nchokies
12/09/2002, 10:50 PM
This is my first time out here, so I apologize for my lack of message forum posting.
Basically, we just had a horrible ice-storm here in the Raleigh, NC area and my power was out for 4 and a half days. I was able to keep my Saltwater aquarium "alive" for a little over 60 hours, but we ran out of hot water, propane, and anything else that I could find and our temperatures plumetted down into the teens. Well, my tank went from 80 degrees all the way down to 52, and all my fish were lost. I guess the good news is that I only had 4 fish (1 small pygmy angel, 1 small chalk bass, and 2 BEAUTIFUL adult Engineer Gobies).
I have a couple questions in case of future problems (don't worry, I will be looking into getting a generator, but I can't afford one quite yet).
1. How long do you think these fish could've survived had I been able to keep the temperature up? and how high would that temperature have had to be? The temp got down to 64 and they were still alive, but when I woke up the next morning, it was at 52 and they were dead.
2. Why did all my inverts (2 serpent stars, 7 peppermint shrimp, red-legged & blue-legged hermits, snails, emerald crabs, and a porcelain crab) all live???? They looked dead until the water was able to rise above 60, then they started moving again. Can they essentially "die" or hibernate?
3. What's the most important thing to keep running in the tank in order to keep the fish alive when the power goes out?
4. Is there a chance that the bacteria bed is dead now? I have a sump with live sand and the whole tank had a 2-inch layer of sand.
5. Where O' Where can I find adult Engineer Gobies??? I can only find the babies that look like saltwater catfish. I just came across this pair by accident one day & they were the best fish by far that I have ever had. One of the two was 8 inches long and as fat around as my index finger. The other was 6 inches and as big around as my pinkie finger. I'm not sure if they would have been considered a mated pair, but they "sat on" each other most of the time. I'd actually like to get more than two if that's better. I'm thinking of making my tank into an Engineer Goby only tank, or just having a couple very easy going fish along with them.
I'm sorry for just running on, but I'm a little upset right now and probably just venting too much.
Any information would be greatly appreciated
Basically, we just had a horrible ice-storm here in the Raleigh, NC area and my power was out for 4 and a half days. I was able to keep my Saltwater aquarium "alive" for a little over 60 hours, but we ran out of hot water, propane, and anything else that I could find and our temperatures plumetted down into the teens. Well, my tank went from 80 degrees all the way down to 52, and all my fish were lost. I guess the good news is that I only had 4 fish (1 small pygmy angel, 1 small chalk bass, and 2 BEAUTIFUL adult Engineer Gobies).
I have a couple questions in case of future problems (don't worry, I will be looking into getting a generator, but I can't afford one quite yet).
1. How long do you think these fish could've survived had I been able to keep the temperature up? and how high would that temperature have had to be? The temp got down to 64 and they were still alive, but when I woke up the next morning, it was at 52 and they were dead.
2. Why did all my inverts (2 serpent stars, 7 peppermint shrimp, red-legged & blue-legged hermits, snails, emerald crabs, and a porcelain crab) all live???? They looked dead until the water was able to rise above 60, then they started moving again. Can they essentially "die" or hibernate?
3. What's the most important thing to keep running in the tank in order to keep the fish alive when the power goes out?
4. Is there a chance that the bacteria bed is dead now? I have a sump with live sand and the whole tank had a 2-inch layer of sand.
5. Where O' Where can I find adult Engineer Gobies??? I can only find the babies that look like saltwater catfish. I just came across this pair by accident one day & they were the best fish by far that I have ever had. One of the two was 8 inches long and as fat around as my index finger. The other was 6 inches and as big around as my pinkie finger. I'm not sure if they would have been considered a mated pair, but they "sat on" each other most of the time. I'd actually like to get more than two if that's better. I'm thinking of making my tank into an Engineer Goby only tank, or just having a couple very easy going fish along with them.
I'm sorry for just running on, but I'm a little upset right now and probably just venting too much.
Any information would be greatly appreciated