouldn't be a problem?


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## SpaceBug

If you go with a UPS to run your heater, I'd suggest you try it out to see how well it works before you find yourself in a position of depending on it. I don't know what kind of UPS you have gibmaker but to get more than an hour of run time, especially for a computer using 350 watts, is pretty amazing. I have several computers with UPS's of varying sizes. My 1500VA UPS which was about $200 gives me maybe 30 minutes on my computer.

I doubt that cheaper UPS (say around $50) would run a 200 watt heater for much more than 15 to 30 minutes.


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## anonapersona

Troy McClure said:


> Hmmm...I didn't think about just doing water changes to keep the temp steady. That's assuming you don't have an electric water heater and you have enough hot water in the storage tank to take care of the humans, pets, and the fish. I guess with a gas heater that wouldn't be a problem?


When power is out you can't depend on water all the time, if the source is a well that may be electrically driven! Also, the water treatment plant may be off line. If the power outage involves flooding, water supplies may be contaminated.

Any downtime at the water treatment plant may be followed by the plant using strong chemicals to clean the system up.

I recall that after that deep freeze in the northeast (2001?) we heard from some folks who made it through the weeks without power but lost all fish with the first waterchange.

That is why I had so much water stored (all bathtubs full for dishes and baths and flushing, bottled water for people, the 55 gallon drum for fish and people if necessary)


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## BryceM

Back in the day...... Early fish-keepers often used oil lamps or candles to keep their little glass boxes warm. It's infinitely more sustainable than any "electricity" option, but does carry with it the risk of burning down the house.

Most fish will be fine even in temps down into the 60's. The house has to be pretty darned cold before this is a concern, especially with larger tanks. This does not include discus! A UPS will not last long with a 300W heater unless it's truly enormous.

Really though, if you don't have a plan to keep your house warm when the power goes out, who cares about the stupid fish? You've got bigger problems like broken pipes, cold children, and a host of other issues. IMO everyone that lives in a region that is potentially cold enough to kill you should have a backup source of heat to use if the power is out. Even if it only keeps the house at 60 or 65 degrees that'll be enough.


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## t2000kw

fortunately, I have a 35,000 btu gas heater that can heat the house enough to keep most parts at 60 deg f except maybe in sub zero weather. In that case you just have to be in the vicinity of the heater. I originally bought it to heat the house but it's an uneven heat and the gas furnace does a better job, though at a premium price.


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## DataGuru

Here are some ideas we worked up into an article. the foxus wasn't on planted tanks tho.


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## Linda

well living along lake huron on what is considered to be one of the worst roads in the winter in north america...well lets just say that most of our stuff is run by natural gas. the aquariums however is another story. basically last summer our hydro lines got hit a few times a few days after my female venustus had spit a hundred babies! i didn't have a generator at that time but i had an eliminator that plugged into my car and we ran an extension cord into the house and ran all the filters off of it. well after a few days of starting the car every hour we bought a generator that we have had to use lots this winter for the fish...no fish lost to power outages!!!!


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## t2000kw

Most of our tanks don't use mechanical/chemical filtration, just plants and the bacteria on surfaces of the tank and rocks, etc., so air is not normally a problem. We have a couple of tanks that have an airstone, one that has outboard filters, but most are pretty much closed ecosystems except for the heat from the heater. 

What I'd like to know is what might change as the temp goes down a bit? Does the amount of dissolved oxygen go down as water temps go down? If lighting is cut off, what happens as far as the plants regarding oxygen output?


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## Troy McClure

Apparently the power was out for a little while this afternoon, went back on for five minutes, out again, and it's been on for the past half hour or so. Hopefully my discus are OK, but of course I have no way of knowing because I have to stay overnight at work. I'll be able to check on them by noon tomorrow provided the roads are passable. I'll be super pissed if anything happens to them!


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## t2000kw

I certainly hope they are OK. Do you breed them?

I made sure I have enough gas to run my generator in case the storm tonight knocks out the power. 

If we get a level III emergency, I have the option of not going to work and not getting in trouble for it, so if the power goes out, I can run the heaters in all the tanks and the power filters on the goldie tank. 

Backup heat is on standby.

In our area it seems like an ice storm may happen tonight.


