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Ok with that said, I'm sitting here trying to get my mind straight on what i need to get done for myself, cat, dog, and of course the fish in case Rita decides to make Houston her home soon.

So if you knew a big storm were to be coming your way soon, what would you do to prepare your tanks?

I don't have to worry so much about heating, it's still hot and miserable here

To keep everyone from asking, what do you have, I have a pretty up to date list in my profile, but I know that can be a pain, so in short:
125 gallon: angels, guppies, mollies, corries, clowns, bettas, neons, glowlights, emperors, harlies, and probably something else, i'm tired.

10 gallon: 2 juvi acei (I know they need more room)

29 gallon: corries, BN, guppies

20 gallon: corries, guppies, khulies

assorted betta tanks I'm not terribly worried unless I have to evacuate

I'm sure I'm missing someone/tank...but I'm exhausted...

What would you do to prepare the tanks for such a mess?

Thanks ahead of time heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Stockpile Water. If the power goes out you'll have no filtration or air. Water changes can help with filtration. If you siphon it in from well above and allow it to splash, you'll help with oxygenation.

Good luck, hope it misses you.

Mike

Perhaps some nice big and thick polystyrene boxes to put your fish and some water in, in case of flooding. If the worst comes to the worst at least the styrene will float with the fish in it, away from that nasty sewage in the floodwater.You could walk them out of a flooded area like that !

Dont expect people in rescue helicopters to take the fish though.lol.

If youre really worried about the electric going out a small petrol generator might be a good idea, you could get one for about £100- £250, not a bad idea to have one anyway.People with seriously expensive marine setups should consider one in any eventuality.

Hows that for paranoid



Last edited by longhairedgit at 21-Sep-2005 00:25

I think if a hurricane is coming you way saving the fish are the least of your problems. I know I sound cruel but the fish can be replaced. I would go to walmart and get some livewell aerators that hook up to a boat battery. Good luck with the whole hurricane thing.

So do I need to do massive water changes? Unplug lights if i evacuate? I plan on getting the battery powered aerators from walmart for the tanks, and I think I'll be getting breeder nets for the bettas and putting them in the 125...if i have to evacuate what do ya'll suggest...taking all of them with me is obvious not an option:#(

Anyone else?
Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Those are all smart plans.

To be quite honest, I'd consider unplugging everything if you have to evacuate - you never know what could happen (power surges, hospitals needing power, etc.

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

Hi . Here we are in Florida so we are quite familiar also with hurricane season. Good luck this season!

For the tanks we have pretty good battery powered air pump(which I need to quickly get more), we have also made sure that there are seasoned sponge filters at all times enough for all twenty however tanks we have so that if the power goes out we can hook the battery operated airpump to the sponge filter. *all sorts of batteries a must*

We have plenty of batteries, water, canned goods, grill w/charcoal and/or gas, and foil tin pans to disposably cook the canned goods and other foods that do not need refrigeration, paper plates/bowls, plastic forks and whatnot, flashlights, radio, large candles, matches/lighters, TP, sterno fire thingys and chaffing racks and dishes, powdered/canned milk, animal food (for the animals ), full tank of gas for the jeep.. (uh, hybrid jeep of course... yeah, plenty of trash bags, baby wipes and paper towels, and MAKE SURE YOUR LAUNDRY IS DONE IN CASE YOU CANNOT DO LAUNDRY FOR AWHILE AFTER

I have a nice whole box of this stuff dedicated just in the event that mother natures wants to pay us a "most extreme" visit.

believe it or not i held up to 24 bettas on me at one time(hey it was on a vacation, and of course i always have some bettas with me) , so if u want to take u bettas with u, get some cups with closeable lids, and u can put them in a bag, or in a box, and bring some bottle water and food for them. With the other fishes, can the waters and skip 2 feedings, and then set up auto fish feeders on every one of the tanks.

best of luck heidi

We are under mandatory evacuation. There are no batteries or airpumps to be had in this area, so we have topped off tanks, fed them well, moved those that need to be moved...I know we can't do religion, but I'm scared, I've actually gotten terrified at this point...I hope the fishies make it...I guess this is actually more pointless so I'll leave it at that...thanks folks...heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Awww....good luck Heidi!

Hope the fish make it, but remember your life over the fishies. Blah I know you know

Stay well, it always has time to weaken.

dont forget your photo albums and if you have room the tower of your pc

OH TOLEEDY!

400 (or more) watt inverter - car stereo store, walmart, best buy, etc. We used one for the second 'cane last year when we had no power at all. Ran my satellite, tv, radio, couple of fans and a couple of flourescent worklights. Used my car battery, letting it run over night. Used about 5 gals of gas every 12 hours in my '99 Altima. So, just don't worry about light and you should be able to run filters plus some fans for yourself off a 400w inverter.

OK if the worst should come to the worst you could try amtrak or another postal delivery service that will courier animals to a friend out of state maybe? Just a thought. Bag em and send em! Maybe a buddy from fp could take your fish for a few weeks- id offer and i certainly have the spare tankage but an international trip is probably expecting a bit much from your fish.Worth a thought tho, but youd have to do it sooner rather than later, some same day dispatch service or something.

As for worrying about water changes, if you use the tetrabalance water conditioner or some denitrifying resin bags you might not have to change the water for months potentially.Id certainly consider it when options are limited, then you dont have to have a clean water supply. Some chance is better than none.

If you have issues with oxygenation during power outages you can buy oxygenating tablets- theyre not great but its better than nothing- perhaps you could crush them a bit and put some into a fish feeder, thusly dropping some of the tablet in at intervals.On the principles of oxygenation- even in a tank that is loaded with airators , most of the oxygen exchange still takes place at the water surface, the airators encourage the gas exchange by constantly breaking the surface water with the bubbles! ( ok its not the same as having a nice venturi effect nozzle on your pump etc, but were talking emergencies here.)

So basically if you can keep the water surface well disturbed by other means - your fish will still get plenty of oxygen. So perhaps a small battery fan or something positioned to disturb the surface, hey its crap, but its better than nothing, just dont blend your fish! lol. It might help if you cant find a battery aerator. As for conserving water its probably not a bad idea to fill the bath before the plumbing goes to hell, that old rain butt you forgot about might have enough water in it to provide changes for weeks.A rain butt might be important for weeks after a hurricane as the tapwater even when put back may be of questionable quality for weeks, but rain quality will remain consistant.

Technically you could use bottled oxygen in a couple of ways for some relief, a lot of importers bag fish with oxygen gas and they are expected to survive in a bag up to a week, so perhaps thats an option for evacuation, you could bag em and take em with you- and if you could find a suitable nozzle you could infuse a stagnant tank with oxygen but that might be tricky. Again im grasping at straws but if it comes to that, and no-one else has thought of it , it might put your fish at an advantage. Just trying to think of something you can get hold of that might actually help.

On the feeding front, sure you can use auto feeders, but if the filter isnt gonna be working youll just poison the water in the tank, if you have to abandon them its probably better not to feed them, only the tiniest fish will fall to starvation in a few days to weeks, bigger fish will last possibly even months. It may actually be better to lose a few fish to cannibalisation and starvation than to lose the whole lot quickly through ammonia poisoning. Many fish plunged into cold and darkness will refuse to feed anyway, so there wouldnt be much point in feeding them anyway. Its all about bargaining with time, and its not a nice business, but I rescued dozens of animals including fish, and frankly its amazing how long some of them can go without food in an emergency. Just as you wouldnt panic about feeding them if you went on a short break away from them on your hols, dont panic if you have to be evacuated from them.The water quality and the oxygen levels are more important than the feeding.

In the event of serious and lengthy power outages some people might actually consider it worth winding down fish feedings in advance, making sure the gravel is vacuumed to spotless, and even disconnecting the filter before you go. This is because when the power goes off major bacterial death in the filter will happen in around 48 hours or less- if it remains connected and comes back on when the power does you may have weeks worth of ammonia and dead material from the bacterial die off flood back into the tank, and this may kill your fish in a matter of minutes. High temperature species will be more likely to die if food is in the gut when they begin to cool , as their digestion will cease and the food will begin to rot and gaseous bloat might kill them. Without food in the gut they stand a better chance of survival since many fish can take the occasional drop in temperature.

You will have to make a few educated choices to determine your fish's best choices for survival. Flooding and severe house damage is less likely than the power giving out, which lets face it , is probable as power lines are torn down, and grids suffer huge surges and losses of connectivity.If that is the worst youre likely to get, plan for power emergencies and dont feed the fish. If you live lakeside or beachfront or below sea level flooding is likely and you should get your fish the hell out of there if you can, again mudslides are a major consideration if you live at the bottom of a gully or valley.

But if it comes to a choice between you and the fish- dont muck about and get the hell out of there.If youve prepped the tank as best you could in the time you had, that is all anyone could ask of you. The rest is just fate.





wow. i just read this in the news.



http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21511741.htm


this is the beast itself

http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/maps-satellite.asp?a=a&anim=LOOP&type=ei&large=1&region=CAR




It looks all set to hit houston's area by friday, winds in the 165 mph range, definite category 5, so better get sorted asap.If it was me I'd probably leave real soon.

Best of luck Heidi, and stay safe y'hear?





Last edited by longhairedgit at 21-Sep-2005 22:32

Last edited by longhairedgit at 21-Sep-2005 22:35