HELLLPP FRANCIS HELLPPPP

[46bowprob]

hey everyone, any suggestion would be helpfull, i lost power due to the hurricane, i have transported my fish to a safe location...( a location with power) my power just came on about1 hr ago, my fish are safe where they are. my tank has been set up for about 1 1/2 years, live rock, sand, were left in the tank, with water (doh) my wet dry filter had water in it covering about half of the bio balls, th ewater is very murky at the momtnt but have no way of testing the water, some snails died, and my sea urchin died today, alogn with two shrimp, i took them out as they were dying dose any one have any suggestions as to if what is left in the is craped and i need to replace everyhting any suggestions please woudl help.... my tank is 46 gallons
TYLER

 

[S.Reef]

Well...I would do a 50% water change. Get a filter with activated carbon going and buy a ammonia test kit. Test the water before you do the change. If ammonia is high go through with the water change...if not still do a 20%water change. After this I would wait a few days, then add the fish back.

 

[46bowprob]

thanks, im wating for the fish store to open everyhting is still closed today as they get the power goign again..ill be there first thing tomorow to buy supplies to do my water changes...i figured that but i wasnt sure if everythign was ruiend...first power loss in 1 1/2 years...next time im making my parents buy a generator(pray ivan) or whatever his name is dosent hit us thatl be 3 in one month

 

[TurbineSurgeon]

First off, Welcome to the Tank

I think that as long as the power stays on from now on, you should suffer only a minor setback. I'm sure the water stagnated pretty quickly and your dissolved oxygen level dropped. It would be a good idea to invest in a UPS for your return pump to minimize future catastrophies (thinking Ivan, here), although that would most likely only keep you up and running for several hours at the most.

Although usually not called for, I think a major water change (50-75%) or two might also be in order here.

Good luck!

HTH

 

[46bowprob]

thanks again for your support. now that the tank is on and running. it seems to be clearing up..i geuss ill be heading to the fish store first thing in the morning...yea battery back up is a good thing...im in college and living at home..so my mom is making my dad buy a generator this week.,...lol no air in florida is a killer..so hes gettign one to run a few window units...my tank and a tv or two hopefully then i wont have to worry ....THANKS AGAIN
TJ

 

[Nutfarm]

If it looks like Ivan is going to hit, pick up a battery opperated air pump. That would have (possibly) saved you a lot of headache in the first place. They're hard to find, at least around here, but definatelly a good investment for power emergencies.

 

[46bowprob]

with the air pumps how long can a tank survive with just say one or 2 air pumps?

 

[Nutfarm]

I don't think there's any way to tell how long a tank will survive with only an airpump. As soon as lights go out your inverts especially will start suffering. The reason I mentioned that, is lack of air is no differant for SW life than it is for us. You can live without light for weeks, though not very pleasant, you can live without food for days even though you want to eat daily... Those you can wait out in emergencies. Air is a necessity all the time.

Basically what I'm trying to say is, by getting any kind of airpump in your tank when the power goes out, you'll be providing the one thing they need most. Inverts may suffer from lack of heat and light, but not nearly as badly as if they lacked O2. It's not a cure all, and unfortunatelly it won't gurantee your tank's survival. It will, however, give you a much larger buffer when/if this happens again.

 

[1979camaro]

another option would be an inverter. it is designed to attach via aligator clamps to a car battery and you can plug in to a standard outlet on the inverter. a small airstone would probably run on that for a day or so. i ran a tv on one for 6hrs and still had enough to start the car afterward (tailgating)

 

[wayne]

At least go for the batterry powered pumps. I don't know what your temp drop is like, but I doubt it's too bad, and being without light for 3 or 4 days isn't going to hurt your corals too much. (I've seen a 4 day sandstorm over the Red Sea). But stagnation and lack of O2 is a killer

 

[dbacksrat]

dude--i know the sw hobby is difficult, but i cant imagine having to deal with a hurricane--wow
my prayers go out to you and others in "paradise"--good luck

 

[shakedown]

I was just curious where abouts FL do you live. I was hit twice already. Once by Charley and once by Francis. I lost power for 6 days with Charley and about 7hours with Frances. You can search and find a similar post I made as soon as my power and broadband was back up and running. I used a huge UPS that I need for my computer and made that the power source for my tank. I did lose any fish, but my plants were hit hard with NO lights. If Ivan hits me, I'm moving! Doesnt bad luck happen in 3's?

 

[Nutfarm]

Originally posted by shakedown
Doesnt bad luck happen in 3's?

That's death... Bad luck happens a lot longer