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## eklikewhoa

I have a massive generator in the patio that could easily run all my tanks along with the human essentials


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## vic46

CincyCichlids said:


> We had our power out for two hours in West Chester last Saturday. Good times, temperature dropped very quickly with lofted ceilings as well the -5 deg blasts of wind.
> 
> The basement was the warmest part of the house . Over 1000 gallons of water that are between 75 and 80 tend to radiate some heat.
> 
> After that short stint I was considering getting a generator. I have several colonies of fish that are worth between $500 and $1000, a $300 generator would be a small investment for such a large amount of money of fish.
> 
> I'd probably end up running the generator in sections of the fishroom. Starting with clusters of smaller tanks. My 300 gallon takes a long time to cool down. This is another argument for larger tanks...
> 
> As far as the CO2 is concerned with planted tanks, I don't believe it'd be a big deal. It's the same thing as running a Black Out where you're keeping the tank dark to kill of unwanted algae. If it was a week without power, I'm pretty sure losing your plants would be the last thing you need to worry about (read: a pretty bad disaster to take out power for a week, probably have to help neighbors or communities clean up).
> 
> As far as the rest of the house is concerned, we'd light the fireplace, and get the sleeping bags out. I don't mind living in the cold for a while... I'm an Eagle Scout and have camped in weather that people refuse to go to work in around here.


Above you state "I'd probably end up running the generator in sections of the fishroom". I hope that is not the literal intent. The exhaust from a gen set is lethal. It must be run outside with real heavy extension cords to reduce the power loss over distance.
Vic


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## Safak YUREKLI

*Hello every one*

In the past, I also worried about power outage. In my opinion the best important factor is to keep alive beneficial bacteria in your canister filter when power outage occurs. Aprox. 30 min after power outage, beneficial bacteria in your canister filter begins to die rapidly because of oxygen depletion. So you should provide water circulation. Other precautions such as adding boiled water to warm the water or agitate water surface manualy to provide oxygen are easily be done. But keeping alive benefical bacteria is only be performed with water circulation. So you need a UPS but with a sinusoidal output instead of square wave. Because canister filter motor is an inductive load and requires a real sinus wave. 
As for me, I bought a APC brand UPS with SMART series. Because SMART series UPS' provide real sinus output with a 2 ms reaction time. These are very expensive but can not be compared with ordinary UPS'. Mine is SMART- 1500 and it provides almost four hour back-up for my two EHEİM canister filters. 
Now I don't worry about power outage. 
Very respectfully, 
Safak YUREKLI


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## t2000kw

You can hook up some tubing and route the exhaust from inside to outside, but you also have to supply air for the generator to run. Most homes probably leak enough air to do this. If you smell any exhaust, your re-routing of the exhaust is not good enough.

As for the filter media and the bacteria, I've read that you can remove it form your filter and put it in your tank right away, then when the power is back on, put it all back together after you've cleaned your filter out. Supposedly it is safe in the tank but not in a stagnant anerobic chamber such as a canister filter.


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## Troy McClure

I left work early today to make sure my royalty was OK. They are all doing fine - hungry but fine. Now I have the fun task of resetting all the clocks.


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## t2000kw

Resetting clocks is better than restocking aquariums. Good that everything turned out well for you. We didn't have a power outage, but some in Ross county did. I don't know if it's back on there or not


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## anonapersona

eklikewhoa said:


> I have a massive generator in the patio that could easily run all my tanks along with the human essentials


People can die from the exhaust going up into house from a patio. Be certain you have proper ventalation. Put that darn thing out in the YARD


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## anonapersona

t2000kw said:


> You can hook up some tubing and route the exhaust from inside to outside, but you also have to supply air for the generator to run. Most homes probably leak enough air to do this. If you smell any exhaust, your re-routing of the exhaust is not good enough.
> 
> As for the filter media and the bacteria, I've read that you can remove it form your filter and put it in your tank right away, then when the power is back on, put it all back together after you've cleaned your filter out. Supposedly it is safe in the tank but not in a stagnant anerobic chamber such as a canister filter.


Submerged in the tank keeps it wet but not aerated, decomposing debris and dying bacteria use up more oxygen that fish need as well. Better to remove the media to a sealed plastic bag, it stays wet and aerated. When bad weather is possible, be sure the filter is rather clean.

Submerging in the tank really only makes sense for something like a biowheel, that if not wet will dryout, even then, a sealed plastic bag is smarter.


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## CincyCichlids

vic46 said:


> Above you state "I'd probably end up running the generator in sections of the fishroom". I hope that is not the literal intent. The exhaust from a gen set is lethal. It must be run outside with real heavy extension cords to reduce the power loss over distance.
> Vic


I know this is a late reply, but I've been in Tampa (no the weather wasn't great only 60, lots of wind.. made rough fishing in the mangroves  ).

Anyway, I meant if I had a generator, I'd likely use it to power certain sections of the fishroom, while leaving the actual generator outside... depending on how strong the generator is, the amount of heaters I have may overdraw the generator.

About carbon monoxide, I lost two friends in highschool while they were camping in the winter. They had a propane heater in the tent, my friends and one of their fathers never woke up... I wouldn't risk it.

On another note, there was a guy on the GCAS site who used a kerosene heater in his fishroom garage. He went back in after a day of work, and found everything coated in soot. It clogged all his airlines as well the blower and everything else.... feel bad for him.


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