Page 15 - TBAS-October-2020

TBAS October 2020 .................... -15-
Hurricane
Preparedness
For Aquariums
Imagine this, there is a
hurricane in the gulf and it is
headed this way, what can
you do to help your fish tanks
survive? What if you have
to evacuate? First thing you
should do is water changes
and not just 10 to 15%, but
50%! Trim plants and remove excess debris. Clean all your filters and check all
equipment. Now stock up on hydrogen peroxide, fresh sealed stuff. Use a capful
per 50 gallons and it will boost the oxygen levels during power failures. This can
be repeated every hour.
Don’t feed during a hurricane even if you have power because you never
know when the power will go off again and we want to keep organic waste at a
minimum until the storm is over. It would be best to keep the lights off to keep the
fish in a resting state during the storm, lights suddenly going on and off in a power
failure can put a lot of stress on your fish. If you have to evacuate you should
reduce the water level in the tanks, because oxygen is only at the surface of the
water and the fish have to use a lot of energy and oxygen going to the surface to
breath. A small battery operated air pump will help the oxygenation level, check
local pet stores [also check anywhere fishing supplies are sold]. The lower water
level will cut down the likely hood of a fish jumping out. Turn all lights off and
hope for the best.
After the storm, be careful when you are refilling the tanks, the water
supply could be contaminated. You can add 10 drops of bleach per gallon and
then dechlorinate and aerate the water to make it safe before you use it. If you
think ahead you could have some buckets filled with water, be sure to keep them
covered tightly to keep out unwanted mosquitoes.
If you have a special tank like a saltwater reef or a tall tank that must have
continuous water circulation I found that you could get a little 12-volt water pump
used for baitfish at any fishing supply store for less the $20. I put this pump to the
test and it ran a wet-dry on my 100 gall tall tank for three days off a car battery and
it was still going strong when I shut it down. Of course you could get a generator
to run the whole house during the storm. Back-up power systems used for computers
only give you a short time, just enough time to shut down your computer. I hope
all this information will help your aquariums survive a hurricane. Until next month,
keep your fish healthy and happy.

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