Power going to be off 8hr - what to do

[FrontosaTony]

So Dominion is going to turn our power off for 8hrs. 

 

What do I need to keep running? just something to keep oxygenating water?

 

Suggestions on what to buy? They are turning it off next Wed.

 

I have 2 tanks.

 

29Gal AIO reef tank - 2 clowns

zoas and hammers

heater 

small power head

 

120Gal FOWLR tank - 8 fish, most ~6in

2 small powerheads 8W

3 heaters 4-500 W

Return pump

 

 

 

 

 

 

[epleeds]

4 minutes ago, FrontosaTony said:

So Dominion is going to turn our power off for 8hrs. 

 

What do I need to keep running? just something to keep oxygenating water?

 

Suggestions on what to buy? They are turning it off next Wed.

 

I have 2 tanks.

 

29Gal AIO reef tank - 2 clowns

zoas and hammers

heater 

small power head

 

120Gal FOWLR tank - 8 fish, most ~6in

2 small powerheads 8W

3 heaters 4-500 W

Return pump

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can get a small generator that would power both. Not sure if you have a place to run it safely. Additionally you could get a $200 back up UPS that would cover the small tank no problem. Main thing I would worry about is heat and flow. They don’t need lights. 

[cpeguero]

Heat may not be that much of an issue. Particularly if it’s only for 8 hours. Depending on what the temperature will be outside, and how well insulated your house is, your inside temp may not drop that much. 
 

As long as any temperature change is gradual, your critters will likely be fine. You can also try wrapping towels or an old blanket around the tank to insulate a bit. 
 

the biggest concern is oxygenation for your fish and some water movement. Your easiest solution is some battery powered air pumps. You can get them cheap from Walmart, Amazon, or anyone who sells fishing supplies. Put a couple of those in each tank, and you’re likely fine for a few hours. 
 

If you want to be certain everything is going to be fine, generator or UPS that will run your heaters and at least one water pump in each tank for the duration of your outrage. You could also hook up an inverter to your car and run an extension cord inside, but that won’t be enough power for the heaters. 

[FrontosaTony]

Thanks!

Nevermind - that ones  not battery. maybe this?

https://www.amazon.com/MoonOrange-Rechargeable-Essential-Transport-Power-Cut/dp/B0B4N5VQ2G?th=1

 

Edited January 12 by FrontosaTony

[epleeds]

I have several battery powered ones if you just want to borrow some. 

[ReefdUp]

As someone who had no losses during a 9-day power outage with nothing but some air pumps and a cordless drill...

 

Keep the tank oxygenated (where there are fish, at least) - a simple battery-powered air pump will suffice. It's best to oxygenate the sump too, but it's not critical (assuming there are no fish there.)

 

During our power outage, we eventually ran out of batteries for air pumps. We took a cordless drill and put a utility hook on the end (a whisk or other beater would work, too), and we stirred the tank every hour with it for a few minutes.

 

The temp decrease is less critical. If the temp decreases slowly, the critters can handle it well. Just make sure there are no rapid fluctuations. Bring the heat back up as slowly as it went down. (Assuming your tank is in a well-sealed house.) And, the best part is... low temps have been anecdoteally associated with killing off red bugs and related pests (just in case those are a problem - not saying they are for you.) 

 

Don't feed during the outage or right before; it'll create waste that may not be properly processed if oxygen starts to be an issue.

 

Don't stress and don't make any drastic changes - and your tank will respond in-kind.

 

Of course, it's best to be overprepared, but that can get expensive. We have a battery system now that recently replaced our generator. 

[FrontosaTony]

Thank you all for the info and offers to borrow!   I'll just buy a couple battery operating pumps, and then will have them for next time too.

 

THANKS!

[DaJMasta]

It's all been covered, but +1 to circulation being the key, by far, and that air pumps are sufficient for that.  Battery integrated pumps are fine, but if you want more flexibility/longevity, you can get ones with external battery clips, generally 12V, which are made to connect to sealed lead acid type batteries (like car, marine, UPS, and mobility scooter batteries), and more recently, there are lithium iron phosphate based battery stations which are very convenient and have better charge density (smaller, lighter batteries last for longer).  While using a LiFePO4 battery station you can just plug stuff into the AC outlets (though this is overall less efficient), or directly use the DC output for running a bubbler or similar.  Also gives you some flexibility for other devices if you need them.

[astroboy]

I got a backup power supply used for computers and replaced the battery it came with with two 12V marine batteries in series so that 24V is being fed to the power source. I expect some power sources run on 12V but I think that's rather rare. Car batteries work OK also but marine batteries are supposed to be less liable to a shortened life span if you run them all the way down. Power supplies cost next to nothing on craiglist, or on eBay if one is listed close enough to pick up. I calculate that my powerheads and return pump for my 90 will run for about 3.5 days on such a backup. There are instructions on how to do this on the WAMAS site and youtube, easy to do. I paid about $275 for the entire setup, batteries are not cheap, but cheaper than replacing fish and corals. 

 

FWIW, in 2007 power went out for four days in Bowie, temps were about freezing the whole time. Didn't have a backup at the time, temps got down to 50 degrees in the tank for two days. Everything survived (LPS and a few fish), surprisingly. I'd prefer not to repeat that experiment again, though.