Bruce, is there anyway you can at least spray the water into the tank, or make is spout into the air before hitting the tank?

Maybe try to make a ghetto horizontal aeration system to get by?

EDIT: I re-read your post. Does the water turn off without power?

Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."