Heat waves bring power outages (PO). Here in northwestern Pa., we are having PO in many neighborhoods. Some lasting just a few hours, others much longer.

Power Outages cause Decrease in Oxygen, High Ammonia, Drop in pH, Goldfish Deaths!

Here are a few guidelines to help you save your goldfish during a PO.

Goldfish Care guidelines during a power outage!

Decrease in Oxygen: Buy one and even better yet, two, battery operated portable air pumps with air stones (very inexpensive) along with lots of extra batteries. This is the best insurance you'll ever buy for a PO.

First, before you do anything else: Start the portable air pumps ASAP, don't waste any time. STOP feeding your goldfish!!!

Water Changes: Many times there are PO in just certain sections of your town that do not effect your city water supply and most city water departments have back up generators. If this is the case in your town and you can do water changes,that's great!

The problem you will have is, you will not have hot water once your hot water tank is emptied, even gas hot water tanks will not work without electricity.

Now here's how to solve the water temperature problem. When your ammonia starts to rise in your goldfish aquarium, take a clean 5 gallon bucket, fill it with water, add a good dechlor like our De-Tox Plus and let it set until the water warms to a point that is close to the water temp in your goldfish aquarium. If it's a little cooler don't worry,(you don't want to be adding real warm water, because the warmer the water the less oxygen it has). Just add small amounts of the fresh water at a time, gently refilling your goldfish aquarium.

If you have well water or can't do water changes,

the following guidelines will help.

High Ammonia: DO NOT feed your goldfish during a PO even if it lasts a week. Food produces poop, poop produces ammonia, high ammonia causes goldfish deaths. You will not do your goldfish a favor by feeding them.

Have a fresh ammonia test kit on hand at all times. I like the new ammonia test kits made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (AP), their ammonia test kits can be used with all dechlors. They will not give you a false high ammonia reading like Nesslers test kits, when using a dechlor that ammonia levels must be tested with a salicylate ammonia test kit.

IMPORTANT: During a PO you do not want a dechlor that just removes the chlorine from the chloramines in your water and leaves the ammonia behind in your goldfish aquarium for your filter to handle, because your filter will not be working during a PO. This type of a dechlor will NOT help you during a PO. That's why I like our De-Tox Plus , because it REMOVES the ammonia from your goldfish aquarium even during a PO.

Note: De-Tox Plus can be used once every 24 hours during a PO. Use the new AP ammonia test kits when using De-Tox Plus.

Drop in pH: Have a good pH test kit. If you see the pH of your goldfish aquarium water dropping below 7, add a good buffer like our Buff-it-Up . It will not take much Buff-it-Up to bring your pH up to a safe level and keep it there. Baking soda will work, however, at a time of a PO you don't want to have to keep adding more and more baking soda to maintain your pH, when just one or two treatments of Buff-it-Up will work without leaving any residue.

Bio-Media in Filter: The "good bacteria" on your Bio-Media (Bio-Stars) will die very quickly in a PO. If you can do water changes I would suggest placing them in the corner of your goldfish aquarium during PO.

If you can not do a water change, do not place the Bio-Media in your goldfish aquarium. The Bio-Media will use up the oxygen and the carbonates that your goldfish need. Place the Bio-Media is a zip lock bag in your refrigerator, if the PO does not last long the Bio-Media should be good enough to replace into your filter after the PO is over.

After the PO: With no water changes during the PO, do at least a 75% water change or better. Add your Bio-Media back into the filter and test your water everyday to make sure you did not lose the "Good Bacteria" on your Bio-Media.

CAUTION: Before you drain the water from your goldfish aquarium make sure that you have a bucket or buckets full of fresh water treated with De-Tox Plus . Many times you might think the PO is over, only to find that within the hour your power is out again. You do not want to be caught with a goldfish aquarium with only 25% of the water in your goldfish aquarium during a PO.