# OXYGEN PROBLEM



## sepiroth18 (Oct 29, 2007)

How many hours, days, weeks can a piranha stand in an aquarium without an oxygen apparatus.. just wondrin because yesterday our subdivision had a 2 hour blackout.. i was so worried about my p's.. i cant tell whether they are suffocating with lack of oxygen in their tank. not like the red pacu's they surface above the water and you can see them snarling for air in the surface of the water with their bloated reddish like lips.. what are the signs that would confirm that my p's are suffocating with lack of o2.. and what can i possibly do to help them.. one more, what are the other alternatives to airate your water when there is no electricity.. can plants be very helpfull as an alternative? if so.. what kind of plants would be very usefull.. thanks guys i would really appreciate your help..


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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

sepiroth18 said:


> How many hours, days, weeks can a piranha stand in an aquarium without an oxygen apparatus.. just wondrin because yesterday our subdivision had a 2 hour blackout.. i was so worried about my p's.. i cant tell whether they are suffocating with lack of oxygen in their tank. not like the red pacu's they surface above the water and you can see them snarling for air in the surface of the water with their bloated reddish like lips.. what are the signs that would confirm that my p's are suffocating with lack of o2.. and what can i possibly do to help them.. one more, what are the other alternatives to airate your water when there is no electricity.. can plants be very helpfull as an alternative? if so.. what kind of plants would be very usefull.. thanks guys i would really appreciate your help..


ok wen i used to have power outs i would scoup water out of the tank and pour it back in repeatedly and that will put the o2 back in the tank you really dont have to worriy about it for a 2 hr out but i would worrie about temp but ive gotton my old ps through a hole night of p out just by pouring the water from like 12 inchs abouve tank


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

First thing is first just cos you might have a air stone in the tank it doesnt men that is adding oxygen to the water,

What creates better oxygen in your tank is surface aggitation, ie water movement..................as this creates better difusion for 02..............................

So what i would do if i were you is get a power head or something that will disturb the surface water in your tank, in my tank i have a 1000lph power head with a external air tube firing water and air into the tank to create watter aggitation..............

dez


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## sepiroth18 (Oct 29, 2007)

pirayaman said:


> How many hours, days, weeks can a piranha stand in an aquarium without an oxygen apparatus.. just wondrin because yesterday our subdivision had a 2 hour blackout.. i was so worried about my p's.. i cant tell whether they are suffocating with lack of oxygen in their tank. not like the red pacu's they surface above the water and you can see them snarling for air in the surface of the water with their bloated reddish like lips.. what are the signs that would confirm that my p's are suffocating with lack of o2.. and what can i possibly do to help them.. one more, what are the other alternatives to airate your water when there is no electricity.. can plants be very helpfull as an alternative? if so.. what kind of plants would be very usefull.. thanks guys i would really appreciate your help..


ok wen i used to have power outs i would scoup water out of the tank and pour it back in repeatedly and that will put the o2 back in the tank you really dont have to worriy about it for a 2 hr out but i would worrie about temp but ive gotton my old ps through a hole night of p out just by pouring the water from like 12 inchs abouve tank
[/quote]

how many minute intervals should i have to do the process??


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

I have an extra deep cell car battery I keep on standby. That along with a power inverter I plug in a power head as mentions above does the trick just fine.


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## sepiroth18 (Oct 29, 2007)

yah i think it would really be wise if ill keep a back up power source... in case of a long power out...


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

yo brother, pinoy here... try some battery operated pumps kung kung wala kang car battery... 







to pfury


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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

yeah thatll work batterys but i used to do the water thing like every hour or so


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)




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## Nick G (Jul 15, 2007)

jestergraphics said:


> I have an extra deep cell car battery I keep on standby. That along with a power inverter I plug in a power head as mentions above does the trick just fine.


thats an awesome idea.
good call.


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## Zip (Apr 17, 2005)

I bought a couple battery powered air pumps, similar to what is at the link below, when we lost power for several days, after a storm last summer. It was surprising to me how long a couple D cells will power one of these devices (although they are noisy as hell). Plants won't really help in a power outtage because they need light to photosynthesize and produce O2, unless I suppose you could open a window shade to allow the sun in on them.

