What is your emergency power outage plan? - Page 2

billdogg · 01/04/2016, 03:22 PM

We have not lost power for more than a couple minutes in the last 10 years or so. All out utilities are underground.

That being said - I have a handful of battery airpumps I keep in the fish room. My wife (gotta love this girl) is pushing hard for a whole house generator irregardless of the fact that we don't lose (haven't lost) power here in such a long time. We both like our AC in the summer, our heat in the winter, and lights year around, and considering the investment both in time and $$$ in the aquariums, we will eventually go that route.

d0ughb0y · 01/04/2016, 03:43 PM

when you lose power nowadays, you will feel like savages living in the dark ages because you don't have internet access. Well, you sort of will still have internet access from your smartphone until your phone battery runs out, then it's anarchy, specially if you live in a house where people can't survive a few minutes without checking their facebook account. your aquarium will be the least of your concerns.

cheucklate · 01/04/2016, 05:29 PM

i have a vortech backup battery and if i'm in the apartment i'll loosely put a drape over the tank for insulation.

Sk8r · 01/04/2016, 08:49 PM

One other inexpensive big help is a battery-powered pump from Plax. I got three of these AFTER the 8 day power outage, and haven't used them yet, but they can power a simple airstone as long as you keep changing batteries. Have a GOOD supply of batteries in the house. We were down to bare shelves, shut stores, even restaurants closed with no power, and we were using candles to help heat the living room with the two tanks. Food for yourselves is an issue. But do not feed the fish! They're exotherms, taking their body temperature from their environment, and they can't generate body heat enough to digest. They go very low-activity in cold, and because they're not eating, (nor could they without risk of food rotting in their bellies) ---they're not pooping; chemistry including bacterial is moving slower, so the tank is actually better off (and so are the fish and corals) by your not putting food in the tank AT ALL during the chill-down.

Coelli · 01/04/2016, 08:56 PM

Although we haven't had a power outage for more than a few minutes in the year since I started this hobby our area has very high winds in the fall/winter and, of course, there are earthquakes. I have two battery-operated air pumps (plus extra batteries) and a 900w generator that could handle the return and heater if the outage is extended. The plan is to use the airstones and if it seems like the outage is extended, the generator. And if worst came to worse there's an old Onan 6000w generator on our motorhome parked on the street outside our house that we could fire up - but that's a last resort!

01/04/2016, 03:22 PM	#26
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	We have not lost power for more than a couple minutes in the last 10 years or so. All out utilities are underground. That being said - I have a handful of battery airpumps I keep in the fish room. My wife (gotta love this girl) is pushing hard for a whole house generator irregardless of the fact that we don't lose (haven't lost) power here in such a long time. We both like our AC in the summer, our heat in the winter, and lights year around, and considering the investment both in time and $$$ in the aquariums, we will eventually go that route. __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/04/2016, 05:29 PM	#28
cheucklate Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 161	i have a vortech backup battery and if i'm in the apartment i'll loosely put a drape over the tank for insulation. __________________ 60g cube & 28G sump. 50lbs rock, 30lbs sand. Aqua C ev 120 skimmer. mp10 & tunze powerhead. Kessil A160WE & 360W. Mini Reactor carbon, cheato. bioceramic media. ReefKeeper lite. start 08/31/15

01/04/2016, 08:49 PM	#29
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	One other inexpensive big help is a battery-powered pump from Plax. I got three of these AFTER the 8 day power outage, and haven't used them yet, but they can power a simple airstone as long as you keep changing batteries. Have a GOOD supply of batteries in the house. We were down to bare shelves, shut stores, even restaurants closed with no power, and we were using candles to help heat the living room with the two tanks. Food for yourselves is an issue. But do not feed the fish! They're exotherms, taking their body temperature from their environment, and they can't generate body heat enough to digest. They go very low-activity in cold, and because they're not eating, (nor could they without risk of food rotting in their bellies) ---they're not pooping; chemistry including bacterial is moving slower, so the tank is actually better off (and so are the fish and corals) by your not putting food in the tank AT ALL during the chill-down. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/04/2016, 08:56 PM	#30
Coelli Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Tujunga, CA Posts: 1,443	Although we haven't had a power outage for more than a few minutes in the year since I started this hobby our area has very high winds in the fall/winter and, of course, there are earthquakes. I have two battery-operated air pumps (plus extra batteries) and a 900w generator that could handle the return and heater if the outage is extended. The plan is to use the airstones and if it seems like the outage is extended, the generator. And if worst came to worse there's an old Onan 6000w generator on our motorhome parked on the street outside our house that we could fire up - but that's a last resort! __________________ "Get a reef tank!" they said. "It'll be relaxing!" they said. 65g mixed reef, 30g display fuge, 20L sump/pod fuge, ATI 4x24 + 2 Kessil A360NEs, Aquamaxx EM100, Gyre 130

01/04/2016, 03:43 PM	#27
d0ughb0y Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: sf bay area Posts: 5,165	when you lose power nowadays, you will feel like savages living in the dark ages because you don't have internet access. Well, you sort of will still have internet access from your smartphone until your phone battery runs out, then it's anarchy, specially if you live in a house where people can't survive a few minutes without checking their facebook account. your aquarium will be the least of your concerns.