Power Outage

scarbone

Member
we got a note from our electric company stating that the power will be out on Tuesday from 8am-5pm. Wondering if our fish tank will be ok? If not, does anyone have any suggestions on what we could possibly do? Thanks in advance for any resopnse!
 

michaeltx

Moderator
ahh your looking at 8 hours of down time.
I would take a few steps to keep the temp as stable as possible by wrapping the tank with bedspreads and comforters to help keep the heat in. *is someone going to be home during this time???
Mike
 

scsinet

Active Member
8 hours is a long time...
Somehow, some way, you've got to maintain water flow, and keep the water aerated and warm. As Mike suggested it's easy to passively keep it warm (2 liter bottles filled with hot water and floated in the tank will help also), but flow is a whole other issue.
Honestly I'd rent a generator. Shouldn't cost too much for a 24 hr rental.
That way you can keep your fridge running as well.
 

kynekke

Member
Be very careful when wrapping your tank in blankets! I did that once during a power outage and had this not-so-bright idea to leave part of the top of the tank uncovered for air and I lost a fish =/ I'm guessing it was so dark that she saw light at the top and made a run for it.
 

t316

Active Member
Portable Honda Generator. Put on the deck and run drop cords to the primary equip. (1) tank of gas should last the entire outage.
 
I have always wondered how long you could get by on just the essentials (Power heads and heater) on a car battery and a power inverter...
 

glttr7

New Member
Just wondering how long before it becomes critical for your tank when you have a power outage?
 

buckster71

Member
Depends upon the oxygen content in the water.
Think of it as locking yourself in an air-tight room. You will survive...but not forever as you will use up the oxygen in the room.
I see that they a sell battery operated air pumps that you could add with a airstone in a pinch.
 

bessycerka

Member
here is a handy little item that may help. You plug it in for a while and it charges up, it has 2 plugs so it will run stuff on AC when you plug it in ( it holds a charge ) plus it will jump start your car, and is tire inflator, I got it as a gift, and it's a handy item for a power outage. About $90 on next tag. One of the reviewers said it ran a dvd player and a small TV for hours, so it should run powerheads for a long time with no trouble, and may keep a heater going too if it's not a real high wattage
Also, in florida, I bought a battery operated air pump thet plugged into the wall. I would leave the tubing with the airstone in the tank always. The pump had a sensor on it that detected when the power went out, and then the battery pump would come on, it was a necessary item due to the many power outages in Florida from thunderstorms. That was about $20.
 

scarbone

Member
jumper box, good idea. as for the Generator i live in the "hood" so thats not something i would like to give to the gangbangers.
 

vapd3129

New Member
Originally Posted by bessycerka
here is a handy little item that may help. You plug it in for a while and it charges up, it has 2 plugs so it will run stuff on AC when you plug it in ( it holds a charge ) plus it will jump start your car, and is tire inflator, I got it as a gift, and it's a handy item for a power outage. About $90 on next tag. One of the reviewers said it ran a dvd player and a small TV for hours, so it should run powerheads for a long time with no trouble, and may keep a heater going too if it's not a real high wattage
Also, in florida, I bought a battery operated air pump thet plugged into the wall. I would leave the tubing with the airstone in the tank always. The pump had a sensor on it that detected when the power went out, and then the battery pump would come on, it was a necessary item due to the many power outages in Florida from thunderstorms. That was about $20.
That's a nice little item. Does it come with a cigarette adapter? If so, that would be really handy in an emergency. Plug it into you car (while in idle) and run an extention cord from the pack to you tank. Will run as long as your car is on.
 

bessycerka

Member
it only charges from AC current, but does have two cigarette lighter sytle outputs in addition to the 2 AC outlets, can't have everything I guess.
 

scarbone

Member
just bought a diehard version and it has a/c and d/c two outputs for each one input for each 79$ at sears right now.
 

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by vapd3129
Battery operated air pumps and perhaps float something like a hot water bottle in the tank.
Small air pumps and airstones do very little if anything for a tank of any size, IMO. The bubbles may move a little water, but they really don't put any air into the tank. Without knowing your setup; fish will probably be ok, (look how long they can live in a shipping bag, even tho the bag has pure oxygen) but circulation is vital for the biological filter. Maybe even jack up the heat (house & tank) before the outage; water cools much slower than air...and you are in So.Cal.
 

scarbone

Member
That being said, what should I run off the charger? I have a stock pump for a 24gal nano, a mini maxi jet, stock lighting, and a 75watt heater. We want keep the charger going as long as possible; since the power will be out approx 8 hours.
thanks for the help!
 

janastasio

Member
We lose power frequently in our house. Lousy lines up here! We lost power 2 weeks ago from 4pm until 9am, and then again that same day from 2-7pm. Everything in all my tanks (3) were just fine. I have 3 tanks, a 75 gallon with just corals and live rock, inverts ect. My 50 gallon is housing all the fish in QT, and a 19 gallon with fish and coral. Again, all was fine. I have lost power plenty of times prior to this as well and have never had a problem. I do now have a backup batter powered thing that I can use for my heater and powerheads if I so choose, and I will in the event it is needed. My guess is that all will most likely be just fine. Its not a bad idea to have some sort of batter backup that can be used, but they do not last long. Mine usually lasts for less then 2 hours. I'm sure its a little help, but in an 8hour time frame hard to say how much.
 

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by offsetfactor
I have always wondered how long you could get by on just the essentials (Power heads and heater) on a car battery and a power inverter...

One maxi 1,200 will run about 4 hours on a car battery with inverter. Atleast that is what moine did.
Mc
 

grumpygils

Active Member
Originally Posted by janastasio
We lose power frequently in our house. Lousy lines up here! We lost power 2 weeks ago from 4pm until 9am, and then again that same day from 2-7pm. Everything in all my tanks (3) were just fine. I have 3 tanks, a 75 gallon with just corals and live rock, inverts ect. My 50 gallon is housing all the fish in QT, and a 19 gallon with fish and coral. Again, all was fine. I have lost power plenty of times prior to this as well and have never had a problem. I do now have a backup batter powered thing that I can use for my heater and powerheads if I so choose, and I will in the event it is needed. My guess is that all will most likely be just fine. Its not a bad idea to have some sort of batter backup that can be used, but they do not last long. Mine usually lasts for less then 2 hours. I'm sure its a little help, but in an 8hour time frame hard to say how much.
The stress would kill me!
Mc
 

janastasio

Member
It used to really stress me out. I was on vacation this past April and we had a huge snow storm with high winds that took the power out for 23 hours. My mother was house sitting for us. I must have called her every two hours! I had baby chicks at the time as well that needed to be under a heat lamp. All did just fine, Including the mom!!!!
 
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