Would you kill your fish during an emergency to save your tank?

[RamsReef]

With 200w you could run most or all of the life support, whereas lighting would be the least of my priorities. Corals would cope with days of darkness without much difficulty but flow is far more important and that would benefit the fish and keep the tank healthy. I'm lucky to live in an area which isn't prone to long blackouts so maybe my thinking around them is a little different as its hard to imagine losing power for more than a day. My opinion would probably change if that wasn't the case.

Yes I was just looking like last case, kind of like.
Your choice is to do this or put a towel over the system and return week later.

Or like you have to evacuate, pull fish out and leave...

I am enjoying the responses though.

 

[RamsReef]

What in the aquarium will clove oil kill?

Fish, Inverts and Coral?

Or just Fish?

@Humblefish

 

[brandon429]

Hydrogen peroxide is a valid tool for power outages. The tolerant organisms are 98% of what we keep including all common reef tank fish... Handy oxygenation for rough spells or after mechanical assistances start to fade. Old lfs trick.

I bet somewhere online one could locate a chart that shows per temp gradient how much 3% per unit of volume it takes to reach target o2 thresholds. Deduct massive gains when added to a filthy sandbed setup/organic sink peroxide neutralizer, another reason to keep clean sand beds or go bare bottom when stress is expected.

 

[Daltrey]

No chance Would I let Burt and Ernie perish! I would think like macgyver and build a bicycle generator out of a clothespin!

 

[RamsReef]

No chance Would I let Burt and Ernie perish! I would think like macgyver and build a bicycle generator out of a clothespin!

A clothes pin, an inverter, a spare alternator, chain belt, and a bike stand, a piece of plywood you have ready cut, and some emt clamps you have laying around.

 

[Roggio]

I was recently faced with this decision when I went through hurricane Irma. All the lines coming to my house are buried so foolishly I didn't anticipate losing power. I've been through a few hurricanes and have always been lucky enough to keep it. This time we lost power for over a week and I spent the first three days keeping my fish alive by starting an inverter hooked to my car. It was miserable. I had to wake up every hour and 45 minutes to start it.

A few hours after the hurricane hit we had a tornado came through the backyard and start ripping trees out and pieces of the house. We had to evacuate and I said bye to some of my fish that I've had for seven or more years expecting never to see them again. When I returned most of my equipment had shorted out and there was even a small fire underneath the stand. Luckily I had a pump I used for water changes but unfortunately there was no way to hook up both tanks and I had to pick.

I started this hobby after breaking my neck in the military as a form of therapy. The whole ordeal was miserable. I'm still fighting with the insurance company to get my equipment replaced. I spent years getting it all together.

Things are coming back really well though. I suggest everyone has at least some form of generator or major battery back up. It's probably worthwhile to insure your tank if you have money tied up in coral. My insurance company didn't ensure anything living. Hopefully this gets resolved and I can buy back some of my equipment.

 

[RamsReef]

I was recently faced with this decision when I went through hurricane Irma. All the lines coming to my house are buried so foolishly I didn't anticipate losing power. I've been through a few hurricanes and have always been lucky enough to keep it. This time we lost power for over a week and I spent the first three days keeping my fish alive by starting an inverter hooked to my car. It was miserable. I had to wake up every hour and 45 minutes to start it.

A few hours after the hurricane hit we had a tornado came through the backyard and start ripping trees out and pieces of the house. We had to evacuate and I said bye to some of my fish that I've had for seven or more years expecting never to see them again. When I returned most of my equipment had shorted out and there was even a small fire underneath the stand. Luckily I had a pump I used for water changes but unfortunately there was no way to hook up both tanks and I had to pick.

I started this hobby after breaking my neck in the military as a form of therapy. The whole ordeal was miserable. I'm still fighting with the insurance company to get my equipment replaced. I spent years getting it all together.

Things are coming back really well though. I suggest everyone has at least some form of generator or major battery back up. It's probably worthwhile to insure your tank if you have money tied up in coral. My insurance company didn't ensure anything living. Hopefully this gets resolved and I can buy back some of my equipment.

Thank you for your story, I hope you recover fully and your life gets back to normal.

 

[kalare]

As other have stated, I would pull fish and keep them in aerated containers. Throw a piece of live rock or two in there and you have bio filter. While corals are animals, they are not on the same level as fish. I am WAY more attached to the animal that I have named, watch grow, and feed every day as it comes to greet me, than the colorful stick that is several inches bigger this year than the last...

If it came down it it, and I had to chose, I would 100x over kill the coral before I killed the fish, 100x over. I don't care how much money is invested in the coral vs the fish. If I owned a dog and $40000 rare orchid, and one day someone said dog or orchid...BYE BYE PLANT (yes yes, I know corals aren't plants, but still remains same idea).

 

[jasonrusso]

I was just without utility power for 36 hours two weeks ago. I say utility power because I invested in a standby generator, so I was without power for 15 seconds. Before the generator, I set up a standby battery that was good for 18 hours. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2250591

To answer the question, no I would/could not do it. I would boil water on my stove and dump it in.

