Hurricane Season is Here!!!!

[dun2run]

So, like the title states, its officially hurricane season. Being a resident of south alabama I'm looking for ideas on what is needed and how to prepare my reef tank for hurricanes and the many hours of no electricity that comes with them. I'm sure you northern reefers have a lot of ideas and tips considering all the power outages through the winter so please share them. I'm hoping this will be an informative thread for everyone. Thanks!!

[sedor]

A generator is going to be your best friend this hurricane season. If you have frequent power outages, there really is no way around it.

[twiggyb]

+1 on the generator. I just have a mini electric one for the short power outages and then a bigger gas powered one for the long lasting outages.

[Danley]

I live in West Palm Beach, Florida. My neighor (125 gallons) and I (65) have always used a generator, sometimes we even share generators. One runs tanks, the other runs our fridge, ect. Just make sure you have the equipment to convert several plugs into one (Power outlet, maybe even a battery backup, which i WONDERFUL!) Also make sure to know exactley how many and how much power chords you will need. Goodluck. We have a tropical depression over us currently!

[Drewbaby]

I'm in central Fl and they are estimating us to be hit by at least 1 major hurricane and possibly a few smaller ones. We haven't had much trouble in the past only 1 outage in 3 years, but that was when I had only my 55g reef not drilled. Now I have the 55, a 180drilled currently fish only and a few easy corals, and a 30 freshwater not drilled. I got laid off 6 months ago and can't afford a generator so I'm just crossing my fingers lol. If your worried about tank temps going up when the powers out try putting ice in a bag ad letting it float. Only problem with that method is until you figure out how much ice to use you have to keep a close eye on it.

[Dino]

For real cheap get a few battery powered air pumps, they won't save a tank if power is out for an extended time but they can help in shorter outages. I've heard of people on here using deep cycle marine batteries and an inverter (inverter could be used with a car too, but car batteries aren't designed to provide low current over a long time) to power a power head or two. A generator is great if you can afford one, just remember to only run it outside or have the exhaust properly vented to the outside. Also, having lots of RO/DI ready is good.

[CorkPullerPHL]

Get a generator, and keep it very near a door that you can easily access. It won't do any good if you can't get to it during a long storm.

[dun2run]

Looks like the generator is going to be the answer to the longer outages. I should have gotten one a long time ago but always put it off. Might have to bite the bullet finally. It would be a huge investment though I think.
Good idea with the battery powered air pumps Dino. Where is the best place to get those?

[XtremeFromHell]

this is going to be my first hurricane season with my reef tank, we got a generator that runs the house after wilma hit us here in miami a few years back, so if the hurricane kills the power, my generator kicks on 7 seconds later.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by dun2run

So, like the title states, its officially hurricane season. Being a resident of south alabama I'm looking for ideas on what is needed and how to prepare my reef tank for hurricanes and the many hours of no electricity that comes with them. I'm sure you northern reefers have a lot of ideas and tips considering all the power outages through the winter so please share them. I'm hoping this will be an informative thread for everyone. Thanks!!

"Hours?"

"Hours of no electricity?"

We had weeks of no electricity following Katrina. I have lost electricity for more than a week three times in the past five years. And, two days after Katrina hit, the temperature was 98 F. If you had a generator, you had to also have a chiller on your tank.

If you don't have a chiller on your tank, you had better make sure that your generator is able to run just about your whole house, including your central air-conditioning. Fans will not get the job done if the temperature is over 100 degrees in the house along with high humidity. If your generator isn't strong enough to power your central A/C, you had better have a chiller on your tank.

And don't forget that following Katrina, credit cards didn't work for more than a week (in some places three weeks) because the computers that process them were all located in the basement of a building in New Orleans that was under water for weeks. We had to drive all the way to Baton Rouge for gas and wait on line for more than an hour. That lasted for more than a week. So stock up on some of those nice red 5-gal plastic gas cans because all of the stores will run out of them within 24 hours after a hurricane passes. Fill up a bunch of those gas cans before the hurricane hits. You can always use it in your car if you don't need it for your generator. And chain your generator to your building or something very substantial. Several generators were stolen near us in the middle of the night following Katrina. And be prepared for the fact that you may not be able to leave your house for 24-72 hours after the storm hits because of downed trees across the roads.

How close are you to the Gulf? Do you smell any of BP's oil over there yet?

[dun2run]

Trust me, this isnt my first hurricane. Ive just never went through one with a reef tank. And yes by "hours", I meant the countless hours that turned into days. My power was out for 2 weeks after Katrina. I know all about it.

My tank currently doesnt need a chiller but thanks for that tip. I didnt think about the current temperature in my house is what is permitting me from not having to use one. Might have to do the icebag in the sump trick. Definitely something to plan for. Thanks Ninong.

[kev24k]

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