Power Outages and Aquariums

theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
So last night here in Ohio we got about a half inch of ice, and around 11pm our power went out. It wasn't until that exact moment that I had ever even thought "Oh no, what happens to my marine tank if there is a power outage?"
Luckily, the outage only last about 45 minutes, and everything was back to normal.
I was just wondering, have any of you had any experiences where you lost a tank because of a power outage? And also, are there some tricks to keeping a tank living for extended periods of time if there is no electricity?
Luckily, I only have a few hundred dollars invested... I can only imagine what a $10,000 reef tank owner must feel when the lights go out unexpectedly...
 
cowfishrule

cowfishrule

Active Member
if you invest that much into your tank, you are a fool not to invest in a generator.
generator should go under the same heading of GFI on the shopping list.
 
big

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by COWFISHRULE
http:///forum/post/2504171
if you invest that much into your tank, you are a fool not to invest in a generator.
generator should go under the same heading of GFI on the shopping list.
Yep, If one is going to spend all this money on this crazy obssesion, It should be very near the top of the list as "must haves"

Mine came from Home Depot about two years ago. I have not needed it yet, but thee is no way I would be without it!!!!!!!! I even test it every month, both the engine and outputs just to be sure if I ever do need it..
 
bucksducks

bucksducks

New Member
Just remember, you can not run a generator inside your house or apartment.
I plugged my tank into our generator after Katrina hit, ran it for almost 2 weeks, didn't loose a thing. Thank goodness.
For a short term fix, I use a car battery, hook up a power inverter, and plug in a powerhead.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
 
fats71

fats71

Active Member
Originally Posted by bucksducks
http:///forum/post/2504573
Just remember, you can not run a generator inside your house or apartment.
I plugged my tank into our generator after Katrina hit, ran it for almost 2 weeks, didn't loose a thing. Thank goodness.
For a short term fix, I use a car battery, hook up a power inverter, and plug in a powerhead.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
The battery is a great idea.. I always have a few extra laying around ( dunno why i keep'em but I also on the same note thik you can run to wal-mart and buy a battery charger the portable ones as well if you dont have a battery or the other stuff for a short term fix.
 
drtash

drtash

Member
I have read in a couple of books a temporary fix is Hydrogen Peroxide. It will brake down into H20 and oxygen.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid
http:///forum/post/2504150
Luckily, I only have a few hundred dollars invested... I can only imagine what a $10,000 reef tank owner must feel when the lights go out unexpectedly...
It's amazing to me how many people spend this much on tanks but won't invest in the basics... chiller... generator.
Not having a generator I understand the least because you can also back up your fridge, furnace, etc. With a tank, it's just easy to justify.
My generator has saved my tanks on numerous occasions.
 
al mc

al mc

Active Member
Originally Posted by drtash
http:///forum/post/2506137
I have read in a couple of books a temporary fix is Hydrogen Peroxide. It will brake down into H20 and oxygen.
Before I would do that I would buy a battery powered aerator that fishermen use for live bait. Cost is cheap..$15..and the battery will last for hours. I would think that using peroxide would have effects on your pH by releasing hyrdrogen ions.
Personally, I would get a generator. As others have stated...You can justify it to keep other essential running as well..like the 'fridge' and some lights.
 
fish master

fish master

Member
last year we lost a whole tank of fish,about 600.00 dollars,when the power went out.we had a generator,but we were not home ,so it didnt help us much.so we bought a whole house generator now i dont have to worry when we are away
 
m0nk

m0nk

Active Member
I had an outage in February where the power was out for 6 hours. The temp dropped to 72 in almost all my tanks, and one even got down to 70. Luckily everything survived without issue, but I do plan on getting a generator before next winter comes around now that my 180 is finally up and running.
 
mie

mie

Active Member
Believe it or not it will not cost a whole lot more to have generator hard wired to your house. This is on my list of upgrades to my house, last i checked a round a 1,000 dollars. If you use the battery idea use a deep cycle battery, they are about 30 dollars more expensive but last a hell of a lot longer.
 
C

curve

Guest
I also have a whole house generator. I paid 5200 for it installed with an automatic transfer switch for my house and it runs on natural gas, unleaded gas, or propane. It is powerful enough to power my whole house at 15kw and it starts automatically once a week and runs for 15mins. for a cycle to keep it running properly. I love it.
 
fats71

fats71

Active Member
Originally Posted by Curve
http:///forum/post/2507235
I also have a whole house generator. I paid 5200 for it installed with an automatic transfer switch for my house and it runs on natural gas, unleaded gas, or propane. It is powerful enough to power my whole house at 15kw and it starts automatically once a week and runs for 15mins. for a cycle to keep it running properly. I love it.
When living in florida these are a must... We went 2 months without power water phone etc..
 
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