Reefer's Survival Kit: Must Haves For Those Worst Case Scenarios

Expect the unexpected. For aquarists, truer words have never been spoken. From jumping fish, wet power cords, leaky pipes, burnt out pumps, to even fires; the things I hear from customers never cease to amaze me. One of the most bizarre and sad tales of tank devastation came from a very enthusiastic customer who had started a 12 gallon Aquapod. He had the tank set up for close to a year and the corals and fish were all very healthy. He came in one day completely distraught, he returned home from work to find his tank a milky orangish white, with everything completely dead. His young 3 year old decided to "feed" the fish a bag of Doritos. When I tell other customers these words of warning, they are horrified, but I tell them to reiterate the fact that anything can happen.
So now that I've scared you enough, I'd like to let you in on some emergency items that I believe every reefer should have on hand, known simply as the "Reefer's Survival Kit"

Emergency Water Supply: This seems to be the most basic, but often overlooked essentials for a saltwater fish tank. In the event of a massive die off, spawning event, some foreign material spilled in the tank, etc.. one of the easiest ways to correct or halt further fatalities is a large partial water change. Whether keeping a fresh supply of synthetic sea water, (I don't recommend natural seawater because it may cloud or grow algae when stored), Reverse osmosis water to be mixed when needed, or even some Amquel or other dechlorinator to use tap water in a worse case scenario. Having some salt mix or extra water on hand could be a lifesaver in an emergency. Be sure to match temperature, pH, and salinity of the replacement water to avoid further stressing your livestock.A supply of Salt and Fresh RO water

Water Testing Supplies: If something is going wrong with your tank, you need to be able to identify it fast. Testing ammonia, nitrite, pH, Alkalinity, and Salinity can help you pinpoint the problem. These various levels are most often the culprit, and are easily fixed by water changes, or the addition of pH or Alkalinity buffer. A well calibrated Hydrometer or two are a very good idea as well.
Battery Operated Air Pump: These fairly inexpensive pieces of equipment literally could be a fish lifesaver in the event of a power outage. One or two of these connected to a few airstones could provide all the oxygen and water movement necessary to keep most livestock happy for a few hours to even days depending on tank size and bioload. Those with large or heavily stocked tanks may want to look into a portable generator. It may seem like a foolish investment, but consider the value of livestock it could save during a power outage.

Coral Dip: Every reefer should have at least one bottle of an Antibacterial coral dip on hand for acclimating new coral, and dipping damaged or diseased corals. Dipping newly acquired coral can prevent the spread of flatworms or other aquarium pests. Products like ReVive, Melafix, or Lugol's Solution can be the difference in saving a coral infected with the dreaded "brown jelly" or other bacterial infection or loosing it. When corals come into contact with eachother, one usually stings the other to point of infection on one or both corals. These infections can kill a complete coral colony in a few hourse. Worse still, it can spread to other, seemingly healthy corals. Often a reefer will wake up to find his crabs have knocked a frogspawn into one of their favorite Acan colonies, sure one is going to die. Quickly killing the infection and preventing its spread is paramount for the health of the coral and tankA selection of Coral Dips

Other great essentials that will come in handy are spare parts. Its always a good idea to have a spare return pump on hand in case the main fails and every LFS is closed. This could save an otherwise doomed tank. Light bulbs are also good to have on hand, but typically it wont have the same disastrous results going unlit for a few days opposed to a few days without flow. A new innovation that provides very good piece of mind is the a battery back-up from Ecotech for use with their Vortech powerheads. This back up could provide flow for up to 30 hours in the event of a power failure.

A Vortech MP40 on a Display at The Mystic Reef

Another handy item is Rescue Tape, this self fusing, water proof tape has myriad uses for aquarists, busted pipes or even minor cracked tanks can be mended until a more permanent fix is available. I always have a roll around my store for emergencies.

Rescue Tape Hanging In a Convenient Spot

Well those are some of my suggestions, and there are plenty of other steps you can take to prepare yourself. Hopefully this got you thinking of all the possibilities and maybe when the inevitable happens, you won't be blindsided. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Happy Reefin'!!
-Adam Mullins