dilligaf29
Non-member
i also buy a bunch of the hot hand things but the boot ones . just in case u can alway stick them to the tank to keep itwarm ive done in the past
backup power for my tank (38 g)
- Thread starter Coffee with Mango
- Start date
I do not understand this comment. I am in the same situation. No town gas, no town water. But I have 2 B11 battery aireators per tank, that pumps air when power is lost (as mentioned in a previous posting) and a gasoline generator that keeps the main utilities in the house (water well pump, pellet stove, refrigerator, microwave, all the lights of kitchen and family, etc...... And the Reef tanks.
The air pumps can work 8+ hours with the 2 bateries. Enough time to arrive home and start the generator. About temperature, I have never been in a situation with more than 2 hours with out electricity. I remember there wasn't any change in the termometer. I think that if my temperature drops during 8 hours from 78 to ...let say 72, corals will survive. But have never tested it.
That is my setup and experience.
Bottom line: have at least the air pumps and a generator of normal size ($800 average) and....... some buckets full of gas
Cheers
Daniel
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dakar652
dakar652
+1...this is the only way to go for us flat lander folks out here in Worcester County.
dakar652
dakar652
Whaaaaaaaat? Really? Does this work? That's absolutely insane!
dilligaf29
Non-member
its all i had at the moment when i lost power one year they did the trick .kept the tank at 74 for 2 days tank was a 40breader i have now upgraded to a generator that runs the whole house
delta
Impatient Reefer
yup this works better than most inverter pump setup and as well as UPS. simple cheap.
The only issue you have long term over that is heat in the winter. and at that point a generator wired with a transfer switch is your best option, as it needs to be tied into your home heating to actually work on your tank. many today do not remember the damage that the ice storms of 08 did to the reefing community but it was the lack of heat that took the majority of tanks. although lack of anything will take it a lot faster. And why I always recommend the $20 battery backup first, get something in there today. Having a few is a nice fail safe and to be honest it is all you need in a short term emergency situation.
Why it needs to be tied to the home heating to work in the tank?
On the October 2011 storm I was 5 days without electricity. I got the generator and extended wires from it. Later, after the storm stress, an electrician installed the transfer switch. Now I extend wires, if needed, from the home wall plugs that get electricity from the generator.
Thanks
Bobbofin
Non-member
I use a battery air pump with an air stone inside a 1" PVC tube with an elbow at the top to aerate and move the water slighting. The two D size batteries will last 24-36 hours. I have about 10 of them on hand incase of emergencies. I have natural gas so I put a couple of lobster pots on the stove full of water and heat them up and simmer. The two pots act like radiators. The rising steam moves air in our small 990 sq ft condo and heats up the kitchen, dining room and livingroom area to 75°. I couple of years old when we didn't have power for three days we broke out the camping equipment; LED lanterns, etc and had a camping experience in our home! The tank temp went down to 74° but everything came through it fine.
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delta
Impatient Reefer
You did what I explained, with the transfer switch
letoan
Non-member
I hear ya buddy. Sucks that you couldn't get the gas line in there, would be nice to get a standby gen.
Sometimes I really don't understand people, this is a hobby, if you go to the point of getting a generator and transfer switch then why not just get something with your family's comfort in mind (if you could) rather than just your tank? When your wife and children wrap around the blanket while your fish enjoy their 79 degrees water temperature, think hard, that is selfish if imo.
