Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

[armthehomeless]

I know a great deal of people are doing different things. I thought I would share what I am going to be going. I would like to find out what others are doing as well.

I have two batteries that are used to jump start cars. They have a place where you can plug in a cigarette lighter. I have air pumps that I can attach cigarette lighters to. Hopefully that will be good enough for 5-6 days of no power. After going to fshfrk's house, I saw that he spliced the wires from a powerhead to attach to a 12V adapter.  I am thinking about doing this as well on my largest tank. The powerhead will be pointed towards the surface to circulate the water/ keep the water cooler. I will also open up the lids to my tanks (the ones that don't have jumpers)

I will also be doing a major water change on all my aquariums on Friday. After that, I am not going to feed the fish so that the water remains as clean as possible.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

Generator.....I don't see how some can spend so much on their fish and not have one.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

I just went and bought 11 battery operated pumps and more D cell batteries than one person should be allowed to have.  I also have a few batteries left over from the Rita scare.  I will be rotating the air pumps as needed and I plan to do water changes tonight.

I'm also going to be doing water changes starting tonight, and will add extra air pumps to each tank to aerate while the power is on.  If aerating the water prior to shipping helps fish survive being in a bag for hours, I'm hoping it'll help a little if the power goes out.

If worse comes to worse, I've warned my mother that it's possible she could be standing at a tank stirring the water with a wooden spoon.  

[fshfrk]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

do yall think a big bilge pump, like 500 or 600 per hr, would have enough head to go from the sump over the back of the tank? to feed the wet dry. if you have big tanks i would go to academy and buy some. also buy a 12 volt battery.  jetcanic gave me the ideal last night. just fired up my generator and got 65 gallons of gas. i have more gas cans and if it looks like this IKE will hit i will get another 25 gal fri am. best of luck everyone. a lot of people might be heart broke after this one.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

(2) Deep Cycle Marine Trolling Batteries, this way one can be charging while the other is in service.

To power (6) Floating powerheads that flow 360 gph.

Plan to spend the entire time tomorrow and tonight 100% waterchanges.

My biggest concern is if with a loss of power for several days all the cansiters will go septic.

It will not be smart after the Hurricane to be doing waterchanges for about a week because of possible contamination from flooding and rain.  I myself will be careful.  So...lots of Amquel then to cover any ammonia spikes or Nitrite,and also get some stock in Bio-Spira

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

Check this out.  I love it.

http://www.wral.com/weather/hurricanes/flash/1462556/

Geoff

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

GEOFF!!!  Hey GEOFF!!  

Derek wants you to call him!

[algarciajr]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

I did a few water changes today and will do more tomorrow.

[phish]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

I got couple aerator at academy. After 4 stops, finally found a 750watts inverter at autozone. Two shell gas station in my area is completely out of gas.

[Delock]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

how much for the 750 inverrter?

[ImaGuyGeek]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

Autozone is a good call. Fry's ad RadioShack only had 350w inverters for $39 and $59. I didn't think of Autozone. Did they have bigger?

[phish]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

80, and that was the last one.

[Delock]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

going in the morning

[SteveCGG]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

after spending 7 hours in line at Home Depot waiting for the truck of generators to arrive...found out Sam's Club (in The Woodlands) had hundreds of 7000W generators for $999.....wooohooo!
Just hope nothing happens to the roof since we are surrounded by 80' tall pine trees  

[RonR.]

Re: Preparing your aquariums for a hurricane

Did a 75 percent wc tonite....lite feeding. When my power goes I have an Azoo backup air pump that can run intermittently for awhile. After that gives, I have plenty of D batteries for an aerator....keeping my glass lids open. After 8 hrs of no power to my eheims, I'll quick disconnect them. When the bacteria dies in the filter, I hear you don't want that running back into your tank after the power resumes. Tyrone from TNT Cichlids gave me thid advice right before Gustav.