24+ hr power outage

[Afkomjorgen]

Hello
We lost power yesterday at around 7 due to snow storm and wind. No ETA from local power company on when we will see it back on.

The tank has been covered in blankets since power went out and this morning we started employing hot water bags to float on the surface. We were siphoning water out, adding boiling rodi, and then siphoning back in to create air flow. But my roommate had the clever idea to rig up a bicycle pump to manually pump air in, so we’ve been doing about 20 min of pumping air in every 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

tank is dropped to about 72 but since using warm water bags has stabilized at around 75-76.

we’ve been warming and oxygenating the sump as well, although it is completely disconnected from DT at this time.

We have corals - softies, leathers, anemones as well as 4 sm-med fish and several inverts.


to add to the fun of being snowed in and without power, our whole house is sick with Covid and cannot leave to get supplies.

please help if you have any tips or what I should expect once the power comes back up.

fish are hanging near the bottom bothering their favorite anemone ( who is very sucked in) but are breathing visibly

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hello
We lost power yesterday at around 7 due to snow storm and wind. No ETA from local power company on when we will see it back on.

The tank has been covered in blankets since power went out and this morning we started employing hot water bags to float on the surface. We were siphoning water out, adding boiling rodi, and then siphoning back in to create air flow. But my roommate had the clever idea to rig up a bicycle pump to manually pump air in, so we’ve been doing about 20 min of pumping air in every 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

tank is dropped to about 72 but since using warm water bags has stabilized at around 75-76.

we’ve been warming and oxygenating the sump as well, although it is completely disconnected from DT at this time.

We have corals - softies, leathers, anemones as well as 4 sm-med fish and several inverts.


to add to the fun of being snowed in and without power, our whole house is sick with Covid and cannot leave to get supplies.

please help if you have any tips or what I should expect once the power comes back up.

fish are hanging near the bottom bothering their favorite anemone ( who is very sucked in) but are breathing visibly

Hang in there! Hope you feel better soon and hope your power comes on soon as well. Impressed you are already doing the most important things.

One additional tip is when you add water back in, perhaps drop it from a height to add oxygen, but that is also what your bicycle pump is doing (I'm going to add that to MY bag of tricks!)

I'd suggest for next power outage, get a generator you can run outside, extra fuel you can store in a shed, then with the generator you can put heat for yourselves in the same room as the fish and if you needed to periodically attach your fridge/freezer you have that option. Know that does nothing for you now...

Once the power comes on, then you can shift gears and take better care of the humans of the household. Your reef is very lucky to have you and lucky that even though you are sick, you are able to give them needed love.

GOOD LUCK!!!! Let us know how it all turns out. Sending positive warm wishes from Texas!

 

[PeterC99]

First - Hope you and the family recover quickly and feel better soon!

Second - Keeping the water warm and aerating go a long way in keeping everything alive. I have also found that small, daily water changes with a quality salt helps remove some of the corals stress and provides some extra trace elements.

Good luck!

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Hang in there! Hope you feel better soon and hope your power comes on soon as well. Impressed you are already doing the most important things.

One additional tip is when you add water back in, perhaps drop it from a height to add oxygen, but that is also what your bicycle pump is doing (I'm going to add that to MY bag of tricks!)

I'd suggest for next power outage, get a generator you can run outside, extra fuel you can store in a shed, then with the generator you can put heat for yourselves in the same room as the fish and if you needed to periodically attach your fridge/freezer you have that option. Know that does nothing for you now...

Once the power comes on, then you can shift gears and take better care of the humans of the household. Your reef is very lucky to have you and lucky that even though you are sick, you are able to give them needed love.

GOOD LUCK!!!! Let us know how it all turns out. Sending positive warm wishes from Texas!

thank you! I was really kicking myself for not buying a generator last week. But it’s ok. I appreciate you advice and well wishes!

First - Hope you and the family recover quickly and feel better soon!

Second - Keeping the water warm and aerating go a long way in keeping everything alive. I have also found that small, daily water changes with a quality salt helps remove some of the corals stress and provides some extra trace elements.

Good luck!

Thank you! I can do that as well! Im sure that they’re all releasing lots of angry slime in there.

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Hang in there! Hope you feel better soon and hope your power comes on soon as well. Impressed you are already doing the most important things.

One additional tip is when you add water back in, perhaps drop it from a height to add oxygen, but that is also what your bicycle pump is doing (I'm going to add that to MY bag of tricks!)

I'd suggest for next power outage, get a generator you can run outside, extra fuel you can store in a shed, then with the generator you can put heat for yourselves in the same room as the fish and if you needed to periodically attach your fridge/freezer you have that option. Know that does nothing for you now...

Once the power comes on, then you can shift gears and take better care of the humans of the household. Your reef is very lucky to have you and lucky that even though you are sick, you are able to give them needed love.

GOOD LUCK!!!! Let us know how it all turns out. Sending positive warm wishes from Texas!

First - Hope you and the family recover quickly and feel better soon!

Second - Keeping the water warm and aerating go a long way in keeping everything alive. I have also found that small, daily water changes with a quality salt helps remove some of the corals stress and provides some extra trace elements.

Good luck!

Thank you both for your advice!
Power just came back on! we did a big dance and got everything running again.
So far 3 out of 4 fish are accounted for and breathing and acting normally. Corals look mad but not too bad!

I’m so so thankful for all of the information and resources this website has so we were able to act quickly and save our babies.

I’m super super glad that our pair of elephant slugs made it and are doing well! We hope they will mate soon.

 

[Afkomjorgen]