well I have now learned that it is a good idea to either purchase a genrator or a battery powered outlet like what they offer at live aquaria.com. I just lost my entire contents of my salt water tank. I have been without power for two days now i went and rented a generater sat morning when my fish were still alive. but unfortunately the damage was already done. so those of you who dont have either a genrator or battery powered power source i suggest you get one. i now have to restock the $ 200.00 in fish i just lost. my homeowners ins doesnt cover it infortunately cause it was caused by mother nature. 70 mph winds ans two bigs trees narrowly missing mine and my neighbors houses. just wanted to pass this along.......Soon as i restock i will post new pics.......thanks cathy
power outages
- Thread starter seacat7up
- Start date
blue_eyes53813
Well-Known Member
Man that sucks... I am actually gonna look into the generators or battery powered things you suggested.. I too lost power , in -30 degree weather Friday night... The house got real cold of course, and I didnt get much sleep because I was worried about the tank. I dont even know where to start as to what is needed for a 265 gallon tank. Nothing was lost in my tank.
I am sorry for your losses...
I am sorry for your losses...
Cougra
Well-Known Member
In a real pinch you can use a diluted solution with Hydrogen peroxide to help keep the oxygen levels up in the tank. It will help keep a tank oxygenated for a fair amount of time however you need to be careful not to overdose or you can oxydize everything in the tank.
A 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution is added at the rate of 2ml for every 2 gall of water and a 6% hydrogen peroxide solution is added at 1ml for every 2 gall of water.
*Important Before adding it to the tank mix the required amount of Hydrogen Peroxide with 10 times that amount of water i.e.
If you have a 20 gall aquarium and are using a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution you will need (2 x 20 =40) 40ml of Hydrogen Peroxide and this will need to be diluted with 400ml of water before adding it to the tank. DO NOT overdose, it is very tempting to add just a little extra to try to help them more but it will add to their stress if you do overdose.
In case I lose power in the winter, I have some sheets of insulation the I can wrap around my tanks. The tank can retain heat fairly well provided the power outage doesn't last too long. If it does go on for an extended amount of time then I have a propane stove that I can warm some water on then add it to the tank a little at a time.
A 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution is added at the rate of 2ml for every 2 gall of water and a 6% hydrogen peroxide solution is added at 1ml for every 2 gall of water.
*Important Before adding it to the tank mix the required amount of Hydrogen Peroxide with 10 times that amount of water i.e.
If you have a 20 gall aquarium and are using a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution you will need (2 x 20 =40) 40ml of Hydrogen Peroxide and this will need to be diluted with 400ml of water before adding it to the tank. DO NOT overdose, it is very tempting to add just a little extra to try to help them more but it will add to their stress if you do overdose.
In case I lose power in the winter, I have some sheets of insulation the I can wrap around my tanks. The tank can retain heat fairly well provided the power outage doesn't last too long. If it does go on for an extended amount of time then I have a propane stove that I can warm some water on then add it to the tank a little at a time.
whatevva
New Member
Sorry for your losses, Cathy. A back-up generator is a wonderful piece of mind. Not only for the tanks, but for life in general. If you do decide to have something installed, PM me first. I might be able to help with the decision process. Not all generator installations are equal.
Butch
Butch
avaloncourt
New Member
We've been down the power outage road far too frequently. A few years ago we got a generator and had a transfer switch installed off the main panel. The generator runs everything in the house except the water heater, electric range and central air. All our computers/Tivo/cable modem/router have UPS units as well as the aquarium to maintain power for water circulation. That gives me plenty of time to fire up the generator. We generally have enough fuel to last 5 days on hand.
Rogue
Member
avaloncourt said:
I've been researching generators recently. I live in a townhouse, so I'm not sure that I'll even be allowed to install one of these full house units, but they do seem like the best solution to me.
Living on the east coast of hurrican prone Florida, I definitely want to get something.... soon.
If anyone has any specific recommendations, I'd love to hear them. There is a LOT to choose from out there...
