How long have you been without power?

[FairyFish]

Re: How long have you been without power?

We recently had a power outage that lasted 8 hours, and I was relieved to find that my old battery operated air pump still worked like a charm. With the larger fish, I made sure to keep the tank aerated to prevent any issues.

In the past, when the fish were smaller and their oxygen consumption was lower, I would occasionally forget to plug in the canister filter and heater. By morning, the tank temperature would have dropped to around 70-74 degrees, and there would be no surface agitation. The discus would be sluggish, but after restarting the filter and doing a partial water change with warm water, everything would return to normal.

I've had to deal with this situation about five times now, and I've learned that a short power outage isn't the end of the world. I've never seen any signs of temperature shock in my fish, and I think it's because freshwater fish are adapted to temperature fluctuations.

A friend who studied marine biology told me that it's not the falling temperature that's the problem, but rather the rising temperature. When the temperature drops, the fish's metabolism slows down, which means they breathe less and produce less waste.

So, while power outages can be inconvenient, they're not necessarily a disaster waiting to happen.

[hanksid]

Re: How long have you been without power?

I've been pretty fortunate, only lost power for a brief 5 minutes in the past 5 years. No generator or backup systems here.

I live right next to the National Guard and Military airport, so I guess that's a plus when it comes to power reliability. I've seen major outages in the area, half of Baltimore was out once, but the National Guard, the airport, and my place were all up and running. Guess you could say I'm in a bit of a power bubble.

[JUSTICE]

Re: How long have you been without power?

I've got a setup that's been a lifesaver during outages - a Power Inverter under my Power Chair's seat, connected to the gel cell batteries that keep me moving. It's primarily for running an airpump, but I've also found it super handy for powering a light and radio when I'm out BBQing after dark.