In my experience, P's tend to swim up like other fish, and gulp at the surface when O2 levels are low. I can't imagine a 2 hour blackout being life-threatening, unless you're really over-stocked.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...amp;pcatid=3693


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

Powerheads will drain your car battery faster than air pump. When I was living in manila, we often had power outages every day for over 8 hours in the summer months. had a full tank goin then (75 gallon). I had was a car battery and 2 battery operated airpumps i got at Bio Research in Robinsons Galleria. I ran the 2 air pumps non-stop with airstones until electricity was restored. Then I would simply take the batterey and put it into my owner jeep and charge it up there. So i suggest you do that. Or, you know what? If you want to and are patient enough...simply swishing the top of the water with a sandok, your hand (be careful), or anything you can use to stir the water will be good enough as well. But it does take a lot of patience and elbow grease.

All that's really important during a power outage is to constantly disturb the water surface for gas exchange to take place. Thats the bottom line. Battery-operated air pumps with airstone are nice because they move the water and introduce o2 into it as well.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

Doktordet said:


> Powerheads will drain your car battery faster than air pump. When I was living in manila, we often had power outages every day for over 8 hours in the summer months. had a full tank goin then (75 gallon). I had was a car battery and 2 battery operated airpumps i got at Bio Research in Robinsons Galleria.


when was that sir?? cory aquino's days?? (everyday brownouts)








but honestly that is true, you gottan have patience to stir the surface from time to time, and what i used last horrible typhoon was just like Zip has on link.. works good and cheap


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

fish lover said:


> Powerheads will drain your car battery faster than air pump. When I was living in manila, we often had power outages every day for over 8 hours in the summer months. had a full tank goin then (75 gallon). I had was a car battery and 2 battery operated airpumps i got at Bio Research in Robinsons Galleria.


*
when was that sir?? cory aquino's days?? (everyday brownouts)







*but honestly that is true, you gottan have patience to stir the surface from time to time, and what i used last horrible typhoon was just like Zip has on link.. works good and cheap
[/quote]

heck, yeah bro. had that tank goin thru Aquino, Ramos & Erap administrations. lol.


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## sepiroth18 (Oct 29, 2007)

Doktordet said:


> yo brother, pinoy here... try some battery operated pumps kung kung wala kang car battery...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yah.. i was thinking of that... ( san mu nabili bro?? kasi taga sa bio r. e tsaka mukhang wala dun) thanks bro..


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

I know they sell them sometimes, i bought mine in Cartimar, just go to the store that sells mostly equipments like filters and gravels. Its way too cheaper there bro..


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## Zip (Apr 17, 2005)

Do they have fishing supply or bait stores there? I actually bought mine from a Bass Pro shop - they were the only stores in the area with any left after a couple days of no power. The pet stores had been cleaned out in the early hours of the outtage.


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

I got a couple of battery powered backup air pumps.
Turned themselves on the second the power goes out.
Happened once when I was sleeping over at a friends and didn't know the power was out till 12noon the next day! (it was a sunday







)
I'd have went into depression if my P's had died. :sad:


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## sepiroth18 (Oct 29, 2007)

the_skdster said:


> I got a couple of battery powered backup air pumps.
> Turned themselves on the second the power goes out.
> Happened once when I was sleeping over at a friends and didn't know the power was out till 12noon the next day! (it was a sunday
> 
> ...


soory to hear that bro.... just worried how long they would last without oxygen.. atleast now i know they wont last a day.. (24 hrs..)


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

spend 10$ for batteries and a battery opperated air pump


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## ryanimpreza (Jul 19, 2006)

dezboy said:


> First thing is first just cos you might have a air stone in the tank it doesnt men that is adding oxygen to the water,
> 
> What creates better oxygen in your tank is surface aggitation, ie water movement..................as this creates better difusion for 02..............................
> 
> ...


word up....X actly right


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## the_skdster (Aug 15, 2006)

sepiroth18 said:


> I got a couple of battery powered backup air pumps.
> Turned themselves on the second the power goes out.
> Happened once when I was sleeping over at a friends and didn't know the power was out till 12noon the next day! (it was a sunday
> 
> ...


soory to hear that bro.... just worried how long they would last without oxygen.. atleast now i know they wont last a day.. (24 hrs..)
[/quote]
I must have typed that up wrong.
What I meant to say was the power was out for about 18hours.
And no, the fish did not die.
Thanks to the pump that KICKED IN IMMEDIATELY WHEN THE POWER WENT OUT they had enough agitation for oxygen.
So I strongely urge everyone to buy one.
Guess it's the best $10 I've invested into my setup.


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