I was asking myself this question yesterday. Well not the same exact question. I was torn weather I'd keep my generator for my tank, or just pray for the tank, and maybe go find someone or peoples that need my effort and generator more than My tank and I. Than I thought I should have two generators. One to help and on for home.

I really like my tank. But I think we prioritize our tanks to much. I have no problems killing a fish. Especially if it is suffering. Or if I caught a keeper.

Tanks, fish, and things are totally replaceable!!

I disagree with this notion. You prepared yourself better than others, and you feel that you should not benefit from that? I'm sure they all have modern smart phones, that money could have been spent on a $500 generator. My sympathy for those that didn't prepare themselves is pretty low.

 

[RobertP]

I am amazed that people will spend so much money an a tank, fish, and corals and wont spring for a generator. Even a cheap one can be had for $500. I have a better inverter style that wont damage electronis but it was only $900. It is just smart.

Have seriously thought about a whole house genny because I love air conditioning but that is a lot more.

 

[jasonrusso]

I am amazed that people will spend so much money an a tank, fish, and corals and wont spring for a generator. Even a cheap one can be had for $500. I have a better inverter style that wont damage electronis but it was only $900. It is just smart.

Have seriously thought about a whole house genny because I love air conditioning but that is a lot more.

I'm all gas (dryer, heat, stove, water heater) but I have a 2 ton HV central air. I have a 14kW generac. It runs the AC just fine. I sized the generator for the AC (then I put a starter capacitor on it to ease the surge). It cost me about $3200 (I installed it myself) but after 36 hours of continuous run, it was worth every penny.

 

[EJReef]

I just saw this
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/s...-power-hurricane-maria-in-puerto-rico.336851/
amazing thread and I got to wondering...

During an emergency / prolonged outage, would you be willing to kill your fish to keep your nutrients / toxins lower to save your tank?

Why kill them? There’s other options

 

[Forsaken77]

I only kill a fish if it is suffering beyond my control. Anything else, I try my hardest to keep them alive. I've only had to put down 1 fish, my Harlequin Tusk (fav fish btw). It was extremely hard to do after he went completely blind and couldn't find food.

My saltwater fish are pets to me, not an expendable item. Just like I wouldn't kill my dog for breathing up too much oxygen, I wouldn't kill my fish under those circumstances.

 

[Susan Edwards]

As has been said, there are options, including generators. My advice is to get one and have it on hand before there is a disaster or winter hitting. With all the stuff this summer, esp. in CA with the fires and else where, the cheap generator we were going to get went from 450 to 900 over night, and then not available. Another brand did the same thing. If we had to spend the $$ we just went with the 900 bucks for a honda and will have peace of mind. It's a good one that won't ruin electronics. and we can power our fridge and computers and charge phones. I do have a couple battery air pumps in the meantime while getting the generator hooked up.

 

[RobertP]

Just a word of advice since I have a ton of experience with portable generators. Fire it up every few months and let it warm up for about 10-15 minutes. Always a good idea to hook up a light or a drill to confirm that it is still generating power. They typically do not just lose generating power unless they get wet. After 10-15 minutes turn off the fuel line and let the generator run dry. This will run the carb completely out of fuel. While this is not perfect it will help to keep the carburetor jets clean. Also note that GASOLINE HAS A LIMITED LIFE! It turns into a jelly over time and it takes as little as 3 months. I highly recommend that you treat all your gasoline with Stabil or some type of gas stabilizer. While I know this will not keep it fresh forever, it will help keep the fuel fresher for a longer period. Sometimes it is tough to remember when you filled up that 5 gallon can so take some painters tape and write the date on the tape and stick it to the can. If it is 3 months old put it in your vehicle since it has a larger tank and will dilute. If it is older than 3 months I would treat some ants or use it to start a fire.

 

[Brian W]

I don't think I could kill it. I would remove everything in my tank to catch him and re-home it though.

 

[blizzardscout2]

Not a bad idea really, if all else failed. (UPS, out of fuel for generator)

 

[srad750c]

Nope, too many options to save both. I would go buy a $3000 generator. Use RC batteries to run air pumps, I have a fireplace so I would be fine in winter unless it lasted more than a week. Then I would just die along with everything in tank and my dog would consume my body and she would eat something in house and everything perishes. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that

 

[RamsReef]

Nope, too many options to save both. I would go buy a $3000 generator. Use RC batteries to run air pumps, I have a fireplace so I would be fine in winter unless it lasted more than a week. Then I would just die along with everything in tank and my dog would consume my body and she would eat something in house and everything perishes. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that

I guess my question was not on the mark. What I meant to say is.

You have exhausted all of your backups, would you, in a last ditch effort, reduce the bioload of your tank, ie. remove fish, in a last ditch effort to attempt to keep your tank alive.