Likely power outages, please give me advice!

[Hannahhhh]

There are up to 70 mph going on around my house and the state warned about widespread power outages. I don’t have a generator so if the power goes out, that means no power for my tank. In case that does happen, what are some things I can do to help my tank hold on until power comes back?

[Hannahhhh]

I was thinking of turning up the temperature in my tank right now just bit in case the power goes. 

[Jmevox]

Just now, Hannahhhh said:

I was thinking of turning up the temperature in my tank right now just bit in case the power goes. 

Temperature isn't as important as water movement but bringing temp up a little bit might not be a bad idea.  If you can't get your hands on a generator I would go to petco and buy a battery powered air pump with airstone.  I lost my entire tank from Hurricane Sandy, I will never run a tank again without a battery backup for the powerhead and a generator.  

[mitten_reef]

What‘s your hot water or cooking range? Electric or gas? If gas, you could always heat up some water, put the warm tap water in a watertight container, then float it in the tank to add heat to the tank. The water doesn’t need to be super hot to do this, hot water from the hot tap will be fine as well. 

Turning up the tank heat a few degrees would only help you short time. Turning your room temp up will make the temperature difference less drastic and likely help keep tank temp longer. 

 

if the power does go down, scoop up water (a pint or so) and slowly pour right back into the tank to create some movement and aeration. I’d do this every 30-45 minutes. 
 

yes, I’ve done all of this this past winter for over 6 hours before I could find a generator. 

[jservedio]

Don't worry about the temperature too much unless it's winter - as mitten said just stir the water every so often. I live in NC and we've had a lot of long power outages over the last few years (hurricanes, tornadoes, big storms, etc.) and we don't have a generator and I've yet to lose anything from a power outage. I basically just stir the water every few hours. Your best bet moving forward is a battery powered airstone or two and an outlet timer - you can get both for about $20. Basically you just have the airstone turn on every 45-60m for 15 minutes and it'll do this for you, but better.

 

If the power outage goes on for more than 8-12 hours and the water is getting really cold (like below 73-74), your hot water heater still likely has a bunch of hot water in it - so save it for your tank. You can fill up a big zipblock bag with hot water and just float it in your tank.

 

FWIW, our wind advisory down here was exactly the same as your is foretasted for later today and it's not bad - it's nothing like what Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama got.

[Humblefish]

As mentioned above, a battery powered air pump + air stone(s) is your best bet for a short-term power loss. To keep the water circulating a little and gas exchange (oxygen) going.

[Hannahhhh]

Thank you everyone for all the advice! I feel much better knowing what to do!

[kimberbee]

22 minutes ago, Hannahhhh said:

Thank you everyone for all the advice! I feel much better knowing what to do!

You can also insulate the tank by covering it with towels or blankets. I did this one winter when my heater went out and my tank was up against an outside wall. It actually helped quite a bit. 

[Wingy]

If it gets really chilly you can put hot water in empty soda bottles and put them against the glass before wrapping the whole thing in towels.  Replace the hot water every few hours.  I had to do that and run a battery air stone during an extended power outage and it worked fine.