what to do in case of power outage?

[oceanbreez]

Hi,
I was wondering what you all suggest in case there is a power outage
due to a storm etc. I have a 75 gallon saltwater and two other freshwater
tanks up on the first floor. One is a 45 gallon and the other is 55 gallon.
Down in the basement I have a 125 gallon with cichlids. I'm very nervous
about losing the fish in case power should be out more than an hour
or longer. Thanks in advance. I'm thinking of getting a generator.

 

[thegrog]

Generator would be your best bet. A 12V marine deep cell battery with an inverter could power a pump(s) for 6 or more hours as well, but you would have to manually hook it up. OIthers go for a UPS backup system for computers, they (a small one) can power a 40 watt pump for 12-18 hours and only cost like $120 at Best Buy.
In case of a short-term outage (a few hours) you can do what I did a few weeks ago when a tornado knocked out power for 6 hours. I got up every hour and simply took a gallon pitcher and manually aerated the water by getting a gallon of tank water and pouring it into the tank over the eggcrate (provided more aeration). This also provided some current motion. I poured about 10 times per hour and did each pour at a different area of the tank to assure equal distribution. Had zero losses.
When it comes down to it, we got lucky. I lost no fish, no corals, and no inverts. Other people, less than a mile away, lost their homes, their businesses, their cars....but lucky nobody lost their life. When I was in the cellar with my family when the tornado was going through, the last thing on my mind was how my tank was doing. Puts things in perspective. It was a long night for me getting up every hour to aerate my tank......but it was a far longer night for those who lost everything they had.
Just food for thought

 

[oceanbreez]

Thank you so much for the advice and I'm glad you are okay. You are right
in the scheme of themes that would be the least of my worries. We don't
get tornados here but we have had some powerful storms and winds.
I was thinking of a generator that would be housed in the garage too that would
kick in but I will check it all out. This forum has been so helpful.
Take care