Shells
Active Member
I'm so sorry to hear that Cathy. :tears: I too will have to purchase a generator this coming Hurricane season, (well hopefully before the season
starts). Katrina left us without power for two weeks. Thank goodness we
didnt have any fish/corals in the tank at the time, just LR sand and crabs/snails. They survived. We had to borrow a generator, so we
didnt have one 100% of the time. Then on top of that gas was scarse
for a while so we only used the generator at critical times.
We did
have a livewell pump that we used hooked to a car battery when the
generator was off. The experts are saying that this coming season will
be just as bad. :cry1: WE WILL BE PREPARED this time. We now have
fish and corals.
starts). Katrina left us without power for two weeks. Thank goodness we
didnt have any fish/corals in the tank at the time, just LR sand and crabs/snails. They survived. We had to borrow a generator, so we
didnt have one 100% of the time. Then on top of that gas was scarse
for a while so we only used the generator at critical times.
We didhave a livewell pump that we used hooked to a car battery when the
generator was off. The experts are saying that this coming season will
be just as bad. :cry1: WE WILL BE PREPARED this time. We now have
fish and corals.
forestal
Active Member
sorry about the disaster...
go down to staples or any computer store and get a battery backup...they are a lot cheaper than they used to be and use the 100$ one to power your return pump or a couple power heads....
i have a smaller one that runs an emperor 400 on my seahorse tank for >10 hours (longest outage so far)
they plug in , you plug in your pump into it and if power goes out they click back on automatic, and recharge when power is on...
go down to staples or any computer store and get a battery backup...they are a lot cheaper than they used to be and use the 100$ one to power your return pump or a couple power heads....
i have a smaller one that runs an emperor 400 on my seahorse tank for >10 hours (longest outage so far)
they plug in , you plug in your pump into it and if power goes out they click back on automatic, and recharge when power is on...
Shells
Active Member
thanks, we just had a storm come through and i think one of my halides
is messed up, it hasnt come on yet and the insides look strange. i've
got it off right now. i'll turn it on in about 15 or so minutes. the lights
flicked on and off about 4 times...:tears: we will be shopping for a battery
backup today...
is messed up, it hasnt come on yet and the insides look strange. i've
got it off right now. i'll turn it on in about 15 or so minutes. the lights
flicked on and off about 4 times...:tears: we will be shopping for a battery
backup today...
forestal
Active Member
addict
Well-Known Member
Sorry to make fun of you.
Here's some quick formulas when it comes to electricity, that you might find helpful:
watts / volts = amps (example 440watts/110 volts = 4 amps)
volts x amps = watts (the reciprocal of the last equation 110 volts x 4 amps = 440 watts)
watts / amps = volts (again, just switching things around)
So, for instance, if that UPC were in fact 1500 amps, the thing would be putting out 165,000 watts... almost 2 megawatts! :bugout:
You could power your whole neighborhood with that UPC... at least you'd have a lot of friends... I don't think it would fit under the tank, however...
Here's some quick formulas when it comes to electricity, that you might find helpful:
watts / volts = amps (example 440watts/110 volts = 4 amps)
volts x amps = watts (the reciprocal of the last equation 110 volts x 4 amps = 440 watts)
watts / amps = volts (again, just switching things around)
So, for instance, if that UPC were in fact 1500 amps, the thing would be putting out 165,000 watts... almost 2 megawatts! :bugout:
You could power your whole neighborhood with that UPC... at least you'd have a lot of friends... I don't think it would fit under the tank, however...
carolina reefer
New Member
Battery operated air pumps that automatically come on when the power goes out are pretty cheap and will keep the tank going overnight. I have also thrown a sheet over the tank to make a tent and used a colman lantern to keep the heat up. It worked for my 125. I did not leave the lantern unattended!
BHinAK
Active Member
This is the one I use at work and have one at home. The problem is that heaters draw a LOT more watts. It would take 10 PH's to equal one heater and as you can see by the spec sheet a 200 watt heater lasts only 24 mins.
I think it was Melev who did a test of equipment wattage with a Kill a watt unit. They will tell you what your equipment really draws from the wall outlet.
They are $199 at compusa
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500
I think it was Melev who did a test of equipment wattage with a Kill a watt unit. They will tell you what your equipment really draws from the wall outlet.
They are $199 at compusa
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500