Emergency Preparedness and Resilience

An emergency is any event that threatens the animals faster than the normal routine can deal with it: a power outage, a leak or flood, an overheating or freezing system, a failed pump, or something harmful in the water. Most can't be prevented, but almost all can be prepared for.

People first. Water and electricity together can kill. If water has reached equipment, sockets or the floor around them, switch the power off at the breaker before you touch anything, and don't step into water near live equipment (Module 2).

Stop it getting worse, then keep the animals alive: oxygen first, then temperature. Call and record. Each site keeps a call list of who to call and when; follow it, and write down what happened, when, and what you did. Those notes are how the next emergency goes better.

Don't panic. A system without power usually has a few hours before the animals show stress. Use that time to work through the plan in order.

When the power goes out, every pump, heater, chiller, skimmer and light stops at once. Without flow there's little gas exchange at the surface, and every fish, coral, invertebrate and the bacteria in the filter keep using oxygen. In a still tank, oxygen depletion is the first real threat, and it comes sooner in heavily stocked systems.

Temperature drifts toward the room temperature next. How fast depends on the room and the season; a large volume of water changes temperature more slowly than a small one.

Filters and reactors that hold water without flow go stagnant: the media runs out of oxygen, bacteria start to die, and waste builds up. That matters most when the power comes back (section 10).

Lights matter least. Corals can tolerate darkness far longer than fish and bacteria can tolerate low oxygen, so in an outage, power goes to oxygen and flow, not lights.

Don't feed during an outage. Digesting food uses oxygen, and uneaten food and waste foul water that the filter can't process.

Battery air pumps. A battery air pump of the kind this course recommends, made by Hygger, runs from mains power in normal use and keeps its battery charged; when the power fails, it switches to its battery automatically and keeps running. Run time on battery depends on the model and its setting; one common model is rated for up to 23 hours.

Permanent, not in a box. In this course's practice, the battery air pump and its airstones are set up in each system all the time, so nobody has to find, unpack and connect anything at 2:00 a.m. The air reaches the water the moment the power fails, even when nobody is there.

Keep them ready. A dead battery pump is no better than none. Leave each pump plugged in so its battery stays charged, check during the routine that it's running and its airstones are bubbling (Module 32), and keep spare battery pumps, airstones and airline tubing on the shelf. A check valve on the airline stops water siphoning back into a pump when it stops.

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) passes wall power through to the equipment plugged into it, and switches to its own battery the instant the wall power fails. Anker SOLIX power stations, which this course recommends for their reliability and UPS feature, switch over in 10 to 20 milliseconds depending on the model, so a pump keeps running without a pause.

What goes on it. In this course's practice, the return pump and one flow pump in each system are plugged into the UPS outlets all the time. Together with the battery air pumps, they keep water moving through the system and across the surface, which keeps oxygen up and keeps the biological filter alive.

What stays off it. Heaters and chillers draw far more power than pumps and would empty the battery in a few hours. Temperature is handled without power instead (section 6).

How long it lasts. Runtime is the battery's capacity in watt-hours divided by the watts plugged into it, less some losses. A 1,024 Wh station running a 40 W return pump and a 20 W flow pump lasts up to 17 hours before losses; the math is covered in Module 35. To last longer, the station is recharged from the generator (section 5).

In this course's practice, a generator is kept on standby, with fuel, for any outage longer than the batteries can cover. Its main job is to recharge the power stations and the battery air pumps, and to run essential equipment such as a heater in a cold room.

Carbon monoxide. Generator exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a poison you can't see or smell. Never run a generator indoors or in a garage, basement or shed, even with doors and windows open. Run it outside, well away from doors, windows and vents, and keep a working carbon monoxide alarm indoors. If anyone feels dizzy or weak, get them to fresh air at once.

Fuel and electricity. Let the generator cool before refueling; never add fuel while it's running or hot. Plug equipment into the generator directly, or through an outdoor-rated extension cord; never connect a generator into a building's wiring. Keep it dry and its cords off wet ground.

