Power out Very low temps! Help

[n8ball2013]

have a nano tank in my office and have a power outage. due to this my tank temp is in the low 60s. what can i do and how screwed am I? In the tank I have
blue damsel
green chromis
true per
coral banded shrimp
cleanup crew
BTA
Crocus clam
galaxia
xenia
hairy mushrooms
button polyps
and some shaving brush
Is it safe to say after 13 hrs I can write off my tank? Ive got the heater on a battery source now but i dont think its gonna be enough to raise the temps to a suitable level. As of 12.5 hrs everything moving was still alive although im unsure about the coral life and bta

 

[n8ball2013]

ok power just came back on perc is acting a little erratic but everything seems to be alive. temp is currently 61.8 eek

 

[michaeltx]

just work on getting the temp to come back up slowly the tank is going to shocked for awhile so keep an eye on anything that looks like it isnt going to make it through also I would get some water ready you might have to do some major water changed over the next few days if things have started to die in the tank. I would remove any corals that start to look like they are melting and QT them The main thing now is to get the temp back up and the water oxygenated good to give the tank the best chance of survival.
hope everything works out on the tank though. let us know how it goes.
Mike

 

[bojik]

Sorry to hear all that. I hope you can save it all. Once you get it back to normal and can afford it buy a high capacity computer backup battery unit for that tank. If you have the room. Run the heater and water circulation off that.

 

[catawaba]

Oxygenate first--get the water moving and agitated on the surface, slowly raise temp next. The temp went down gradually, so make sure you go up gradually. BEST wishes!!!

 

[stsweene]

HAd the same thing happen to me and my temp got lower then that and I only lost 2 fish and a couple polyps here and there... just get that temp up slowly and watch for any bad signs...

 

[stsweene]

oh BTW mine was down 16 hours....

 

[n8ball2013]

well the temp is on the way back up and with the water circulation and light on everything is still showing signs of life. Although my BTA and Xenia are not as full as before they appear ok. Fish and inverts are all fine. I never would have expected everything to make it through that.

 

[n8ball2013]

Ok its almost time to leave work for the day. The BTA and xenia have been opening and closing all day. My clam looks like his mantle has stretch marks on it. If you can picture that. He seems a bit sluggish. My trates are a bit higher than id like and was planning a water change for tomorrow. Is that a good idea or would that just cause more stress?

 

[1journeyman]

Welcome to the boards!
First off, you might get some more help if you post under the "nano tank" forum. I don't know much about nano tanks at all so take what I say with some salt.
How big is your tank? It seems pretty stocked to me. Are you testing your calcium levels? My suspicion is those inverts must be sucking it up in a small tank. That clam, for instance, will get to be a good size.
I'd do the water change... just make sure your water mix is the appropriate temp and pH and salinity.

 

[n8ball2013]

its a 12 gallon and yes it is well stocked. Calcium tested right around 450 ppm. so i dont think that is it. I am hoping that the power outage just shocked the ones that arent responding and i just got word that the power went out agaain. Sometimes i feel like I just cant win.

 

[michaeltx]

whats causing the outages? weather or brown outs or something else.
another thing you might look into is a large UPS type system to help if power goes out atleast it will be that much less time its without heat
just a though anyway
Mike

 

[bonebrake]

Go to Staples or Office Depot and buy an UPS and set it up immediately. It should be under $100. Slowly bring the temperature up don't let the heater close that 20 degree gap in four hours when the temperature comes back on. A far worse situation is when the temperature goes too high (88+) then you are really screwed. No water agitation will easily kill a stocked tank in 24 hrs. or less because all the oxygen will be consumed. Make sure there is water movement if you are swishing it with you hands every five minutes vigorously.
Keep us posted on how you make out.

 

[n8ball2013]

Well the power went out again. Turns out someone doesnt know how to fix a transformer and destroyed it. Tank got into the 50s with nothing that can be done about it. when the power blue my T5s went out(read dead but have a warranty) And seems like a total loss
Casualties
True Perc
green Chromis
Blue Damsel
Xenia
BTA
Button Polyps
Verdict is still out on the Galaxia clam and mushrooms. Think they are probably gonna be a goner too. My Co Workers are just as bummed as I was about it so we are gonna restock it after a water change or two and the light gets replaced. Ironically, All inverts lived. If I can get some pics off my phone I'll show you guys what it looked like.

 

[bojik]

Originally Posted by n8ball2013
Well the power went out again. Turns out someone doesnt know how to fix a transformer and destroyed it. Tank got into the 50s with nothing that can be done about it. when the power blue my T5s went out(read dead but have a warranty) And seems like a total loss
Casualties
True Perc
green Chromis
Blue Damsel
Xenia
BTA
Button Polyps
Verdict is still out on the Galaxia clam and mushrooms. Think they are probably gonna be a goner too. My Co Workers are just as bummed as I was about it so we are gonna restock it after a water change or two and the light gets replaced. Ironically, All inverts lived. If I can get some pics off my phone I'll show you guys what it looked like.
Some inverts are shipped live on ice a lot t food stores. So thats not too surprising. Sorry to hear your los. Does the companys (of the ones fixing hte transformer or was it felow employees?) bonding and insuring. cover damages to your tank as well?

 

[a2hotz]

Originally Posted by Bojik
Some inverts are shipped live on ice a lot t food stores. So thats not too surprising.
inverts can take a lot!!! I accidentally forgot about the 10 turbo snails I bought last nite and... left them in my car last nite. I got in my car today and looked at the paper bag they were in and just about crapped myself! I pulled them out and the water was FREEZING! ... I dont know the exact temp but I can say that the ice cubes I had in my burger king cup from last nite didnt melt at all. I put the snails in my tank thinking that they were dead and atleast my hermit craps were getting new shells and my CB shrimps were both getting a snack. A few minutes ago I was looking at my sand and noticed they were moving around!!! :scared: :scared: :scared:

 

[n8ball2013]

well they dont insure it as im in the military and technically shouldnt have it inthere but its something my shop has taken a group liking to. we've already decided to rebuild it bigger and better. Rearranged the rock and will be doing a massive water change tomorrow. Ordered a new t5 to get us through while the other is under warranty process. Then it will have double the lighting. Also the clam and anemone are still kicking surprisingly. Although the anemone did spit out a puss like white stuff. which i hope is not the stuff it uses for photosynthesis. It will be bakc and thinking about a pair of mated clowns.

 

[bonebrake]

Sorry for the loss.
Enjoy the restocking process and consider battery back up while you are upgrading for only the pump and heater. With a good UPS unit it could run a Maxijet 900 and a 50 watt heater for 24 hours straight or more.

 

[n8ball2013]

The UPS has already been but in place. its an APC 1400 unit. If need be I have another one that i can put in place one for heater one for pump. Considering they are spareas I have at work I can always have one. Also have a generator in place so that it doesnt happen again. .

 

[bonebrake]

That is great. Forget about battery back up for the lights they can go without lights for 72 hours or more before you'll see any change. The temperature and water movement are the most significant factors to keep in place.