What to get for Hurricane season

[sugarfox03]

Hey everyone! Can anyone recommend or suggest brands of battery pumps that would run my two tanks? I live in south florida, so I am planning on a some out of power time this year. We have a generator, but dont run it at night, so the battery powered pumps would be for that time. Thanks in advance!

-Melody

 

[smallfry]

I have used the battery powered air bubble pump you can get at sports authority. It uses 2 D batterys and last running at night for about a week.
:jumping:

 

[saltfan]

Buy a small generator, that'll do ya.

 

[sugarfox03]

I have a generator, as I said before, but it is not run at night due to high gas prices, we already go through 10-15 gallons of gas a day, we dont have the storage space or the money to keep an additional 20-30 gallons of gas, on top of the 50 or so gallons we already have. Thanks.
-Melody

 

[92protruck]

when the generator was resting I used the silent air plenn plax battery air pumps (@$15.00) they automatically come on when power/generator goes off and shut down when power is restored. they lasted two weeks on one set of batteries. this year I will try the Hurricane Category 5 automatic AC/DC nicad rechargeable or regualr battery backup air pump. same idea just a nicer setup.

 

[saltfan]

Originally Posted by SugarFox03
I have a generator, as I said before, but it is not run at night due to high gas prices, we already go through 10-15 gallons of gas a day, we dont have the storage space or the money to keep an additional 20-30 gallons of gas, on top of the 50 or so gallons we already have. Thanks.
-Melody
We are only talking about hurricanes back up right? Not a daily run??

 

[agent707]

This may sound strange to some... but it works wonders for me. I don't use this setup for a FISH TANK... though it could be used for that. I use it for my Computers.
I have an older UPS (APC SmartUPS 1400) that back in it's days, it would power my computers for about an hour on battery. As batteries go, they died. So instead of replacing them with the small batteries they come with (They are 12 volt batteries run in parrellel - 24 volt system), I rigged it up with 2 car batteries (ventless batteries of course). Optima makes GREAT marine batteries that are ventless (meaning they do not discharge poisonous gases as some batteries do).
Now, when power goes out. I can run 2 computers + 2 monitors (probably about 1000 watts) for at least 14 or 15 hours.
So I would imaging something like that would work for an aquarium as well.
You should be able to pick up an old used UPS from a computer show or something... and these batteries are not cheap. Like $110 apeice.
Here, I took a pic for you.
Hope that gives you some ideas.

 

[stingrayjs]

For the cost you can get yourself a nice APC unit. When it comes to power and its on something I have to have running. I always go with the Symetra units from APC. They are a bit $$ but they are modular so I can get more as my power demands incress. I currently have two of them in a power array which gives me about 14 - 15 hours of power for just about anything.

 

[sugarfox03]

Originally Posted by SaltFan
We are only talking about hurricanes back up right? Not a daily run??
Yep, just hurricane back up. I have electricity for daily run. C'mon now, I'm not that bad!

I live in south florida...so I will go sometime without power this hurricane season.

 

[sugarfox03]

Thank you all so much for the great ideas! I will look into them all, see which one will work the best for my tanks. You guys rock!

-Melody

 

[chipmaker]

Agent 707
Your right about those Optima Batteries. I think the deep cycle would have been better for yur purpose though (yellow top IIRC). Anyway I have 5 of those Optima Gel Cells in use now for over 10 years and never had a problem with any of them. One ahs been in my seldom used tracttor, there is another in the knock around pickup truck, another in the wifes car which used to be in the car she had previously, as well as in the car she had before that, and I have one on my log splitter (electric start) which only gets used 2 months out of the year in colder (is there such a thing n the south) months. And the 5th has been sunk nt ehwater, and sets in the sun and weather exposed to the elements 365 days a year as its a power source for a trolling motor on a small john boat we have on the pond that the grand kids plays with. When it needs charging we just drag a charger and extension cord to the boat and recharge it. LAsts a good 2 days of trolling motor use and it is not a deep cycle battery.
The optima batteries are super.....no electrolyte to leak out and no fumes or corrosion

 

[isistius]

hey sugar-
where in west palm are you? i'm in west palm too. if you're close enough, you can just run an extension cord from my generator to your house and not even have to deal with it. lol
:hilarious
but seriously, where in wpb?

 

[saltn00b]

isistius , such a nice feller.

 

[isistius]

i'd let you use it also saltnoob, but you're a little far away. too many extension cords......

 

[sugarfox03]

Originally Posted by Isistius
hey sugar-
where in west palm are you? i'm in west palm too. if you're close enough, you can just run an extension cord from my generator to your house and not even have to deal with it. lol
:hilarious
but seriously, where in wpb?
Haha, that'd be awesome! I'm actually in west Lake Worth, out by Okeeheelee Park/Middle School, a little west of Jog Rd, between Forest Hill & 10th Ave. You? Nice to see a fellow WPBer here!

-Melody

 

[smallfry]

At the major tv stores ( best buy etc.) I saw an APC unit that I think said it ran for up to 8 hours after a power outage. It ran about $130.
Now that I just started setting up a 150 I am thinking about looking into this one.
I just ran the bubble air pumps during the times I would turn off the generator and have not lost a fish yet, but that being said I have more fish and more gallons now.
I am in Lantana WPB.
Good luck on the season,
Janet

 

[isistius]

im right by forest hill high school and wpb golf club. right off of forest hill and parker between 95 and dixie