Volcanic Ash

[joemarchetti]

Hi from Anchorage, AK. I have lived through my fair share of volcanic erruptions being here all my life but this is the first one since I took up the hobby. I am not sure how important it is to keep the ash out of the tank (I am guessing pretty important).
When ash hit last night I spent a couple hours trying to do what I could. I covered the tanks with plastic sheeting, turned off the skimmers (so they wouldn't draw air directly into the tank water), and taped off my windows and doors to keep it out of the house. I also turned all my lights off to reduce oxygen consumption. Any thoughts on other important issues with volcanic ash would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[roshi719]

Definitely keep it out of the tank. I would think it would effect the pH if it gets in there. Maybe keep an eye on that. I hope everything turns out OK for you.

 

[jerryc]

Dont sound like a good time to me........hope all gos will for you
But you have done whit you can. Maybe be a filter if you do get ash in

 

[dbarker]

Good Luck. Covering the tank would be the first. thing I would do too.

 

[Ladipyg]

That has to be a sight to see...I understand you get some pretty spectacular sunrises and sunsets due to the ash...must be a magnificent place to live.

 

[joemarchetti]

There is really no place like it. The ash right now if pretty thin. Just looks like a gray sky day at this point. This is not the most fun but Alaska is the most beautiful place in the world.

 

[cparka23]

One thing I would be worried about with your preparation is keeping the water oxygenated. Covering the tank and turning off the skimmer can result in a pH drop, especially since it might be a couple days or more. How quickly will depend on your bioload, but the pH can be altered by a large amount this way.

If you want to slow the rate of respiration of your aquarium, you can gradually lower the temp by a degree or two (but within the safe limits, of course). If you have a separate fuge, keeping a light running over any macro algae would be somewhat helpful to oxygenate the water, too.

Hope everything goes well for you.

 

[Acezwild]

Be a good idea to get yourself some kind of Hepa air filter or something close to that. they work so well they even suck up some bacteria in the air