[Zimiae]

Apologies if this was asked before. Networks are sluggish, and we have no internet, so I don't want to waste time and juice searching at the moment. I'm trying to conserve battery in my phone as much as possible.

10 gallon, one betta, handful of freshly planted plants.

Power went out around noon yesterday. I unplugged everything and swaddled my tank with spare sheets and blankets.

Power came on less than an hour ago. I took the blankets off and checked the thermometer (68-70 ish). I plugged the heater and filter back in to try and get some heat and circulation in there. House temperature is currently 56 and climbing, for now.

I have no idea when the power will go out again since they're rolling/rationing, but I plan on unplugging and swaddling everying back up again when it does.

Any tips on what else I could be doing? Anything I'm doing wrong? Should I turn the lights in the tank for the plants or leave them alone? It was my first time planting, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do that great of a job putting them in in the first place.

On another note, I have plants sitting (freezing) in a post office because they were delayed due to the weather ... They're probably toast, right? Most likely the post office will be closed, and the roads will most likely be impossible to navigate, anyway.

Power will most likely be inconsistent and infrequent for the next few days. (Texas)

Thank you in advance! I'll try to reply to anything but again, trying to conserve juice just in case!

 

[minorhero]

You are in a tough spot, sorry but there is not much that can be done in this situation without either additional equipment or good luck. Bottom line is that if you have a surge protector you should leave the filter and heater plugged in so they can start up if power is restored while you are asleep.

Some people will put their tanks on UPS back up power supplies but this doesn't do you any good now. They also only last a set amount of time and I know Texas has had so many blackouts recently its questionable that a backup power supply would matter.

If the plants in shipping drop to freezing temperatures they will definitely be toast. If they stay in the 50s + then they can go a few days to a week without light and come out fine depending on the sensitivity of the species. Good luck and stay safe!

 

[rzn7z7]

Your fish can withstand temps down into the low 60s but I wouldn't want it to reach the 50s, regardless, I've had my share of winter time power outages over the years (including one earlier this winter) and here's what I do:

Get out the Coleman propane camp stove and heat up some water (even bringing it to boil) and SLOWLY add it to the aquarium, making sure to stir in the hot water with the aquarium water as I do so. Repeat as often as necessary to keep the tank temp stable and from falling past the low 60s. This has worked for me on my old 75 gallon and my current 220 and I've never lost a fish

Good luck and I hope you get your power restored soon

 

[Immortal1]

Apologies if this was asked before. Networks are sluggish, and we have no internet, so I don't want to waste time and juice searching at the moment. I'm trying to conserve battery in my phone as much as possible.

10 gallon, one betta, handful of freshly planted plants.

Power went out around noon yesterday. I unplugged everything and swaddled my tank with spare sheets and blankets.

Power came on less than an hour ago. I took the blankets off and checked the thermometer (68-70 ish). I plugged the heater and filter back in to try and get some heat and circulation in there. House temperature is currently 56 and climbing, for now.

I have no idea when the power will go out again since they're rolling/rationing, but I plan on unplugging and swaddling everying back up again when it does.

Any tips on what else I could be doing? Anything I'm doing wrong? Should I turn the lights in the tank for the plants or leave them alone? It was my first time planting, and I'm pretty sure I didn't do that great of a job putting them in in the first place.

On another note, I have plants sitting (freezing) in a post office because they were delayed due to the weather ... They're probably toast, right? Most likely the post office will be closed, and the roads will most likely be impossible to navigate, anyway.

Power will most likely be inconsistent and infrequent for the next few days. (Texas)

Thank you in advance! I'll try to reply to anything but again, trying to conserve juice just in case!

If you can find one of these, they can be very useful in situations like yours. Battery powered air pump - add an air line and an air stone and it will keep you tank oxygenated for as long as you have batteries. Google "Fishing Air Pump" Does not help with heat, but...
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Portable...stant-Oxygenated-Live-Bait-Aquarium/443083439

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Do you have running water?

I ask, because one of the dangers you're going to have is your beneficial bacteria dying. If your power was off for say 24 hours, the water inside your filter is stagnant for that long. The bacteria in there will consume all of the oxygen and begin to die off. Then the power comes on and your filter springs to life, and you pump that stagnant, ammonia rich water back to the tank.

If you have water, dump the water from your filter a couple of times a day and fill it back up with dechlorinated water. You'll reintroduce oxygen to the bacteria.

I also second what @Immortal1 said about a battery powered air pump.

 

[Immortal1]

Another option for warmth

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Another option for warmth
View attachment 1026240

Why do I feel like this wouldn't work? I mean... it will work for the fishtank, but I don't feel like a candle can put out enough BTU's the actually add heat to the room. Not commenting on you, just on the original author of that caption.

 

[ElleDee]

So, how cold can a tank get before it's a huge crisis? My tanks are unheated and generally 69 to 71 in the winter, so I'm not talking discus.

