7 minute read · September 27, 2026
Hurricane prep for your aquarium in South Florida
A practical checklist for keeping fish and coral alive through a Palm Beach County storm and power outage: air, temperature, feeding, water changes before and after, and what to do when the power comes back.
Before the storm
Do a water change two or three days before landfall so the tank starts the outage as clean as possible. Top off. Charge a battery air pump, or two, and test them. If you have a generator, know which outlets the return pump and heater are on. Stop feeding the day before the storm so there is less waste to break down while filtration is off.
During an outage
Oxygen, temperature and the ammonia that builds while filtration is off are what kill fish in an outage. A battery air pump handles oxygen. For temperature, keep the room closed, blinds down, and the tank covered with a towel or blanket to slow heat gain in summer. Do not feed. Do not open the tank more than you must. In a heavily stocked reef, hours matter; in a lightly stocked freshwater tank you have more time.
If the outage runs past a day and you have no air pump, a small partial water change with pre-mixed water at the right temperature buys time. Otherwise leave the water alone. Bottled water is not a substitute for prepared saltwater.
Try it on your tank
When the power comes back
Check that pumps restarted and that nothing lost prime. Watch for a spike in ammonia or nitrite over the next few days as bacteria recover, and test daily. A water change the day after is usually the right call. If you see cloudy water, gasping fish or a smell, call before adding anything.
The short version
Air, temperature, no feeding, and a water change before and after. Call Jason before the storm if you want help setting up.