Power Out!

[zoogrl03]

Does anyone know how long a fish tank can go without power? Next week an electrician is coming to our house to do some work and he said the power to the whole house might be out for 2 hours, possibly 3. I am sure people have gone through storms where there power has gone out for a bit, I am just not sure for how long until my tank goes south! I have a 72 gallon by the way if that makes any difference at all. Thanks for any input.

 

[forcrz6]

Originally Posted by zoogrl03
http:///forum/post/2646142
Does anyone know how long a fish tank can go without power? Next week an electrician is coming to our house to do some work and he said the power to the whole house might be out for 2 hours, possibly 3. I am sure people have gone through storms where there power has gone out for a bit, I am just not sure for how long until my tank goes south! I have a 72 gallon by the way if that makes any difference at all. Thanks for any input.
2 to 3 hours is Fine.
Just prepare
Fill a couple Jugs up with RO/DI water.
Have some Ice RODI on hand Just encase.
And a long stick.
The stick is to poke someone else to get up and pour water in to the tank.

 

[natclanwy]

A couple hours shouldn't be a problem but you might invest in a battery operated air pump in case the electritian runs into trouble and can't get power back on right away. Airstones aren't the best in saltwater tanks but they work very well for getting circulation going when the power is out and it's much better than dead coral and fish from lack of oxygen.

 

[scsinet]

A moderately sized power inverter (maybe a 300W unit) would be more than enough to run a submersible return pump or a few powerheads in the tank, just park your car in the driveway, let it idle. Hook the inverter up to the battery and run an extension cord in.
Assuming you have the extension cords, the whole thing will cost you about $30-40 for the inverter. An idling car uses very little fuel, so that shouldn't be an issue either.
Still though, 2-3 hours shouldn't be a problem.

 

[natclanwy]

Forgot about inverters, I used a 400w inverter once during a power outage that lasted about 10hrs and I was actually able to run all of my pumps, skimmer and lights. Plus a couple lamps so we didn't have to play cards in the dark. Now I have 3000w worth of inverters in my truck, I should be able to run most of my house should the need arise

.

 

[sly]

Originally Posted by natclanwy
http:///forum/post/2646545
Now I have 3000w worth of inverters in my truck, I should be able to run most of my house should the need arise

.
Does your truck have a 250 amp alternator?

 

[natclanwy]

Originally Posted by Sly
http:///forum/post/2646629
Does your truck have a 250 amp alternator?
Nope just the standard 70-90amp chevy alternator never looked to see what size it is exactly. I run alot of electrical equipment for work from my truck every day so I need all 3000w.

 

[nycbob]

i was without power for 3-4 hours last weekend. no problem at all.

 

[briand7878]

I lost power for 10 hours during the storms last week and was fine.

 

[mr_x]

14 hours and i lost most of my fish and inverts.

 

[zoogrl03]

Thanks everyone!

 

[jbird0420]

Generators go on sale this summer! Comes in very handy, can't do w/o mine!!

 

[nitrotmann]

A friend lost all his fish, very spendy ones, last week. They were without water movement for only 6 hours.
Get the battery operated pump. WELL, WELL worth the $14.

 

[sly]

I have a 1000VA APC UPS permanently wired into my house and it powers my pumps whenever the power goes off. It's good for about 8 hours. I find it useful because my RIO skimmer pump will not turn on sometimes if it gets shut off. The UPS keeps it going throughout all the power glitches.