Emergencies
6'7
During power
failures only small aquaria or those in very cold
surroundings lose heat quickly, and in fact loss of acration is often
more
important than temporary loss of heating. A large aquarium
can usually withstand a power failure lasting l’or a few hours without
serious results and, if needed, closed bottles of warm water can be
put into the aquarium. This practice must not be overdone and, like
all manual methods, it must be applied gradually. Low v heaters and also small pumps which work from car batteries are
available, while some pumps have their own internal batteries.
In fish houses, paraffin heaters are probably the best emergency
heat sources, provided every precaution is taken against; l’urnes. An
insulated building does not lose heat too quickly if the doors and
windows are kept shut, and old newspapers laid on the aquaria
provide good temporary insulation; but if parallin is used, ventila;
tion must be provided and the expense of fuel should not be
ed during an emergency. If aquaria are individually insulated it is;
perhaps worth while to keep a stock of extra” pieces of
so that the viewing sides can also be insulated if necessary.