 

[blinkin11]

Even pouring water through your filter will keep bacteria alive. Warm is best of course when you have no working heater. Additionally, you can stir and make waves, etc on the surface to bring in more air. The good news about the betta is they can breathe air and do not have to rely solely on oxygen in the water. Bacteria do. Try to move water in the filter every few hours. Run the filter whenever you do have power. After this is over, get some safe start/bacteria in a bottle sort of thing and treat your tank.

I never poured boiling water right into the tank but I have used hot water filled bottles and put them in the tank. They then radiate heat for a bit of time. You could super heat - not boil - rocks and put them in as well, they will radiate for a bit. Ultimately, you are in a hard situation- keep the blanket around it as long as you can and hope for the best with any warmth you can provide.

 

[Dreya]

Yeah, Im with you in texas.. my apartment got to 41F before I had to give up and leave. Big tanks were still at 65F, 5gallons were icy. Tried what rzn7z7 did, wrapped tanks with blankets, boiled water on the campstove, put it in floating tupperware then wrapped the top.
But no good, after 24 hours, the tanks were all 40s, apartment was 36. Guppies and bettas were dead, half the tetras were dead, other half were drifting upside down and twitching. Only the danios and shrimp seemed unaffected.
I had put a large sochtang oxydator in the main shrimp tank (12% hydrogen peroxide plus mystery catalyst pellets = oxygen) but it didnt seem to be making any bubbles in such low temps. Still good backup plan for summer hurricanes.

I wouldnt worry about the lights for plant photosynthesis necessarily but they might help add heat.

Think of this, Its a great opportunity to do any of those big tank remodels you might have wanted! Im thinking about replacing my Caribsea Eco-incomplete finally >>

You could super heat - not boil - rocks and put them in as well, they will radiate for a bit. Ultimately, you are in a hard situation- keep the blanket around it as long as you can and hope for the best with any warmth you can provide.

ROCKS! I never thought of that

 

[evil8]

I made it through several hours last winter. I can't imagine trying to last out days. I'd have to agree with battery operated air pump (I have 2) and any way to heat water to keep temps above fish loss. I put covers on the tanks where I could and wrapped blankets around the outside my nano tanks to try and keep heat in as long as possible. I'm also looking into getting a gas fireplace installed during an upcoming home reno.

 

[Zimiae]

I just set this aquarium up! It can't crash yet!

It's okay if my plants die (I've only had them a few days anyway). I'll be happy if my betta survives.

@Dreya: I'm sorry for your loss :-/ I'm a northern transplant, so I wasn't expecting the winter weather to have such a huge impact here. I am fortunate to not have lost as much power and water like most, though.

 

[jellopuddinpop]

Maybe this story will make you feel better about your situation…

I have a very good friend that’s a big time reef guy. He had a 600G reef tank that he started almost 30 years ago, when the hobby first started becoming a thing. There was literally no exposed rock in that tank… it was 100% full of different corals. He had unique corals that had never been kept in the hobby that he personally collected from various reefs around the world; it was literally his only passion in life. On top of the corals, he has whole schools of different rare fish. There were fish in that tank that he had bought for $100 as juveniles that were now $5000 adults. The total estimated value of the coral and fish in the tank was well over $100k.

About 10 years ago, my area was hit with a brutal snowstorm in October. All of the leaves were still on the trees, and we got over a foot of heavy, wet snow. This resulted in trees coming down all over the state, and we had a statewide power outage. The storm was followed by over a week of <20F temperatures.

His battery backups ran out after the 1st day, when he had to turn on his generator. By day 4, he had run out of gas, and refilled 80 gallons of gas by driving 50 miles away to find gas. On day 7, he had run out of gas again, and spent a whole day driving around, making phone calls, etc trying to find gas. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find any.

That whole tank died. The temp didn't do them in, but the mass dieoff from the corals led to a huge ammonia spike, and he had no well water to do water changes. Every fish, every polyp of coral, every snail and hermit crab, every sponge and clam… everything. He left the hobby for about 8 years, and only recently started a 40G breeder for his kid.

I know it stinks to have a tank crash, but at least you know it could always be worse.

 

[Zimiae]

Maybe this story will make you feel better about your situation…

I have a very good friend that’s a big time reef guy. He had a 600G reef tank that he started almost 30 years ago, when the hobby first started becoming a thing. There was literally no exposed rock in that tank… it was 100% full of different corals. He had unique corals that had never been kept in the hobby that he personally collected from various reefs around the world; it was literally his only passion in life. On top of the corals, he has whole schools of different rare fish. There were fish in that tank that he had bought for $100 as juveniles that were now $5000 adults. The total estimated value of the coral and fish in the tank was well over $100k.

About 10 years ago, my area was hit with a brutal snowstorm in October. All of the leaves were still on the trees, and we got over a foot of heavy, wet snow. This resulted in trees coming down all over the state, and we had a statewide power outage. The storm was followed by over a week of <20F temperatures.

