electric power outages

[D&RW]

How long do we have before a) helpful bacteria die?, :biggrin: fish begin to get stressed and/or die.

Pond size will be 4500 + gallons.
Pumps X 2 @ 4700 GPH apiece
Filters X 2: 1) ultima II 2000 (may upgrade to 4000) bead filter; 2) Easy Pro filterfalls medium size.

 

[koikeepr]

It really depends on a lot of things. What your fish load is, what temperature it is when it happens, how long it happens, etc. Bacteria can start to die within a few hours. You could stick a battery powered aerator in the filter to keep things moving for a few more hours.

In my area, when we have outages, it's usually no more than a few minutes, but one during this summer went about an hour. I guess I wasn't terribly worried about it.

About 6 years ago, before I moved here, I was told there was an ice storm that knocked out power for many millions of folks for 2 whole weeks. But that was during winter, so it wouldn't have harmed the fish.

 

[nc0gnet0]

Aeration is your biggest concern with a power outage. As to the stress level of the fish and the amount of bacterial die off, aot will have to do with the temperature. The warmer the water, the more critical the situation. A portable generator can work wonders in larger ponds where battery operated air pumps would be better suited to smaller ponds.

 

[koiguy1969]

in a bind you can aerate a pond with your garden hose and a spray nossle. and even use a drill pump syphon, and cordless drill set up to do partial water changes to control water quality. it doesnt take long to inject sufficient oxygen with a real strong blasting jet of water. i kept 30 fry and 18 5"-8" fish in a 4' round baby pool for about 2weeks by doing this until i listed them on craigs list. granted i only fed them every couple days and daily scooped out a gallon or 2 of water and replaced it with a strong blasting flow..but it worked..but this is longer than any power outage will last.

 

[koikeepr]

that's not a bad idea in a pinch!

 

[koiguy1969]

in a power outage i would first aerate my filter(s) before worrying about my pond with a battery operated air pump and stones..i already aerate them anyways so it would be a matter of switching the hose to the battery pump(s)... so i wouldnt totally lose a functioning filter if the outage ran overnite.and most ponds should sustain the fish that long anyways. and if need be do the hose thing!! or 12 volt pump(s) and spitter(s) and take a car battery or 2 for power if it ran longer.

 

[rdk]

If we have a power outage this spring or summer should we get two battery powered air pumps, one for the pond and the other for the barrel filter?

 

[oldmarine]

Here in Tacoma, WA, we hardly every have any power outages. I can't even recall the last time we had one. On that note, I have considered looking for a solar powered water pump system, but haven't been able to find anything online that is affordable. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

 

[koiguy1969]

If we have a power outage this spring or summer should we get two battery powered air pumps, one for the pond and the other for the barrel filter?

it wouldnt hurt..for sure!! you cant be over prepared... i am a nickle and dime ponder myself .. all the stuff i woukd have if i could afford it.

 

[oldmarine]

Hi koiguy,

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm a nickle & dime ponder myself, and I'm always looking for a way to cut the overall cost of keeping my pond functional.

Since my last posting I went to YouTub and typed in 'solar powered water pumps', and came up with endless information on a large variety of solar powered water pumps for many different applications.

Come spring, I may be leaning toward solar power for my water fall and pond filtration system.

 

[stroppy]

you can get solar powered air pumps ..they are pretty good

 

[nc0gnet0]

Just hope is isn't cloudy when you need them

Whether or not your going to need air in the pond will have alot to do with the temps. I associate power outages with a lighting storm in the dead of summer. The higher the water temps, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold.