# Dealing with tornado season as a fish keeper



## LadyNightraven (Jun 30, 2013)

I have what might be a strange question for my fellow fish keepers who live in Tornado Alley or anywhere you have tornadoes. What do you do with your fish when there's a high chance of tornadoes in your area on a given day?

I acquired Rakki back in April, the middle of tornado season here. We had a couple of times where the tornado sirens went off because of strong rotation in a storm and we had to go to the central room in our house (the laundry room, in our case). Nothing came of it, thankfully.

It goes without saying for me that if I have to go somewhere safe because of the weather, my pets are going with me. But it's easier to shove my cats into carriers and haul them to safety than it is to move a fish to safety in a hurry. It was lucky for us that Rakki is in a one-gallon bowl, so we were able to just bring his bowl into the laundry room with us.

The thing is, I'm planning to get a five-gallon for Rakki soon. Plus I'm hoping to have other tanks and fish in the future. So what do you do when there's the possibility of severe weather and tornadoes in your area to keep your finned friends safe?


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## caltha (Sep 11, 2013)

I've never dealt with tornadoes, but what I would personally do is if you have the cup that you bought him in still, use that to quickly scoop him out of the tank put the lid on and run to safety. Or just walk quickly LMAO. But yeah that seems like the best thing to do, if you don't have the original container then find something in similar size that is clean (don't wash with soap just rinse) and has a lid (POKE HOLES IN IT SO HE CAN BREATHE!)


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## LadyNightraven (Jun 30, 2013)

Rakki was a rescue someone left behind when they moved out of their house, so I never had his original container.  I'll probably see if I can get an empty betta fish cup next time I go to a pet store, or just buy a cheap tupperware container and poke some holes in it. I have some, but they've seen a lot of use, so I don't think they're suitable for containing a fish. If I'm able to prepare a bit ahead of time on high-risk days, (I drive my family crazy with preparations and constantly watching the weather during tornado season), I'll probably add a couple of gallon jugs of conditioned water to my supplies when I put the cats' carriers in the laundry room, just in case he's stuck in the cup or container for a while. Thanks for the input.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Despite what anyone may have told you, it is never bad to be prepared. 

I would have a container of some sort ready, near his tank, should you ever need to move him to that. I would then place it in a cooler/lunch box to insulate it and keep it warm and dark... Both of which will help reduce stress. Then you can just move him to wherever you are taking shelter rather easily.


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## LadyNightraven (Jun 30, 2013)

That's a good idea, MattsBettas... He wouldn't suffocate in a cooler or lunch box? I imagine I would just have to open the lid every once in a while to let in fresh air, right?

I'm also curious what people with larger aquariums do with their fish. It wouldn't be reasonable to move a large aquarium... So would you do the cup and insulate trick with each female betta if you had a sorority? Or if you had a community tank, would you just put them into a bucket to make them easier to move? What is the best way to safeguard sororities or communities of fish during a tornado?

Also... I feel like I should clarify that my family thinks it's good to prepare, but severe weather turns me into a nervous wreck (I think I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to severe weather, to be honest) and sometimes I go a little overboard.


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## JustinieBeanie (Apr 22, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> Despite what anyone may have told you, it is never bad to be prepared.
> 
> I would have a container of some sort ready, near his tank, should you ever need to move him to that. I would then place it in a cooler/lunch box to insulate it and keep it warm and dark... Both of which will help reduce stress. Then you can just move him to wherever you are taking shelter rather easily.


I agree, I was going to suggest having some type of appropriately sized Kritter Keeper type containers nearby, clean and ready to use in an emergency, but that suggestion might be better as far as keeping it warm and dark.

I really don't know what people do with large tanks, I would imagine that they either leave the fish in the tank where it is or if they have time maybe scoop out all the fish, although personally I doubt how many would do that. Perhaps if someone with a large tank is very concerned about tornadoes, they maybe consider putting the tank in their basement to begin with, so they don't have to move fish around, but that is just conjecture on my part.


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## LadyNightraven (Jun 30, 2013)

After doing a little searching and reading online, I was seeing recommendations of putting an aquarium under a sturdy piece of furniture, like a desk, or putting a mattress over it to protect it. Neither sounds like much protection to me, but I guess it's better than nothing. I guess fish keeping can be tricky if you live in tornado-prone areas, especially in a place like Oklahoma where the soil makes it tough to dig basements. Thanks for the input, everyone. It's been very informative.


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