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Yesterday we had a power pole knocked down and I was with out eclectricity for 7 hours. Thank god ! I am only cycling my tank right now (no fish)....

Question: what do you reefers do when this happens? How long can a tank sit before you start panicing?
 
One of the better investment you can make is a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply for your tank, it can be used to run essential equipment like a return pump,powerheads or fan. The less load (wattage)you have connected , the longer it will last. I would suggest at least a 1400W unit. I personally would get concerned after 3-4 hrs so I purchased my UPS more so for my well-being. :lol:

Cheers!
 
There are several things that you can do in the event of power loss.

1. You can do this every 3-5 minutes at a time. Fill up a bucket with tank water and pour it back into the tank slowly. It should generate bubbles as it pours back in. I usually do this about 3-4 times each time.

2. Buy a battery operated air pump and run them inside the tank during power loss, this should generate small water movement and aerating the water.

If there's no hope of having the power back on wihtin 4-5 hours, I'd pour all livestock into a rubbermaid container (granted you can catch them all..) and take them to someone's house with power. You can run a skimmer, lights and air pump and they should be fine.

This is also my biggest nightmare, it's one thing to be home when things like this happen, but I am so afraid that this will happen one day when i am not home or out of town(I travel quite a bit for races). I have lost my freshwater setup due to power loss before and it wasn't a happy feeling. More like devastation seeing something that have grown in front of you for years and lose it all within a day.

Things that I have in preparation for pwoer loss.

1. Sea Clone skimmer - pretty cheap to keep around, don;t work too well with huge bio load, but works fine for emergency.

2. Battery operated air pump

3. 20 gallon rubermaid container with lid- I drilled about 20 small holes.

4. UPC - Battery back up mentioned above. It's not much but it will buy you about 1-2 hours with small electrical load

It's not one thing you hope, but better to be prepare than not.

stan
 
Thanks for the response!! I am just glad I was only cycling a new tank.
I work on computers where I work and knew about UPS, But I never thought about them for aquarium backup.

And I have to say I have one hell of a boss.... I told him about what had happened and what you suggested, And He sold me a non-inventory APC 1400 we had with new batteries for --- are you ready --- $20.00

I think I got riped off.. LOL

Once again thanks for your help,
Darryl
 
I agree that a Generator is your best bet for these situations if you're home, but if you're away a UPS is the only way you're going to save your tank. Most UPS systems rate far less than 8 hours. The APC UPS systems (smartups or better) have a Lovely little addition that I use for power outages if I'm on the road. Power up your critcal tank equipment and get a Cheap POS computer with a modem. Use the APC software to call your cell phone and leave a text message. We use 5000 VA units and I get emails if the store's temperature goes over 100 let alone any other power disruption and can contact the stores for a workable solution. It's quite handy in an emergency.
 
You can buy battery-powered air pumps that turn on when they detect a power loss. The D battery will last many hours and provide necessary oxygen to the tank.

A UPS is great for a single powerhead. I had it connected to a Mag 5 for my 29g, and it kept the tank flowing for several hours. (APC 1500). You got a great deal for $20!

A generator is awesome, and really the way to go if you are in a crunch.

Other options include pour water back into the tank, stirring the surface, even hooking up a wooden spoon to a cordless drill to whip the surface of the water each hour.
 
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