Amphibian Care during Power Failures: Bacteria, Disease, Oxygen

[findiviglio]

Hi All,
Hurricane Sandy, which hit the Northeastern USA in October of 2012, caused losses to both private herp keepers and zoos. My own collection, home to a 32+ year-old Red Salamander and several others aged 20+, thankfully fared very well. The zoos and aquariums for which I consult are working to limit losses; I’ll provide updates via Twitter.
Reptile care during power outages is well-understood by most, so today I’ll focus on amphibians, as their unique needs can be easily over-looked. Most of the points mentioned below also apply to semi-aquatic species. How did your collection fare?
Filter Care and Bacteria Die-offs

When power fails, submersible, corner, and other internal filters should be removed from the aquarium. When oxygenated water is flowing through a filter, ammonia is converted to less toxic nitrites and nitrates by beneficial aerobic bacteria. Once the flow of water stops, the resident beneficial bacteria perish and your filter becomes a source of decomposing organic material, poisoning the already-stressed aquarium inhabitants. Fish keepers are well aware of these processes, which are part of the nitrogen cycle. An understanding of the nitrogen cycle will enhance your ability to keep and breed amphibians; (please see this article).
As the contents of external aquarium filters are not in direct contact with the water, they will not immediately add to the pollution problem. However, these filters should be disconnected, because when electric power is restored they will flood the tank with ammonia and other toxins. Amphibians lack the protection offered by fish scales, and so succumb to ammonia poisoning quickly when water conditions deteriorate (scale-less fishes, such as eels, loaches, and certain catfishes, are also sensitive). Read article here Amphibian Care during Power Outages - Bacteria, Disease and Oxygen | That Reptile Blog.
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Thanks, Frank
My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog
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[deranged chipmunk]

first of, glad to hear you made it through the storm intact Frank. here in Philly, we were very fortunate that is wasn't as bad. but just as a precaution, i unplugged all my filters, closed off my shut off valves and unplugged my lights. the filters were unplugged for the reasons you stated above and i didn't want the 20 or so filters and heaters all hitting my electrical center all at once. besides, i made good use of the downtime and cleaned all my filters. luckily, we did not lose power, but i wasn't taking any chances. Excellent post by the way. this should be a universal care sheet since mother nature affects differently all around the world, but the end results are the same, power outages, loss of water, ect.

[findiviglio]

Thanks very much, Bill. Glad all went well there - interesting how we sometimes get so much done during such times...I had a similar experience, Stay well, Frank