Power outage

[Katy]

We do have a generator, but the electrician hasn't come to install the override, so I need to run an extension cord through a window. Did that, actually got the generator started and the tanks (heaters and filters) hooked up, ran for a few minutes, and the generator ran out of gas One of those days. Then I couldnt find the gas can (only two cans of diesel) so had to go out to get a new can and some gas. Also went to the fish store and got 3 bottles of Tetra Safe Start just in case....

Got home and the power is back on.

And the wind has died down so hopefully it will stay on.

But there will be a next time.

So, how long can a cannister filter be without power wthout the bacteria dying? Even with gas, we can't run the generator all night....

And what kind of filters can run on a battery?

Thanks!

[Rychek]

If you have an inverter or a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), you can run any pump off of a battery. Otherwise you would need DC powered pumps/filters.

[Katy]

Thanks! If I can get my better half to loan his UPS to the fish we should be ok.

But how long can the bacteria live in the canister filters when the power is off?

I have an AquaClear HOB on order for a back-up filter, but it hasnt even shipped yet.

So far, 3-4 hours after power came back on (has flickered a bit since but mostly stayed on) and ammonia and nitrites both 0 in the q tank, and ammonia and nitrites actually went down more in the cycling tank. And the fish look pretty happy, except that they are begging like mad as I haven't fed them in case the power goes off again....

[Marcos Mataratzis]

Hello Katy,

If your TDS and other parameters in your tank are ok, bacteria will last 8 to 12 hours. After that, most of them will surely die.

The use of UPS will depend on senoidal waves it has (or not). If not pure senoidal waves your pump motors will last lesser time than it could last.

[Katy]

Thanks! We dont' have TDS meter yet, other parameters are good (still -- have checked about 4 times this afternoon and ammonia and nitrite still zero, nitrate still around 10)

BTW Marcos -- your tanks and fish are beautiful!!!!

[Marcos Mataratzis]

BTW Marcos -- your tanks and fish are beautiful!!!!

Very kind!

Thanks!

[Diana]

If you anticipate that the power will be out for more than a few hours it would be a good idea to open the canister and remove the filter media. Clean it if needed in tank water removed from the tank, then float it in the tank. This will help fish and bacteria.

Heaters will use the most power, so think of alternate ways to keep the tanks from cooling off too fast. Wrap them in thick towels, add hot water in a soda bottle (1 liter for smaller tanks, 2 liter bottle for medium sized tanks, several bottles for large tanks)
If your house can stay warm this is very helpful.

[chefkeith]

If you keep the filter media moist and oxygenated, then the nitrifying bacteria should go into a stationary or dormant phase. Most times the colonies die out because of lack of oxygen or toxin build-up when there is no water flow. Bacteria are known to stay dormant for quite awhile if the conditions are optimal. How long they live depends on you. In theory, they could live nearly forever.

A mature filter will have several layers of bacteria growing at different stages in their life. The older bacteria are constantly dying off and being renewed by younger bacteria. The old bacteria will die no matter what, and when it dies it releases toxins that could kill off the younger bacteria. This is why you need to rinse the bio-media a few hours after a power outage. If the power outage lasts more than a day, you may need to rinse the media a few times. At this point, the bacteria will go dormant if they are not given an ammonia food source. If they do have ammonia, they'll continue to reproduce and you'll need to rinse the bio-media every few hours so that the toxins won't build up. -

Bacterial spores are actually the hardiest life-form known to man.

[Katy]

ChefKeith __ I see a lot of references to your homepage, but the link doesn't work?

Thank you all for your answers. I am a bit hobbled with the Fluval because the top is broken, and we are afraid that the next time we open it may be the last, so I was afraid to open it during th e power outage, as the spare filter isn't here yet (has shipped, though)

[Diana]

Nitrifying bacteria do not enter so complete a dormant phase. This was part of the production problem when they first created Bio Spira. At refrigerated temperatures the bacteria slowed down enough for packaging, shipping and a short storage time at the store. This was not a true dormant or spore stage, though.

Under household conditions I do not see this happening.

Much safer to assure the filter media stays moist and has good oxygen available.

An hour or two in a canister is a long time.
Several hours in a fairly open HOB type of filter is not a problem.

Either way, the best thing you can do is
a) keep the filters cleaned so there is the best water flow and minimum build up of dead bacteria and other debris. This way, when a power outage happens the bacteria in the filter is in the best shape to survive.
b) If you anticipate the outage is going to go on for too long remove the media from the filter, rinse it and put it where it can get new oxygen. Since the fish are still producing ammonia, floating the media in the tank is one option, but remember the fish need oxygen, too. With both filter media and fish in the tank this might be too much oxygen demand. (There are also nitrifying bacteria on all the surfaces of the tank)
Putting the filter media in a bucket with a little water in the bottom is good. Cover the bucket so the humidity builds up. If the house is cold, the media in the bucket will cool off, and the bacteria will slow down. This is fine. It will perk up when you add it back to the warm tank water. Sloshing the media around once in a while will also help refresh the oxygen deep in the fibers of the media.

Yes, clean the filter when the power comes back on. There are indeed bacteria and other microorganisms dying all the time. As long as the filter is running all these organisms are handling the waste/toxin problem just fine. The death and birth rates are constant, things are balanced. When conditions are poor, and more deaths occur, and less circulation to help the remaining organisms deal with it the filter can get toxic.

[wasserscheu]

I understand it as the following: My 5 liter (a bit over a gallon) filter was without power for 24 hours, when the oxigen is used up by the bacteria, they start to reverse their metabolism, during "anaerobic mode" they set nitrites free (I measured that), but they don`t die right away, in the long run they do though. After about 6-12 hours (after flushing) they were back to normal. Therefore the filter should be at least "run" in reverse (flushed) once you don't want to open it, discarding the water that comes out. Put the canister below the tank, and let the tank water run through the "out-pipe" into the filter and from there into a bucket. "Your milage may vary" as the oxygen content, temperature, filter media and plugged up status etc. change the numbers...

[plaalye]

We recently had high winds here in NW Washington. The power went off several times but only once for long enough to matter. Off at 4:30am, on again at 9:30am...5 hours. I have a 75 gal with an eheim 2217 and an AC 110, 5 other smaller tanks with varying sizes of AC HOB filters(2 each tank). When the power went off I immediately covered all tanks with quilts and sleeping bags to help keep the temp up. I paced and worried and called the power company and even went driving around the neighborhood looking for the problem and possible progress, to no avail! I was on the phone with a local rental center to rent a generator when the power resumed. The temp had dropped a few degrees but not a problem. I tested all tanks for a few days afterward and everything remained normal. It's possible that I lost bacteria but not enough to make a difference. I think maybe I was lucky!

[Katy]

We have the generator, but can't run it all night (we need sleep too!), but I have the 3-pack of battery operated airpumps in my cart at Drs F&S

And we have the pure ammonia to feed the media we take out (much as the new tank cycling is gobbling it up, I think there will be plenty left for emergencies!

[cloudhands]

Yesterday we bought a temperature-out-of-range alarm, which is at least some help with heater failure.

I want to get an alarm for power failure too. We've got a generator, and I'd be willing to get up and start it if the power goes out. Heck, I've raised children -- and their cry in the night was usually "Daad!" -- I can at least get out of bed for the fish.

I want to get an alarm that only goes off after at least a minute of power outage. This seems to be hard to find. I have a UPS in my home office with an alarm, so I'm well aware that we get lots and lots of one second or less power failures, lots of less-than-a-minute power failures, and still too many long ones, but just a handful a year. I only want to be awakened if it's a real power outage.

Any leads on such a product? Google and amazon aren't helping.