chinpokomon
Member
Most people don’t think about a power outage until it happens. In most cases a properly stocked tank should be fine for a few hours (2-6) without circulation but if your outage runs into days you’ll be looking at some dead fish. First things first the order of need is circulation, temp, lights. Circulation can be covered automatically by a small UPS most pumps use 20w or less this allows the smallest UPS to run that load for hours. I can run a 22w pump for about 6 hrs with my 300va UPS ($40 w/rebate). Another option is an AC/DC inverter ($30-$300 depending on size) this will convert your 12vdc car battery to 110vac the appeal of this option is you can recharge the car battery with a 20 min. ride and the inverter can run more stuff. Most inverters allow you to connect 100’ of extension cord to get the power into your house. If the car is too far away or you fear theft of the inverter you can buy a deep cycle battery ($50 >) and store it in an old cooler or heavy duty box, charge it once a month with a 12vdc charger ($20 >). Whichever method you chose the pump doesn’t need to run continuously remember your power may be off for a while. I would try 1-2 hour on and 2-6 hrs off depending on you and your animals comfort level, check for animal discomfort frequently. Note: anything less than 1hr “on” time won’t move enough water to make a difference in anything but the smallest tank. A few words on safety Both of these devices will HATE saltwater the UPS can and may catch fire if doused even if you unplug it (It has a battery inside) keep both of the devices well away from you tank. Another thing to remember is to turn off either device when not in use they both use battery power while they’re on even with no load. I’ll cover temp and lighting in future posts
