We've been without power for over 48 hours (feels like weeks, I swear!). It came up for about 30 minutes earlier, so I thought all was well - but it went right back out again, and has been out since. . . I'm looking for any information or advice on how to manage my tanks in this situation. My internet connection is intermittent right now, but I'm hoping it stays on so I can check this thread!
So far I've been:
*not feeding the animals to keep waste to a minimum
*preforming small, frequent water changes (every few hours) in the hopes of keeping enough oxygen in the water to support the fish and the bacterial colonies, and also to keep the temperature in the tanks at a reasonable level. (The temp here has been around 100f, and I had to vacate a newly purchased frog from the QT tank in my attic bedroom because temperatures were getting too hot. The (empty) tank hit 90f after about 8 hours without a water change)
Thus far, all of the fish, frogs, and snails seem to be doing well. They're breathing normally, swimming normally, and don't seem to be gasping for air or in any great amount of stress. They are a bit confused by my refusal to feed them, and insistence on changing their water constantly - but aside from that, coloration is good, respiration seems normal, no signs of flashing or fading color. . . I've been testing the water in my tank a couple of times a day, and the only evidence I've seen of unpleasantness was in my daughter's 3 gallon betta tank, which tested with a slight trace of nitrate this morning after being left alone overnight. This is the smallest and most recently established tank, so I'm not surprised, and am keeping a close watch on the situation in there.
Is there anything else I can or should be doing in this situation to minimize any negative effects on my tanks?
I actually fasted my tanks on Friday, which may have worked to my advantage in this situation, but they've gone for 3 full days without food now. Tomorrow, regardless of the power, I'm going to feed my new Dwarf African Frog a light meal. He's a juvie, and VERY thin - I don't want to cause him any harm. . . I may go ahead and give all the tanks a light feeding, since I'm changing the water so frequently, I think it would be okay - any thoughts on this?
So back to the frog:
How long are defrosted foods safe to feed a DAF if they've been kept cool?
Everything from the freezer is in a cooler - including the frozen frog foods (brine, bloodworm, krill, mysis, etc). These are NO LONGER FROZEN, but still cold, and have been kept in the cooler since a few hours after the freezer lost power. I can't run out and buy fresh, because the pet stores are closed - also without power (the new batch would just go bad anyway!) and neither of my frogs will eat pellet food. They never have, and I highly doubt they ever will.
Any advice appreciated - and thanks!!!
- Chesh
So far I've been:
*not feeding the animals to keep waste to a minimum
*preforming small, frequent water changes (every few hours) in the hopes of keeping enough oxygen in the water to support the fish and the bacterial colonies, and also to keep the temperature in the tanks at a reasonable level. (The temp here has been around 100f, and I had to vacate a newly purchased frog from the QT tank in my attic bedroom because temperatures were getting too hot. The (empty) tank hit 90f after about 8 hours without a water change)
Thus far, all of the fish, frogs, and snails seem to be doing well. They're breathing normally, swimming normally, and don't seem to be gasping for air or in any great amount of stress. They are a bit confused by my refusal to feed them, and insistence on changing their water constantly - but aside from that, coloration is good, respiration seems normal, no signs of flashing or fading color. . . I've been testing the water in my tank a couple of times a day, and the only evidence I've seen of unpleasantness was in my daughter's 3 gallon betta tank, which tested with a slight trace of nitrate this morning after being left alone overnight. This is the smallest and most recently established tank, so I'm not surprised, and am keeping a close watch on the situation in there.
Is there anything else I can or should be doing in this situation to minimize any negative effects on my tanks?
I actually fasted my tanks on Friday, which may have worked to my advantage in this situation, but they've gone for 3 full days without food now. Tomorrow, regardless of the power, I'm going to feed my new Dwarf African Frog a light meal. He's a juvie, and VERY thin - I don't want to cause him any harm. . . I may go ahead and give all the tanks a light feeding, since I'm changing the water so frequently, I think it would be okay - any thoughts on this?
So back to the frog:
How long are defrosted foods safe to feed a DAF if they've been kept cool?
Everything from the freezer is in a cooler - including the frozen frog foods (brine, bloodworm, krill, mysis, etc). These are NO LONGER FROZEN, but still cold, and have been kept in the cooler since a few hours after the freezer lost power. I can't run out and buy fresh, because the pet stores are closed - also without power (the new batch would just go bad anyway!) and neither of my frogs will eat pellet food. They never have, and I highly doubt they ever will.
Any advice appreciated - and thanks!!!
- Chesh