power loss

[salt2o]

Hello all. I have an important question. What do you do if you lose power in your home ( say overnight from a storm )? I was thinking of this in the dark last week in our thunderstorms we've had. 120g, How long can power be off for before i have to worry about my corals and fish? Has anyone experienced this before? Or even downtime for servicing equipment?

 

[Breakin Newz]

Get a backup air pump the ones when power goes out it goes on, if your home put a cover over your tank so you do not scare the fish and make them use up all the oxygen..

 

[Sikryd]

I ran a seperate 20amp GFCI for the tank, and just picked up a generator.
When I finish some other projects, I am going to test the whole system out.

I would have everything you need in-case of an emergency on hand, tested, and ready to go. I know for me, it brings a lot of piece of mind knowing I could be without power for a few weeks with no problem - including the food in the fridge.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

Vortech pump with battery backup it has.

 

[aquarius77]

Id say it would depend on how heavily stocked and how well it were maintained previous to the outage. anything over 6 hours skeered the heck out of me when my tank was jam packed with fish and coral.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

yea, they say 3-4 hrs is when stuff can start to kickoff.

 

[meangene267]

I would have a backup plan, even if it's just one of those battery powered air pumps fpr keeping bait fish alive, Plus they have battery powered pumps. But it depends, you gotta watch the temp and make sure you still have good current. I'd say 3 hours max with nothing going.

 

[justin_freebords]

my 5.5 went 12 hours no power and 5 days unattended. Gotta love spring break in college....not

nothing died, things looked eh for a bit but they all rebounded within a week or two

 

[laskopyre]

I had to use my battery backup (Duracell 300) last night for 3.5 hours when the power went out. It kept the return pump from the sump working. Luckily it was warm yesterday, so I didn't worry about the heater. I'm going to be investing in a generator soon.

 

[phil_pl]

Vortech pump with battery backup it has.

how long will a vortech run on its battery backup?

 

[swissgaurd]

what i used to do was manually take the water from the sump to the tank.
during our big blackout in eight ours i lost all fish,
i finally got a generator, now once a month i fire up the generator.

heres something for you peeps that keep generators in the garage..
friend of mine calls me up last week ,says my powers out,i says turn on generator,i cant generators in garage and i cant get it out, need power to open garage door. its now in the shed.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

how long will a vortech run on its battery backup?

In an aquarium with no flow, fish and corals begin to die in 4 to 10 hours. The VorTech Battery Backup is reef tank insurance in an aluminum housing. By adding the VorTech Battery Backup, your tank is insulated from power interruptions for up to 36 hours with the MP40w and up to 72 hours with the MP20.

Product Features

• Backup power for 30 or more hours on a VorTech Pump.
• Can connect to another Battery Backup for two times the run time.
• Comes with trickle charger so you`re always prepared.
• Complete package comes with all the wiring cables needed.

Product Benefits

• Designed to power the EcoTech Marine VorTech Pump.
• Knowing you are a responsible reef keeper.
• Vacation better. Sleep better. Peace of mind.

Specifications

• 18 Amp-Hour 12-volt sealed battery.
• Powder-coated white aluminum housing.
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 9″ x 7″ x 3.25″

VorTech Battery Backup | EcoTech Marine

 

[starfish]

Living in Florida and you have tanks with money invested you have a generator, the small ones to run a few tanks or a large tank are not that expensive and a small price to pay to save your investment.

 

[salt2o]

Thanks all for the help. I think I am gonna lean towards a couple vortechs with the 72 hour back up. As was said ( The investment would be worth it. Would pay for itself the first time i have to use it.) I plan on stocking it with rare corals someday. but first lets get it full of water. baby steps. lol.

 

[Breakin Newz]

The vortech with battery back-up is probably your best bet....

 

[stunreefer]

Vortech pump with battery backup it has.

+1... one of the coolest and most useful inovations I've seen since I started reefing.

In a pinch, the batt powered air pumps work fantastic. In a real pinch, you can agitate the surface of the water with your hand, violently swishing at the surface for about a minute every half hour or so.

Keep in mind none of the above keeps the temperature stable, which is #2 most important on the list when power is lost.

Every reefer needs a generator - period. We put so much time and money into our tanks, and we're caring for animals lives, it's plain dumb not to (not stupid, just dumb ).

 

[shananigans]

I'm pretty new to the hobby and just had my first power outage on Tuesday. We lost power for 3 hours and I was starting to get pretty worried. I have just been starting to research my back up plan too! Everything is fine, but this definitely prompted me to get going. I think I'm going to go the generator route. Anybody have suggestions on brands? My dad actually suggested using a car battery with a converter (not exactly sure how this works but will find out) Good idea or no?

 

[rroselavy]

I have seen a lot of Honda Inverter generators for sale on craigslist. They have a great reputation and run very quiet. New they are very expensive compared to non-inverter types, but if you have electronics to power (like a controller or vortech driver) the inverter aspect is essential. Even the smallest Honda inverter generator would easily power my 55g reef. I will be buying one soon; I am considering one of the ones that have been converted to natural gas.

 

[stunreefer]

My dad actually suggested using a car battery with a converter (not exactly sure how this works but will find out) Good idea or no?

I know someone who had their entire system backed up like this and it would run for 60 hours. Lights, heaters, pumps, everything... it was wicked!

The downside here IMO is what if you lose power for a week? Your're screwed! With a generator you just keep filling with gas, keep filling with gas... heck you could run a system for a year on a generator.

JMHO

 

[shananigans]

Yeah and a car battery definitely beats a generator in price!! Living in Wisconsin, we don't really have natural disaster threats other than tornados... I would think 60 hours would be safe but I guess you never know. I'm undecided :neutral: