No Power!

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Gangsterluff

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We just had a strong storm move through our area tonight. And now we have no power. And you know what that means. No power, no filter. I'm really nervous for my axolotls because it probably won't be back on until later today or even tomorrow. My tank was just about done cycling too! Will it throw that off? What do I need to do for my little guys to make sure they'll be alright? I can't stay home all day because I've got school in the morning. Please, any help would be great!
 
Hi,

I've been told in the past the bacteria start to die off after 3 - 6 hours but I'm not sure if that's accurate. I'd test your water just to make sure there's no ammonia spikes. It wouldn't hurt to do a water change to be on the safe side.
 
How often do I need to do one? Will once or twice a day keep them safe? And does it need to be a full or partial change?
 
How long ago was the power outage? If the filter has been left off for too long, the bacteria are likely dead, and your cycle may have been disrupted.

If it was not long ago (under an hour), I would take all the filter media (sponges, clayrings, etc) out of the filter, and put them into the tank, or in the case of sponges, just float them on the tank surface. That way, the bacteria living in the media will still have access to oxygen (they need this to survive). If left in the filter, they will start dying and this can wreak havoc with your water quality.

If the power outage was a few hours ago or more, I would take the axolotls out of the tank (just to be on the safe side) and put them in tubs/buckets/bowls of fresh dechlorinated water until you can determine if the water is safe.

Have you tested the tank water?

Is there any bad smell coming from the tank? If so, take the axolotls out immediately and put in tubs of fresh water.
 
Gangsterluff said:
How often do I need to do one? Will once or twice a day keep them safe? And does it need to be a full or partial change?
Click to expand...

I was thinking maybe 20% in case of ammonia spikes. It would dilute the ammonia. But like Jacquie said, you could remove them from the tank to be on the safe side.

Keep a close eye on the water parameters if you have a test kit. :happy:
 
What type of filter do you have? If you have a sponge filter I highly recommend buying a battery powered air pump. They're $10 at petsmart and they sell out every time there's a power outage here. Not that it will help right this minute, but just something to consider for the future (I know I'm going to buy one preemptively).

Otherwise...yeah, put them in tubs or do water changes when you can. Good luck!
 
I think I might do a 20-30% water change twice a day to be safe. Theres no bad smell yet. It's an internal filter if that changes anything. The power went out about two hours ago.
 
Gangsterluff said:
I think I might do a 20-30% water change twice a day to be safe. Theres no bad smell yet. It's an internal filter if that changes anything. The power went out about two hours ago.
Click to expand...

That sounds good. :happy:

I would still take the filter out of the tank, and take the media out of the filter though. With no water flowing through the filter to bring oxygen to the bacteria, they will suffocate and die. If they die, this will wreak havoc with the water quality; particularly when the filter is turned on again - all that ammonia from the dead bacteria will be sent flowing straight back into the tank!

You can float the sponges in a tub and leave them soaking in water taken from the tank.

I hope you get power back soon! All the best, and please keep us posted.
 
The powers back on!! Just came back couple minutes ago! The electric company got out here first thing so it wasn't off as long as they thought it could be. I had the filter apart so I put it back together and plugged it in and everything seems fine. Thanks to everyone who helped! I know what to do now incase something like this were to happen again. Thanks a bunch!
 
It's always good to know. I lost my power for 2 hours and was so worried about my axie and fish. Luckily it didn't harm their cycles. Just keep an eye on the water for the next few days :D
 
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