Saltwater aquarium emergencies do occur and they are not ones which one can easily predict, and will happen without any prior warning.
Therefore in order that you are able to effectively cope with any emergencies that do arise in your aquarium, you need to have some kind of plan in place. This plan will also ensure that all your aquarium saltwater fish remain safe.
The most likely problems that an aquarist will be faced with, when it comes to keeping a saltwater aquarium, is that a power failure may occur, the tank may begin to leak, or the aquarium saltwater becomes polluted or the heaters begin to overheat. The other thing you need to think about, is that it is going to be very difficult for you to determine whether there is a problem or not, and so regularly monitoring of the aquarium is advised.
If a problem does arise, then you need to immediately spend time looking at just how everything is coping in the tank, and what is happening with the aquarium saltwater, as well as watching the fish and invertebrates in the tank. You also need to keep an eye on how any corals or live rocks in the aquarium are coping with this situation.
Aquarium Saltwater Tank – Dealing With Loss Of Power
Power failures to an aquarium can occur at any time, and are something that you will have no control over in preventing. Should you happen to lose power to your aquarium, then it is vital that you make sure that the aquarium saltwater remains aerated. Hopefully this situation should only last for a matter of hours, and certainly your aquarium saltwater fish, plants, and other marine life, can happily live in the tank for 24 hours without any power being supplied to it.
The best way to aerate the aquarium saltwater when the power fails, is to use a battery operated water pump. These pumps help to dissolve the oxygen in the water so that the right levels can be maintained at all times whilst no power is present. Because the heaters will not be working, you also need to make sure you help the water to retain as much heat as possible. This can be done by wrapping the aquarium in a sleeping bag or thick blanket. What you must never do whilst there is no power to your aquarium, is feed your aquarium saltwater fish and marine life, as the filtration system will not be operating.
Aquarium Saltwater Overheating – How To Deal With This Problem?
Sometimes heaters in aquariums are prone to failing, but do not get too worried if yours starts to overheat. Although they may not like it, most aquarium saltwater fish can cope with the water temperatures going up to as much as 86 degrees Fahrenheit. But it is best if at all possible, that you avoid this situation from occurring in the first place.
When buying heaters for your aquarium, rather than buying just one, instead purchase two (dependent upon the size of your tank). Having two will actually help the temperature of the aquarium saltwater to remain much more constant. Plus you should spend time regularly checking your heaters to make sure that they are working correctly, and this will help you to recognize any problems when they do occur.
If you come across a situation which causes the temperature of the aquarium saltwater to go too high, then the first thing to do is either turn the temperature down on the heaters, or turn them off altogether. Next you need to take out and retain about 20 to 50% of the aquarium saltwater, and replace this with some bags of ice. The ice in the bags will then help to bring the temperature of the aquarium saltwater down to a more acceptable level. Remove the bags as soon as the water is at a more ambient temperature, and if the water you took out the aquarium has cooled sufficiently, then slowly add it back into the tank.
Related posts:
You must log in to post a comment.