Brief, four-hour power outage ...

**mermaidwannabe** · 08-29-2011, 01:40 PM

I don't think it hurt anything, but I'll admit I was lucky.

Of course, I have the battery-powered pump and airstone for the 20, but I hadn't yet gotten around to charging up the battery in the second Azoo pump I had purchased for the 65. I had been meaning to do that so it would be ready in case of an outage, but figured I still had some time because lately we haven't had any bad weather.

Flash! All of a sudden at about 9 P.M., here rolls in this totally unexpected thunderstorm with lightning! At 10.15 P.M., the power goes out, and isn't restored until 2:30 A.M. That's around four hours.

I've checked all my filters and fish this morning, and everything seems back to normal. None of fish seem to have been affected by the lack of moving water in the 65, hence the lack of oxygenation.

I'm going to check the parameters later today, and see if there are any spikes.

But you know what I'll be doing, ASAP! That's right! Charging up that battery in the second airpump. I had forgotten that up here in the inland northwest, UNpredictability is the name of the weather game! It has been so nice for so long ...

So, folks, do you think I might have lost any BB during that four-hour stretch? The fish had a lot of things going for them -- being dark, they were resting and not expending energy, the 65 is understocked and has live plants in it, the water is much colder in the 65 than in the 20, and the amount of filtration I have on that tank is way more than I need, anyway.

Still -- should I be concerned? What do you all think? Doesn't hurt to get more experienced opinions ...

-- mermaidwannabe

**Honey Badger 1** · 08-29-2011, 02:54 PM

4 hours isn't that long really so as long as the media stayed wet I don't think you should have anything to worry about. Bacteria is hardier than we give it credit. I would be more worried if it was freezing out and the tank temperature dropped, but since we are at the end of summer your tank should be fine. With that being said, it certainly doesn't hurt to check the parameters.

**SkipW** · 08-29-2011, 03:12 PM

I've gone 48 hours without power and my tank was fine. Didn't even see a small spike.

**Lady Hobbs** · 08-29-2011, 04:06 PM

Why does the power always go out early evening when you need the lights, the TV, the computer???? During the day when you can SEE what you're doing would be so much nicer. I've haven't gone to bed at 9 PM since I was 6 months old!

**Surfdog** · 08-29-2011, 06:25 PM

A shipped fish can last 36 hours in a bag, so I have been told, and I do get stock in bag's from my lfs as soon as they recieve them. I can't see 4 hours being anything to fret about.
But, Good on you for caring that much!!

**dragoonwoman** · 08-29-2011, 07:37 PM

I WISH!!

I lost power at 4:15 AM Sunday and am still without. It sounds like we might not get it back for another 2 DAYS. I've got a battery air pump running in the 46 right now, but I'm worried about the filters and my BB.

Any suggestions for keeping the BB alive while the power is out? I think I saw somewhere here to just drop it in the tank itself and it would be okay. Did I read that right? If so, that's what I'll do when I get home from work.

**WhiteDevil** · 08-30-2011, 12:09 AM

you can make a homemade sponge filter with a 2 liter bottle, this will keep your BB alive and well. just need a 2 liter bottle, something to slice the top off at the crown of the bottom err base of the neck of the bottle, drill a few small holes in the bottom of the bottle (when its standing upright) drill a few more holes around the top of the bottle where its cut off, put your line thru the hole in the bottle cap, attack air stone, invert the top of the bottle into the bottom part and set it in the tank upside down, make sure to pack the media in before you put it in the tank, you can use some super glue to keep the two pieces together in the tank, you can also add a stone inside to keep it weighted, its a cheap easy contraption that will keep the BB alive.

**mermaidwannabe** · 08-30-2011, 04:01 AM

Battery for second revertable pump has been charging all day. It takes about 30 hours to fully charge when new, according to the instructions in Chenglish (Chinese translated into english), and not very clear.

We've been out of town all day; I began charging the battery before we left.

I put Prime in the 65 before we departed this morning.

Tested the water in the 65 tonite. There is a small ammonia spike, and no nitrites. I added more Prime.

Tomorrow, a large water change and gravel vac, and maybe a little rescaping.

By then, the battery in the pump should be fully charged.

Now, here is a question the instructions failed to address:

Once that battery if fully charged, can I turn the pump switch to OFF and store that pump until I need to use it, without the battery losing its charge in the meantime? I have enough aeration in that 65 already with the two AC110s at full throttle, I don't need to have an airstone in there while the power is still on.

-- mermaid