Lost my Emperor and Queen Angel due to a power outage for 2 hours :(

[gtdarock]

Hello everyone. I have sad news to report. I lost my 7 in Emperor angel, which I had for a little over a year and my 5 in Queen Angel, I had for 3 months,she was in my QT. All because of a power outage

. In my 220, where the Emperor was, I have a 7 in Gold Puffer, a Yellow,Purple,Hippo and Sohal tang and a small Humu Trigger. They all survived with no problems, only the Sohal looks like he has pop-eye. I was very surprised that the Emperor went so fast. But I think, I am the one to blame.
Because hours before the power outage, I dosed the 220 with my regular dose of vodka, then 2 hours later the power outage happened .I know for a fact, that vodka dosing uses of a lot of oxygen in the tank, thats why its good to have a good skimmer, while applying vodka dosing. What do you guys think-?
As for the Queen angel, as everyone know on SWF.com, I never have luck with these guys,but somehow, some way, I was able to have one for 3 months, but then to lose her to a power outage, sucks bigtime

I would like to know how can I avoid this problem again. A generator, some kind of backup pump -? I really don't want this to happen to me again.

 

[kjr_trig]

That sucks man...Very surprised 2 hours would do it, I went through a few small Hurricanes in Charleston, and had the power out for more than 4 hours for Gaston (I think was the Hurricane) and none of my fish were harmed. IDK, perhaps the vodka decreased the oxygen enough to speed things up. A lot of people keep generators, vortech certainly has a battery backup that lasts for several hours on the MP powerheads, expensive but great powerheads.

 

[srfisher17]

I really suspect there is more involved; 2 hours without power shouldn't be a problem. I use a generator, but my power has been out for more than 2 hours before I even think about using it. There are countless possibilities, but nothing more than a 2 hour power outage, even with the dosing, just doesn't sound like it could cause fatalities.

 

[kylev]

very sorry to hear about the loss GTDA

 

[thecanuck]

my first post!!
sorry to hear man, i think it was the vodka dosing then the power outage combined. Just terrible timing. Hopefully something new and better comes of this, sorry for your loss

 

[btldreef]

I also think the vodka dosing did it. Angels need pristine water quality
Sorry for your loss. I highly recommend you look into a generator or battery back up at the very least, especially if you vodka dose.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3283586
I also think the vodka dosing did it. Angels need pristine water quality
Sorry for your loss. I highly recommend you look into a generator or battery back up at the very least, especially if you vodka dose.
A 220 gal tank sure should have enough surface area to provide adequate gas exchange during a 2 hour power outage, even with the possible slight decrease in O2 due to the vodka dosing. IMO & IME, most angels, once FULLY ACCLIMATED to tank life, are hardy fish. I just don't see anything that could have happened in this short time that would kill both angels. BTW; Why was the Queen in QT after 3 months and how big is the QT? I assume you weren't vodka dosing the QT tank. I sure feel bad for your loss and I really think you may be missing something that could lead to more problems if you just write this off to a 2 hour power failure.

 

[gtdarock]

Sorry for the very late reply guys, I was just so sad about the entire thing.Thanks for your concern's everyone. KJR, I really think the vodka did the damage. How can I get some kind of backup pump -?
Kylev,Canuck and Dreef, thank you very much for the concerns. Any kind of backup pump you recommend -? Yea SR, it really doesn't make any sense to lose an established adult emperor for about a year now. The fish was very hardy,would eat anything and very friendly. As for the Queen, I was treating her in the QT for flukes and ick,so I decided to leave her in there longer,to get her nice and fat.
But its now about two weeks since I lost the angels,and it looks like my whole tank is upside down. The water is very cloudy after a large water change and my puffer stop eating and hides in the back. I don't know what going on

 

[rcreations]

Very sorry for your loss.

Best thing to do is get a power generator. I would have lost my fish a couple of times over the years if I didn't have a generator, inlcuding a few years ago when the power was out for more than 24 hours.

 

[srfisher17]

Very possibly something dead in your tank. Even a massive bacteria die-off can be a problem. I'd do a good ammonia test ASAP, use something like AmmoLock to neutralize it, and do massive water changes.
A generator, like RCreations suggested is great, I wouldn't be without one. Just remember to hook everything up to it. Last Dec, we had a big storm & power was going to be out. I started my generator and we left. I forgot that I had 3 fish in a separate tank waiting to be picked up. The temp in that tank got down to about 58; but all fish recovered.

 

[juniors04]

Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/3289746
Very sorry for your loss.

Best thing to do is get a power generator. I would have lost my fish a couple of times over the years if I didn't have a generator, inlcuding a few years ago when the power was out for more than 24 hours.
How much do those gernerators cost?

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by juniors04
http:///forum/post/3290056
How much do those gernerators cost?
Our, IIRC, 7500watt portable unit was, I believe $899 from Sam's Club several years ago. Can't be without one during hurricanes down here... One that big can run the fridge, a/c, tv, tanks, fans, etc.
You can now pick up a 3000watt unit which is more then enough to run several tank pumps and other things, for $300.

 

[rcreations]

Yeah, it depends on how big it it. Mine was on sale for around $500 and I've used it to run 2 tanks without the lights but everything else running, a fridge and I even connected a computer to it at the same time.

 

[peter_95]

oh wow.... that really bites. sorry for the loss

 

[caz2022]

I run my entire first floor off my 5600watt generator. I installed a seperate breaker box for it. When the power goes out I just fire it up and plug it into the prewired outlet. Its a kit from Home Depot-cost about $200.00 but worth every penny.

 

[gtdarock]

Thanks for your support guys, I really appreciate it ! SR, I just lost the Gold Puffer today, he was never the same after the power outage.So its been a rough couple of weeks for me. I'm looking around for a generator . Any ideas on which brand to go with or which store should I buy it from -? Thanks

 

[juniors04]

Are they hard to use?

 

[caz2022]

Generators are easy to use. They are four stroke engines so no need to mix fuel and oil. Just start it up and plug it in. Most people just run extension cords from the things they want to have power to the generator. There are kits you can install that make it alot easier (my previous post).

 

[caz2022]

God Bless the generator. Came home to a power outage last night. Wind took a tree down on some wires down the road. I highly recommend the kit from Home Depot. Fire up the generator and plug it in.