Mando77 June 1, 2010 Share June 1, 2010 This weekend I went to the beach. I had arranged for my tank to be looked after by my neighbor. About 1 hour into the trip I receive a call and my neighbor said that the power was off. So yes I was a little freaked out. I couldn't beleive that in 1 hour after leaving the power went off. Luckily I had a battery powered air pump for him to put in the tank, and the power came back on 4 hours later. What I'm really trying to get to is what do people do for back up power? I don't ever want to have to deal with this agian. I was thinking about getting a vortech back up battery, but I would also like a backup for the whole system. Any help would be appreciated. If you guys know of any vendors online that would be great also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward June 1, 2010 Share June 1, 2010 To really be able to run the entire tank for an extended period of time, you'll need a generator. If you're looking to do a shorter period of time, a lead-acid battery bank and a power inverter or a computer UPS is a viable solution. Remember to only run a few critical systems through the UPS since the more power you're pulling the shorter the time it will run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind June 1, 2010 Share June 1, 2010 You will need to add up the loads you wish to keep running first. Then decide which option, generator or a battery unit is best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals June 1, 2010 Share June 1, 2010 Anyone know how to combine something with a Aqua Controller so if the power goes out the back up turns on? I just have a battery powered air pump with extra batteries. It would be nice to have something automated so if your neighbor or family member doesn't come by for 24 hours the tank won't be dead. On a similar note, we had the power go out 4 times over the last weekend at night and each time everything came back on with no problem. My wife said she tried to wake me up each time but I was belligerent and wouldn't get up. I don't remember any of it. I did freak out and run to the tank when she explained everything to me in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b June 3, 2010 Share June 3, 2010 (edited) Generators are expensive and you may have to be there to turn it on when the power goes off! In choosing a solution consider whether your alternative power source is automated. Computer UPSs sufficient to run a pump and heater for just a few hours will be very expensive. A cheapo option would be to use a auto-power inverter to run an air pump and the heater. A water pump will probably not run off an auto inverter becuase it does not simulate syne wave power. If the water pump does not work and makes a loud clunking sound when put on an auto inverter its becuase the pump does not have the syne wave power it needs. I have run air pumps off auto inverters. Use a surge protector with any auto inverter! Edited June 3, 2010 by sen5241b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jawfish June 6, 2010 Share June 6, 2010 I had a bad experience with a power outage during the big storm in February. My Arabian Dottyback, Percula clown, peppermint shrimp, and all my xenia polyps died, I think most likely due to cold, since the temp dropped to 70 degrees. At first I covered the tank with towels, put heat packs in plastic bags, and made a fire in the fireplace in the room where the tank is. After that didn't help, I bought a computer back-up system that at first didn't power up, and was only able to charge it up at a friends house who had power, and by then there was dead fish and corals. Lastly, I got desperate and strung up some power cords which I plugged into a neighbor's house which had power and ran it inside to my heater and filter. That saved the last of my fish and inverts, but it was a horrible experience. In my mind, it's not the lack of aeration and filtration that kills fish but the drop in temperature, since I was able to aerate the water reasonably well with a turkey baster every half hour. Too bad there aren't any battery powered heaters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kngfisher June 6, 2010 Share June 6, 2010 I use a few things.... 1) One APC 1500 powering one Tunze 6045 2) One Vortech Battry Backup unit powering two MP40w pumps 3) One Battery powered airpump (plugs into wall and only runs on battery when power is off) With this setup I can run for about 6-7 hours without much issue. All I really care about is water movement inside the display tank and making sure that CO2 does not become trapped in the water column . Plenty of water movement and surface braking. Longest power outage so far has been 5 hours. Too lazy to buy a generator and no place to put the darn thing right now other then leaving it out in the rain :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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