His battery backups ran out after the 1st day, when he had to turn on his generator. By day 4, he had run out of gas, and refilled 80 gallons of gas by driving 50 miles away to find gas. On day 7, he had run out of gas again, and spent a whole day driving around, making phone calls, etc trying to find gas. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find any.

That whole tank died. The temp didn't do them in, but the mass dieoff from the corals led to a huge ammonia spike, and he had no well water to do water changes. Every fish, every polyp of coral, every snail and hermit crab, every sponge and clam… everything. He left the hobby for about 8 years, and only recently started a 40G breeder for his kid.

I know it stinks to have a tank crash, but at least you know it could always be worse.

That's terrible!! One of the reasons I decided to go freshwater planted instead of a reef was because I remember how anxiety inducing it was to even have a short power outage...

 

[rzn7z7]

Maybe this story will make you feel better about your situation…

I have a very good friend that’s a big time reef guy. He had a 600G reef tank that he started almost 30 years ago, when the hobby first started becoming a thing. There was literally no exposed rock in that tank… it was 100% full of different corals. He had unique corals that had never been kept in the hobby that he personally collected from various reefs around the world; it was literally his only passion in life. On top of the corals, he has whole schools of different rare fish. There were fish in that tank that he had bought for $100 as juveniles that were now $5000 adults. The total estimated value of the coral and fish in the tank was well over $100k.

About 10 years ago, my area was hit with a brutal snowstorm in October. All of the leaves were still on the trees, and we got over a foot of heavy, wet snow. This resulted in trees coming down all over the state, and we had a statewide power outage. The storm was followed by over a week of <20F temperatures.

His battery backups ran out after the 1st day, when he had to turn on his generator. By day 4, he had run out of gas, and refilled 80 gallons of gas by driving 50 miles away to find gas. On day 7, he had run out of gas again, and spent a whole day driving around, making phone calls, etc trying to find gas. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find any.

That whole tank died. The temp didn't do them in, but the mass dieoff from the corals led to a huge ammonia spike, and he had no well water to do water changes. Every fish, every polyp of coral, every snail and hermit crab, every sponge and clam… everything. He left the hobby for about 8 years, and only recently started a 40G breeder for his kid.

I know it stinks to have a tank crash, but at least you know it could always be worse.

WOW! A $100K+ livestock loss?!?....I can't imagine...I knew I'd have to have a whole household backup generator if I ever kept a reef tank but still....

 

[jellopuddinpop]

WOW! A $100K+ livestock loss?!?....I can't imagine...I knew I'd have to have a whole household backup generator if I ever kept a reef tank but still....

Yeah, that was my thoughts exactly. When I had asked about it, he explained that a lot of the LPS he had sold for $300 or $400 for a small cluster (less than the size of a dime). From there, he had rocks the size of beach balls completely covered in them. in addition, a lot fo them were unique to his tank, and were highly coveted. He would often frag off small pieces and sell them at auction for thousands of dollars.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

I know that everyone loves Bettas, but since they're native to Tropical SE Asia they don't abide low temps well. This is where changing out your fish to some that are more cold tolerant might work better, if this is going to be a common occurrence. China, Gold or Six Barred Barbs, Chinese and Round Tailed Paradise fish, some of the Myanmar higher altitude dwelling fish and Danios, pretty much anything living in the waters in or near Hopong, or Lake Inle. Rosy Barbs, White Clouds, and the Northern Vietnamese Mountain Minnows, Bitterings, Most small shrimp from China and Vietnam. Any mountain stream dwelling loaches and suckerfins.

The case in most of these fish there will be they will need to have high oxygen levels present during an outage You might look into a really big RV deep cycle 12 volt battery and buy some small brushless DC water pumps like sold on Ebay to keep yor water flowing and oxygenated There's a need to monitor your battery's voltage and have a big float voltage charger on hand to keep it topped up during the outages.

 

[Immortal1]

Why do I feel like this wouldn't work? I mean... it will work for the fishtank, but I don't feel like a candle can put out enough BTU's the actually add heat to the room. Not commenting on you, just on the original author of that caption.

I think you may be correct on the flower pot assumption. Thats what I get for "assuming" without "researching".
How many candles do you need to heat a room? - HeaterTips

 

[Somefishguy]

With no power, if your filter media stays wet and is open to air your bacteria will last weeks and months with no issues. Hob filters are usually not a problem, but canisters might be if you have ineffective media where water just flows around it. After a few hours (6+), you should just make sure it is unplugged, turn off both intake and output hoses and pop the canister top so air can get to the water on top. Remember, thousands and thousands of filters lose power, throughout the world, every day for hours, days and weeks and they all come up just fine. Of course, right now we may be looking at millions of tanks without power.

 

[jellopuddinpop]

I think you may be correct on the flower pot assumption. Thats what I get for "assuming" without "researching".
How many candles do you need to heat a room? - HeaterTips

Ohhh, I wasn't trying to disprove you lol. I was just commenting that the original OP of that post seemed a little... enthusiastic lol.

Now, to add warm water to a tank, which was your point in the first place, I think you might be on to something!