How to handle a power-outage in cold weather.

Sk8r · 11/04/2014, 03:02 PM

First of all, remember that rock and sand hold onto warmth longer than circulating water, and that cold water holds MORE oxygen than warm water. So over all, you are safer in a cooldown than in an overheating event.

Second, do something to retain that heat. There is a danger in cutting out ALL light to a tank, because some sand-sleeping fish may fall so deeply asleep they will get attacked by snails. But tape some styrofoam to 3 sides of the tank, and if you have a sump, do the same, or when the power comes back and the pump starts, you'll be dumping colder water in.

Third, remember that lethality starts when the total tank reaches 62 degrees. Depending on climate, and whether you have a fireplace, the tank will take some time to cool down that far.

Corals retreat into their stony skeletons or otherwise hug the warm rock. Fish stay close to the rocks: let them and don't encourage them or frighten them to make them move about the colder outer water. Though the pump is off, the lower temperatures will actually let the water hold its oxygen and it will make the fish use less. It's kind of like being locked in a movie bank vault: you want to avoid agitation that makes you breathe harder.

Don't feed. Fish do not derive much heat from digested food in the way we do. They're exotherms, meaning they become the ambient temperature, and once they get under a certain temperature they cannot digest the food in their bellies, because their body is too cold. Bacteria, however, will continue to operate longer, and this can result in food rotting in the fish's stomach.

If you have a fireplace, you can warm bricks or stone and put them in ziplock bags to YOUR body temperature (don't warm too hot!!!) and sink them in the dt to help warm up the tank. You can also, with a fireplace, heat glass dishes of tank water to YOUR body temperature to return to the tank to help out.

In general, use creativity, insulate the tank, preserve the chemistry of the water, don't dump anything into your tank that could harm the fish, and don't stir the water: the water will stay warmest near the rock and sand and you don't want to stir it about and lose that warm spot your fish are staying in.

Sk8r · 11/04/2014, 03:08 PM

I also suggest you print off this thread and tape it to the inside of your cabinet door so you can read it by flashlight. Unless you have a failure-proof means of internet access, you won't be able to hunt it down on the internet during a blackout.

wooden_reefer · 11/04/2014, 03:16 PM

Power inverter driving by car battery (12V DC to 120 AC) helps if you has only a smaller tank.

Powerheads and heaters work on one.

Sk8r · 11/04/2014, 05:52 PM

I've even used the battery backup on a computer system.

AquaFrenzy · 11/04/2014, 07:26 PM

These types of posts need to be in a sticky for sure, people panic when the unexpected occurs, a perfect go to guide for a power outage, thanks!

zeebies · 11/04/2014, 08:12 PM

We've been without power for 3 days now due to the first snow storm of the season. I started using a marine battery/inverter combo to power just heaters and one flow source in each of my 4 small tanks. That lasted about 9 hours until I heard the loud Ding Ding Ding of the empty battery at 2am.

The marine battery is a Lifeline 8D AGM. This battery has one bad cell, so the life was shorter than normal.

Next up, at 2am, was a car battery/inverter combo. We did this for 2 days, waking every hour to either start or turn off the car so we could recharge the battery and not kill the car... This got very old very quickly but we actually carried on for 2 days. One car battery died so we started on car #2. Joy, joy.

Today we borrowed a generator and have had it running all day. It will go through the night and we have plenty of gas.

11/04/2014, 03:02 PM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	How to handle a power-outage in cold weather. First of all, remember that rock and sand hold onto warmth longer than circulating water, and that cold water holds MORE oxygen than warm water. So over all, you are safer in a cooldown than in an overheating event. Second, do something to retain that heat. There is a danger in cutting out ALL light to a tank, because some sand-sleeping fish may fall so deeply asleep they will get attacked by snails. But tape some styrofoam to 3 sides of the tank, and if you have a sump, do the same, or when the power comes back and the pump starts, you'll be dumping colder water in. Third, remember that lethality starts when the total tank reaches 62 degrees. Depending on climate, and whether you have a fireplace, the tank will take some time to cool down that far. Corals retreat into their stony skeletons or otherwise hug the warm rock. Fish stay close to the rocks: let them and don't encourage them or frighten them to make them move about the colder outer water. Though the pump is off, the lower temperatures will actually let the water hold its oxygen and it will make the fish use less. It's kind of like being locked in a movie bank vault: you want to avoid agitation that makes you breathe harder. Don't feed. Fish do not derive much heat from digested food in the way we do. They're exotherms, meaning they become the ambient temperature, and once they get under a certain temperature they cannot digest the food in their bellies, because their body is too cold. Bacteria, however, will continue to operate longer, and this can result in food rotting in the fish's stomach. If you have a fireplace, you can warm bricks or stone and put them in ziplock bags to YOUR body temperature (don't warm too hot!!!) and sink them in the dt to help warm up the tank. You can also, with a fireplace, heat glass dishes of tank water to YOUR body temperature to return to the tank to help out. In general, use creativity, insulate the tank, preserve the chemistry of the water, don't dump anything into your tank that could harm the fish, and don't stir the water: the water will stay warmest near the rock and sand and you don't want to stir it about and lose that warm spot your fish are staying in. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/04/2014, 05:52 PM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I've even used the battery backup on a computer system. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/04/2014, 03:08 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I also suggest you print off this thread and tape it to the inside of your cabinet door so you can read it by flashlight. Unless you have a failure-proof means of internet access, you won't be able to hunt it down on the internet during a blackout. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/04/2014, 03:16 PM	#3
wooden_reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 4,670	Power inverter driving by car battery (12V DC to 120 AC) helps if you has only a smaller tank. Powerheads and heaters work on one.

11/04/2014, 07:26 PM	#5
AquaFrenzy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Central CT Posts: 139	These types of posts need to be in a sticky for sure, people panic when the unexpected occurs, a perfect go to guide for a power outage, thanks!

11/04/2014, 08:12 PM	#6
zeebies Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NE Coast Posts: 851	We've been without power for 3 days now due to the first snow storm of the season. I started using a marine battery/inverter combo to power just heaters and one flow source in each of my 4 small tanks. That lasted about 9 hours until I heard the loud Ding Ding Ding of the empty battery at 2am. The marine battery is a Lifeline 8D AGM. This battery has one bad cell, so the life was shorter than normal. Next up, at 2am, was a car battery/inverter combo. We did this for 2 days, waking every hour to either start or turn off the car so we could recharge the battery and not kill the car... This got very old very quickly but we actually carried on for 2 days. One car battery died so we started on car #2. Joy, joy. Today we borrowed a generator and have had it running all day. It will go through the night and we have plenty of gas.