Battery backup

[absolutecarrot]

For my new tank I am thinking of getting a battery backup. In the past the power sometimes goes out, but this year it went out for three days. Luckily all my fish survived somehow. But I am wondering if a battery or a cheap generator is a good idea to run the pumps on a small tank. I’m curious on what every body else does when the power goes out.

 

[PSU4ME]

The ecotech ones are great. Either have an mo10/40 or an etm return pump...... that certainly buys you immediate time in an outage..... enough time to get the generator rolling. Always best to have a generator on habd

 

[dz6t]

For 3 days power out, a generator is a better option. The draw back for gas powered generator is that you need to run it out door. A lithium generator (actually a battery) to power the return pump may be a good option.

 

[MrX]

You need to think about everything you might want to run during a power outage: pumps, lights, heaters, controllers, etc.

Some of the above might depend on what time of year it is, house/room temperature, etc.

A number of people here on BRS have posted about using smaller generates for a small tank (think hand-carry portable size).

Other people have marine deep-cycle batteries with inverters to run their setup in the event of a power failure.

For my house/tank I have a Generac 10K generator (I think that's what it is). I have it tied into my breaker box and if the power goes out I can run most of the house with it.

 

[MrX]

Here's a link to my build thread -- just added this post regarding a power outage scare we had this morning regarding our tank:

MrX's Build (Started 03/01/2020)

Got the replacement Eheim Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heaters in a day or two ago. These are 200W instead of 300W, and about 2" shorter. I can now fit them in the sump and fully submerge them. The new heaters are in place, but not plugged in. Need to read the InkBird thermostat controller manual...

bostonreefers.org

 

[absolutecarrot]

You need to think about everything you might want to run during a power outage: pumps, lights, heaters, controllers, etc.

Some of the above might depend on what time of year it is, house/room temperature, etc.

A number of people here on BRS have posted about using smaller generates for a small tank (think hand-carry portable size).

Other people have marine deep-cycle batteries with inverters to run their setup in the event of a power failure.

For my house/tank I have a Generac 10K generator (I think that's what it is). I have it tied into my breaker box and if the power goes out I can run most of the house with it.

I am probably run only the wave makers and Mabey the heater if it is winter

 

[gobyvin]

I have a 3500/5000 watt surge gas generator that I could keep a 180 with 12 t5 bulbs and heat with one return running sump and power heads going for a week outage once during Hurricane Irene. It holds 5 gallons of gas which if filled when I went to bed would run through the night until morning. I would go slightly bigger if you needed more power but if your tank is below half that size it would run longer and use less fuel.

 

[Budget_Reef]

I am probably run only the wave makers and Mabey the heater if it is winter

If it's out for three days you might want to run your heater wave maker and light to keep the tank going without the corals having shock from change in temperature or lighting

 

[coralfishreef]

Has anyone looked into a Tesla Power wall or Goal Zero battery backup?

 

[srit1]

Yes regarding the Powerwall but not specifically for my tank. I just cant justify the expense of the powerwall in Mass. Net metering (for solar systems) and gas generators are just far more cost efficient. I am a big Tesla fan, but it just does not make financial sense for my house.

 

[dz6t]

Has anyone looked into a Tesla Power wall or Goal Zero battery backup?

I have a Ego Power Plus 3000w lithium power generator. I used it for 15 minutes when they had to cut power due to road work outside for a grand total of about 15 minutes. The benefit of this thing is that it holds 4 external swappable battery packs. Theoretically it can run for a long time as long as you have enough battery packs available.

 

[Greg Hiller]

I wrote whole article on this. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/gh/index.php

I still use the same battery backup system with deep cycle batteries. I do have to replace the batteries about once every 3-4 years, but the insurance is worth it for me.