Keeping the tank warm when the power goes out

SlitherinSister · 12/30/2011, 10:00 AM

First of all I'm super excited to report that our tank is just about done cycling! We bought a master kit and just about all the levels are perfect!

Anyhow, I'm wondering how everyone keeps their tanks warm when the power goes out and how long it stays warm. I'm assuming a backup battery is what we need but I'm not sure how long that would heat the tank.

I have snakes and there are a hundred different things people do to keep them warm in a power outage. I personally bag them up and put them in the incubator with hot water bottles. That works for about 9 hours at a time. Could you put hot water bottles in the tank or is that a terrible idea, or would it not work?

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seapug · 12/30/2011, 10:07 AM

Depends on the size of the tank/heater. A small tank with a small heater (less than 50 watts) could be kept running with a battery backup, but if you have a larger tank with a 300 watt heater plus many other animals that constant need tropical temps, a full size gas generator is a good investment if you live somewhere that experiences frequent extended power outages during the cold season.

bishop40k · 12/30/2011, 10:28 AM

It is getting funny how many of the BP.net people are coming over here.

An option for powering the heater would be a couple deep cell batteries and a good inverter. For a large tank with high wattage heaters your best bet is a generator though just due to the amount of power needed.

seapug · 12/30/2011, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bishop40k

It is getting funny how many of the BP.net people are coming over here.

An option for powering the heater would be a couple deep cell batteries and a good inverter. For a large tank with high wattage heaters your best bet is a generator though just due to the amount of power needed.

This works as well. I've use the deep cycle batteries and inverter from my VW camper van to keep my tank on life support during a long power outage last winter here in Colorado.

PRDubois · 12/30/2011, 12:41 PM

Power head or Air pump is more important.
Some people wrap thier tanks with blankets.
Most just buy a generator to run the tank.

12/30/2011, 10:00 AM	#1
SlitherinSister Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SE Iowa Posts: 36	Keeping the tank warm when the power goes out First of all I'm super excited to report that our tank is just about done cycling! We bought a master kit and just about all the levels are perfect! Anyhow, I'm wondering how everyone keeps their tanks warm when the power goes out and how long it stays warm. I'm assuming a backup battery is what we need but I'm not sure how long that would heat the tank. I have snakes and there are a hundred different things people do to keep them warm in a power outage. I personally bag them up and put them in the incubator with hot water bottles. That works for about 9 hours at a time. Could you put hot water bottles in the tank or is that a terrible idea, or would it not work? Sent from my ADR6325 using Tapatalk

12/30/2011, 10:07 AM	#2
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	Depends on the size of the tank/heater. A small tank with a small heater (less than 50 watts) could be kept running with a battery backup, but if you have a larger tank with a 300 watt heater plus many other animals that constant need tropical temps, a full size gas generator is a good investment if you live somewhere that experiences frequent extended power outages during the cold season. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

12/30/2011, 12:41 PM	#5
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	Power head or Air pump is more important. Some people wrap thier tanks with blankets. Most just buy a generator to run the tank. __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

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12/30/2011, 10:28 AM	#3
bishop40k Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Lafayette, IN Posts: 65	It is getting funny how many of the BP.net people are coming over here. An option for powering the heater would be a couple deep cell batteries and a good inverter. For a large tank with high wattage heaters your best bet is a generator though just due to the amount of power needed.