Emergency Plan for Reef

Allyson · 09-06-2002, 09:09 AM

With Tropical Storm Faye heading our way I'm making sure we've got flashlights, radio, batteries, etc. But what about my reef?

Any suggestions on what to do should we loose power for an extended period of time? The only thing I can think of is taking a cup and filling it with water from the tank and pouring it back in a few times every 30 mins or so to help oxygenate the water. But what if the power stays out overnight?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'll be checking back...got to get my son off to preschool and hit the grocery store, etc.

Oh by the way...it's a 30 gal w/10 gal refug & the only fish I have are a pair of bangaii's and that **** pseudo.

Doug1 · 09-06-2002, 10:25 AM

Allyson. if you get a chance check the LFS and see if they have any of the battery operated airpumps. One or two of those should help kep circulation going enough to avert crisis. If the temp is going to drop lower than the tank, cover it with a blanket or something. You might also want to premix up 10 gallons or so of new SW , in case and having some fresh carbon on hand wouldn't hurt either. Good luck weathering the storm

MontanaRocknReefer · 09-06-2002, 10:32 AM

Doug pretty well covered it and all I can add is some prayers going your way and hope your tank and family will be safe! Johnny

davesy · 09-06-2002, 11:57 AM

luck for you people there you only about power cutoffs when there is a typhoon or anything that quiet like it. as for me i have to battle power cutoffs everyweek for 6-7 hours. i hate it.
my generators dont have the power to supply much electricity needed for my tank i have to buy that thing DOUG suggest a battery operated airpumps sounds cool. one question what if it runs out of battery in the middle of your sleep and havent notice it. hehehehhe.... thats why my parents often say pray after u wake up.

DeepSix · 09-06-2002, 01:00 PM

just a thought.... but could hydrogen peroxide be benefitical in this case? after all its just h2o2 and at 3% strength. basically its just an extra oxygen atom wrapped in water. it should dispers safely through out the tank. i haven't attempted it, but it sounds feasible. if loosing power for more than half a day or longer, and not having any back up power supplies, i would think that 5-10ml/gl would be a safe dosage every few hours. something to consider in case of an emergency, any comments?

Mrs Smith · 09-06-2002, 02:43 PM

I would advise against using Hydrogen Peroxide. Although the idea makes sense theoretically, H2O2 tends to create hydroxyl radicals, which can do some serious damage to living tissue. It's actually one of our immune system's defense systems, but the reaction is sequestered in "safe" places. You don't want it running rampant - even at low doses. Similarly, I wouldn't dare put it in a reef full of delicate tissues.

Ironically enough, oxygen in certain forms is very reactive, and quite dangerous. We have an enzyme that protects our cells (catalase, if you care) from H2O2, but I don't know if our reef inhabitants have it. (And I know that some of the bacteria doesn't.)

Just my 2c -

I'd go with battery air pumps - I've found them at PetSmart, and consider them essential emergency equipment. Also, ours make enough noise that you will know if they go off. If worse comes to worst, use a whisk and beat the surface of the water every so often to keep putting oxygen in. It can go a few hours without, but manual stirring saved a couple reefs in the KC area during last year's ice storm.

FWIW, nothing beats a generator for peace of mind.

Good luck,
Danielle

DeepSix · 09-06-2002, 02:53 PM

thanks mrs. smith! it was just an idea that popped into my head. it mades some sense at the moment, so i figured i would ask.

Mrs Smith · 09-06-2002, 05:02 PM

That's the great thing about the board - so many minds with such different experiences and backgrounds working on a single problem. (Lord knows that I don't have a clue about some things!)

You do get points for creativity, though!