Test it. Start the generator and run it on a schedule, so you find out before the outage, not during it, whether it starts and the fuel is fresh.

Keeping heat in. In this course's practice, solar blankets wrapped around the tank and sump keep the system's own heat in when the room cools. Keep them clear of the water, so they can't wick water out over the edge. Lids stay on to cut heat loss from the surface.

Cooling. When the room is hot, battery-powered fans blowing across the water's surface cool it by evaporation. Evaporation takes out fresh water and leaves the salt, so salinity rises: top off with stored purified water and check salinity (Module 5). Lights stay off, because they add heat.

Keep a supply of both. Solar blankets, battery fans and charged spare batteries are kept on the shelf, ready for either season. Check the temperature by hand with a meter regularly during the outage, and log it.

Outages after storms or earthquakes can last days, not hours. This course's standard is that every system can keep its animals alive for at least 3 days without mains power.

Plan it per system. For each system, write down what keeps it alive for 3 days: the battery air pumps and how long they run, the return pump and flow pump on the power station and how long the station runs them, how heat or cooling is held, and how everything is recharged from the generator, with enough fuel for 3 days.

Stock it. Keep the supplies to cover 3 days: spare battery air pumps, airstones and tubing, charged batteries, solar blankets, battery fans, stored purified water for top-off, premixed salt water, fuel, and a battery-powered thermometer and light. Know where each one is kept.

Make it safe. If water reaches electrical equipment, sockets or a power strip, switch the power off at the breaker before you touch anything. Don't assume a leakage breaker will protect you (Module 2).

Stop the water. Find the source: a cracked pipe, a loose fitting, an overflowing sump, a stuck top-off, or a return line siphoning back after the pump stopped. Switch off the pump feeding it, close the valve, or break the siphon, and catch what you can in buckets. A sump needs room for the water that drains down from the display when the return pump stops, and a siphon break hole stops the return line siphoning back (Module 12).

Protect the animals. Keep the water level above the heaters and pumps, keep air going, and watch the temperature. Dry the area and check every plug and strip before power is restored.

Earthquakes. In an earthquake, an unsecured tank can slide or tip off its stand. Secure stands and tanks to the wall with straps before an earthquake, keep lids on, and keep heavy items where they can't fall into the water. After a shake, check for cracks, leaks and fallen equipment before anything else.

Heater stuck on. If the temperature is climbing and the heater is still heating above its set point, unplug it. Bring the temperature down slowly with fans and lights off, and replace the heater (Module 14).

Top-off stuck open. If salinity is falling and the sump is high, the top-off is stuck on; switch it off at once, then bring salinity back slowly with matched water changes (Module 20).

Pump failed. Put the spare pump in, and keep the battery air running until it's working. Every system has spares on the shelf: a heater, a return pump, a flow pump, and the parts that wear out.

Something in the water. If something harmful gets into the water, such as a spray, a spill or a medication in the wrong system, a matched water change and fresh activated carbon take it out (Module 32). Keep premixed salt water ready for this.

Check before restarting. After a long outage, filters, canisters and reactors that sat without flow can hold stagnant, oxygen-depleted water and waste. Restarting them can flush that into the system. Inspect them, and clean anything that smells foul or stagnant, before it goes back online.

Restore in order. Return pump and flow first, then heating or cooling, then the skimmer, top-off, reactors and lights. Check that every pump actually restarted; some don't.

Test and watch. Check the temperature by hand, test ammonia and nitrite after a long outage, and watch the animals closely. Resume feeding cautiously. A matched water change helps if ammonia has risen (Module 32).

Review, recharge, practice. Recharge every battery, refill the fuel, and write down what worked and what didn't. Practice a power-out drill: everyone should know where the battery air pumps, power stations, blankets, fans and spares are kept, and what to do first.