When power goes out, it’s crucial to keep your fish tank warm. Here are a few things you can do:
- Activate your fail-safe devices (backflowing airline tubing and sump shut offs): These stop water draining out of the tank when power’s out.
- Insulate your tank: Wrap your tank and its filter in towels, blankets, or cardboard to keep warmth in. Cover the top too, but let air in for the fish.
- Don’t disturb your fish: Every time you uncover the fish tank, heat leaves. Place a glass thermometer where you can see it without uncovering the tank.
- Use hot water bottles: If insulation isn’t enough, use hot water bottles to keep the tank warm. Use fish-safe containers and conditioned water. Change the water bottles as needed.
- Heat water if you can: If you have a gas stove, heat water to put in the bottles. Don’t use boiling water, aim for 100°F to 120°F. This will help avoid sudden temperature changes, which can harm your fish.
Remember, our aim is to keep the tank warm and stable for the fish. Avoid frequent temperature swings and check on them without letting the heat escape.
Things Needed to Keep Your Aquarium Temperature Steady
To keep your aquarium’s temperature steady during a power outage, you’ll need a few things:
- Insulating materials like blankets or towels to wrap around the tank and keep the heat in.
- A bait bucket aerator to keep air circulating in the water.
- A simple glass thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Extra water and water conditioner for changes to the tank’s water.
- A way to heat water, like a stove or fireplace.
- Clean plastic bottles that can be filled with warm water and placed in the tank to add heat.
These things will help you maintain the right temperature for your fish when the power goes out.
All the Steps to Carry out For Keeping an Aquarium Safe While Power’s Out
- Make sure your fail-safe systems are in place and working properly.
- Keep your fish tank warm by insulating it, including the top and filtration system.
- Use battery-powered aerators that also help in keeping the tank warm.
- Regularly check the tank’s temperature, at least 3-4 times a day.
- If needed, use warm water bottles to help maintain the right water temperature.
- Test the water daily to ensure it has the right chemical balance, including checking the nitrogen cycle, pH, and kH.
- Avoid frequently checking on your fish as it can let out the heat from the tank.
How to Aerate Fish Tank when Power’s Off?
To provide your fish with necessary oxygen, you need to buy some bait bucket aerators. These devices operate on batteries, so they don’t need to be plugged in.
This is a good investment for any fish owner. It’s important to keep the battery packs above the water line of the fish tank. This prevents the water from being accidentally drained if the batteries fail.
Position one aerator in the center of your tank or two at opposite ends.
Aerators can lower your water temperature to match the room temperature, so put them in a higher place in your home to keep the added air warmer. If you can, try to insulate the airline tubing.
Don’t cover or wrap the battery units. If you do, they can get too hot and stop working properly. In simple terms, don’t put anything on your batteries. They need to stay cool to work right. Don’t forget that.
Recommended Further Reading: How to Manually Add Oxygen to An Aquarium when Power’s Off?
Maintaining Water Quality While Power’s Off
Water quality is always very important. But this it’s even more important when there is no power. Without power, your tank’s filtration system may not work right.
You should regularly check your water quality, and be prepared to change the water more often. You might need to store extra water for this.
Planning to change the water in a heated tank? Don’t add cold water directly. The water should be the same temperature as the tank water.
To do this, heat a small amount of new water and gradually mix it with room temperature water until it’s the right temperature.
But remember, never add boiling water to your tank! This is because it could harm the fish and other aquatic life inside.
How to Maintain Fish Diet During Power Outrage?
During a power outage, maintaining your fish’s diet requires some changes. You need to feed them less as their biological filter won’t work and they produce more ammonia.
They won’t be as hungry as usual because cooler temperatures slow their metabolism. If the power outage is prolonged, feed them a tiny amount once a day to keep them alive.
If their food is usually frozen, it won’t stay that way without power. To make it last longer, put it in an ice chest.
If it defrosts, feed it to your fish immediately or throw it away. Don’t refreeze it as it can spoil the food.
If frozen food is your only option, buy some flake or pelleted food to use while there’s no power.
Power Outage Effect on Some Susceptible Fish Species
Some types of fish, especially those from tropical marine environments, struggle with changes in water temperature. If the water temperature in their tank isn’t consistent, they can experience health issues.
Other species are also highly sensitive to water quality. For instance, if your tank’s biological filtration system isn’t working properly, ammonia levels in the water can rise.
This is particularly harmful for marine fish and coral species, who can’t tolerate high ammonia levels.
Corals also need UV light to carry out photosynthesis. If your tank lights aren’t turned on for a few days, the health of your corals might decline.
Some coral owners use mirrors to reflect sunlight into their tanks to provide light, but this can also boost algae growth.
Fish Species that Survive During Power Outrage
Species that can live through a long power outage are those that can stand a wide range of water temperatures, don’t need a heater, and aren’t very sensitive to slightly poor water quality.
Certain tropical fish can perish if the water gets colder than 65°F. However, many types of carp, like goldfish and koi, as well as minnows like White Cloud Mountain minnow, can survive in cooler water.
Take the goldfish, for example. It’s a kind of carp that is very good at surviving. It can live in a wide range of temperatures and can handle water that’s not very good quality. The common comet goldfish is usually stronger than the fancy types.
Then there’s the zebrafish, a small fish with stripes. It can live in temperatures between 64°F to 75°F, which is about the same as the temperature in a house. Zebrafish come in different types, some with short fins, some with long fins, and some that even glow in the dark.
5 Tips to Keep an Aquarium Cool During Power Outage
Here are 5 simple ways to keep your aquarium cool, especially during power outages in the summer:
- Make sure there’s good airflow around your aquarium and its equipment. If needed, use fans to help with this.
- Try to keep your tank away from direct sunlight as this can heat the water.
- Remove the aquarium lid and use netting instead. This lets heat escape more easily.
- Increase the amount of air in the water. Don’t cover the air pump and keep it above the water, but in a cool place.
- To cool the water, you can use ice. Put it in bags or bottles and then place these in the aquarium.