Doug1 · 09-06-2002, 10:17 PM

A generator is always a good idea, esp if you can swing a big output auto start that will keep the basics going for a household, but realistically its not in most peoples budget. We are talking serious $$$ here. Smaller generators like the Hondas would be useful, you could run minimal life support for the tank and a few lights , or something, and honestly, if you have a large reef, whats anotherr $500 to save it, but that is an individual decision. For a small tank, like a 30ish, its another expense that may or may not be worth while.
Another option would be the backup power supply setup used for puter systems. Again, buying a unit large enough to keep a few pheads and a heater going may run well over the cost of the basic $100 power till you can shut don puter backup
s far as the hydrogen peroxide goes, I'm thinking it may be like using a battery operated ozonizer, thinking oxygen is oxygen. Its not

best thing is to keep the heat in and move the water around one way or the other

Allyson · 09-06-2002, 10:41 PM

Thanks guys, I'll hit Petsmart in the morning....with my fingers crossed.

I'm only slightly concerned....the storm is supposed to come in about 50 miles South of us & we'll probably only get 30 - 40 mph winds tops for maybe a short period. The major concern is going to be the rain. If the storm sits on top of us for a few days
(Fay's been really slow coming. We've had a constant light rain for the past 3 hours & she's still about 100 miles South of Galveston) we'll get some major flooding & power outages are always a threat during one of Mother Nature's moments of fury.

But still thought I should get some suggestions...I'd really hate to loose any fish. Especially my FW tank, I've got some pretty old fish in that one that are part of our family.

tdwyatt · 09-06-2002, 10:50 PM

scale is everything. If you have $5K or $6K investedf in your tank, then a generator is a drop in the hat, particularly if the system is well-established and stable. There is a small ynit that will put out enough juice to run a heater and a few small power heads or air pumps for around $350, and it doesn't use much fuel either. A good thing to have if you have a 75 gal or smaller sized tank, especially if you live in a part of the country that doesn't get snow, but instead, gets ice storms during the winter (AND THE POWER LINES COME DOWN...) Investing a grand in a generator is not that much in view of the potential losses involved with a larger, established tank. Think of it in terms of replacing 20 specimins at $50 each...

Mrs Smith · 09-07-2002, 12:25 AM

Actually, our generator (a remanufactured, warrantied Coleman, 5000 Watts) ran us $400 - during the ice storm. I know that Sam's and CostCo carry similar, new, generators for about the same price. It actually ran our halides for the week we were out.

Yeah, it's all about scale. Not worth it for a nano, but the bigger they are, the harder (and more expensive) they fall. I was surprised that you could get one for that little. Or you could just go get one when you really need one, and hope the government declares you a disaster area so you can apply for FEMA reimbursement. That's who ultimately paid for our generator.

Danielle

cath · 09-07-2002, 11:37 AM

Tom-

That's good information for us in the Upstate, since we don't get much in the way of snow anymore

But ice storms! Yeh, we get plenty of those.

Now Doug...what's that you're saying about a 29 or so in size. A generator for one that size is overkill, eh? But a UPS is also on the high side if you'd need it for more than 2 hours? Don't they come in different lengths of power? More splainin' to do, pleze

Doug1 · 09-07-2002, 12:24 PM

Die hard reefers might, considering the cost of a nice 30g reef set up, not to mention the loss of lives of inhabitants.
Most people in most places can prolly get by with out, but in areas that are prone to long outages due to storms and whatnot, its worth thinking about.
The UPS would work for a samller tank , but again it adds about $100 or more to the cost of the tank, and has a limited run time unless you get bigger batteries for it.. I think a couple of batterie operated air pumps, and maybe make a tank blanky out of that shiny mylar covered bubble wrap insulation stuff, should keep most tanks going for a day or so. If you realistically anticipate outages longer than that then it maybe time to think about serious back up system

uurt · 09-07-2002, 12:42 PM

If you get the UPS, check the time it will continue. I have one on my comp at home, it only works for about 9 mins on the comp and supposed to go about 2 hrs for a fridge (supposed to). It does work for the comp anyway, but also has software to shutdown if I don't.
As for water movement - many chain drug stores (Sav-on, Rite-aide etc.) will carry emergency oxegyn bottles. They are small (12"x4") but could be part of the answer. A few air stones, and at least the water gets movement and aeration, doesn't have to be on continuosly. It last a long time unless nursed, but might help.
I thought of this moving stuff from my brothers tank to mine. I sorta have access to some med supplies, mom's a nurse in a SNF, Mom actually suggested the mini tank.
Hope all goes well for you.