Hurricane season is coming- what to do???

djpj001 · 06-21-2006, 11:57 PM

hello eveybody!

I wanted to get some advice for hurricane prep. i live in miami, so that means I will mostly likely be a target for a hurricane or 4, which means no power!! yikes.
This is my first hurricane season with my saltwater tank and i was planning to get a generator. i have corals and my lighting fixtures are 4 VHO's 2 actinic that give out about 450 watts. What should I do? how long can coral go without lighting, because I’ve experience no power due to hurricanes for up to 2 weeks. If a generator is needed what KWatt do I need? i'm freaking out a bit because i have about over 500 hundreds dollars investing in coral and would hate for them to die. Plus i really like them. You guys that are in hurricane vicinities know what I'm talking about. i would appreciate any advice thank you.

Best regards

DJPJ001

Gina · 06-22-2006, 05:47 AM

What size generator are you planning on getting?
I would probably alternate what you are running.
I would always have flow going but, may turn skimmer off for a couple of days (if you have one). You could probably also get away with only running a couple of lights at a time.
Corals experience all different ranges of light in the ocean just from our weather changes.
We experience a 3 day loss of power a couple of years ago from Isabele and used a generator to supply flow, air and actinics.

Shells · 06-22-2006, 07:59 AM

generator size will depend on what you want to run on it.

i've got a 150gal and 40 gal sump. 2-250wat mh, 1-400wat mh and two T5's. skimmer, various pumps and a heater and fans.

we're getting a 12KW generator, that will run pretty much the whole tank,
without the metal halides and lights/fans refrig. water pump for the house.

what you have to find out is the starting amps/watts for each thing you want to run and its running amps/watts. each generator has a separate
start up amp/watt and running amp/watt.

our local power company is offering different size generators for sale.
i good place to start is maybe calling your local power company and
talk to them. They should be able to help you determine what you'd need.

Cougra · 06-22-2006, 09:14 AM

Corals will be able to live a week or two without lights. They may shrink down and sulk for a bit but they should pull through. The most important thing to keep going is the water flow as this provides oxygen to the animals and bacteria. It's essential that you do everything you can to keep the water quality up.

Here is an article I wrote on what to do during a power outage. I started the article after we had the blackout a couple years ago when I read about how a lot of people lost their fish/tanks because they didn't know what to do. However I only finished it up recently:

Preparing for a Power Outage

To determine the size of generator you want to get you need to let us know what equipment you want to keep running as well as consider one powerful enough to run your fridge/freezer so you can keep your food preserved also.

Witfull · 06-22-2006, 10:16 AM

or,,,are you a home owner? get an automated kick-in sys for the house,,,,resale of the home will go up.

VoodooChld · 06-22-2006, 03:06 PM

This is my first season with my reef tank as well. I am thinking about trying a DC/AC power converter and a car battery. Here is a site for "DISASTER READINESS"

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/feature.htm

Enjoy!

djpj001 · 06-22-2006, 10:21 PM

thanks really great advice- I guess I will invest on a generator plus i heard it might be tax deductable ( just a rumor, hope it's true).

iluvzigz · 06-23-2006, 11:12 AM

ahh yes the hurricane season has arrived as for i have been grazed by one hurricane already... ive had power outages over the past three years some as much as almost three weeks -im from palm beach county- man is it crazy...maybe even as a last resort if you have to ive used a airator (used to keep bait in your bait bucket) it creates oxygen in the tank as long as the power isnt going to be out a long time that should help....better than nothing seems to work..usually 10-20 bucks at your local bait shop i chose the 20 dollar one ..didnt feel as cheap..luckly i have a generator now to keep my lights going..

06-21-2006, 11:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
djpj001 Tubeworm Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 36 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? hello eveybody! I wanted to get some advice for hurricane prep. i live in miami, so that means I will mostly likely be a target for a hurricane or 4, which means no power!! yikes. This is my first hurricane season with my saltwater tank and i was planning to get a generator. i have corals and my lighting fixtures are 4 VHO's 2 actinic that give out about 450 watts. What should I do? how long can coral go without lighting, because I’ve experience no power due to hurricanes for up to 2 weeks. If a generator is needed what KWatt do I need? i'm freaking out a bit because i have about over 500 hundreds dollars investing in coral and would hate for them to die. Plus i really like them. You guys that are in hurricane vicinities know what I'm talking about. i would appreciate any advice thank you. Best regards DJPJ001

06-22-2006, 05:47 AM	#2 (permalink)
Gina Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,834 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? What size generator are you planning on getting? I would probably alternate what you are running. I would always have flow going but, may turn skimmer off for a couple of days (if you have one). You could probably also get away with only running a couple of lights at a time. Corals experience all different ranges of light in the ocean just from our weather changes. We experience a 3 day loss of power a couple of years ago from Isabele and used a generator to supply flow, air and actinics. __________________ Gina and Mark's 75 Visit Our Sponsors Gina's Cube Gina

06-22-2006, 07:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
Shells Sea Pen Join Date: May 2005 Location: Biloxi, MS Posts: 309 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? generator size will depend on what you want to run on it. i've got a 150gal and 40 gal sump. 2-250wat mh, 1-400wat mh and two T5's. skimmer, various pumps and a heater and fans. we're getting a 12KW generator, that will run pretty much the whole tank, without the metal halides and lights/fans refrig. water pump for the house. what you have to find out is the starting amps/watts for each thing you want to run and its running amps/watts. each generator has a separate start up amp/watt and running amp/watt. our local power company is offering different size generators for sale. i good place to start is maybe calling your local power company and talk to them. They should be able to help you determine what you'd need.

06-22-2006, 09:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? Corals will be able to live a week or two without lights. They may shrink down and sulk for a bit but they should pull through. The most important thing to keep going is the water flow as this provides oxygen to the animals and bacteria. It's essential that you do everything you can to keep the water quality up. Here is an article I wrote on what to do during a power outage. I started the article after we had the blackout a couple years ago when I read about how a lot of people lost their fish/tanks because they didn't know what to do. However I only finished it up recently: Preparing for a Power Outage To determine the size of generator you want to get you need to let us know what equipment you want to keep running as well as consider one powerful enough to run your fridge/freezer so you can keep your food preserved also. __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

06-22-2006, 03:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
VoodooChld Fire Coral Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: next to tampa bay Posts: 82 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? This is my first season with my reef tank as well. I am thinking about trying a DC/AC power converter and a car battery. Here is a site for "DISASTER READINESS" http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/feature.htm Enjoy! __________________ -peace "And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land." -Mark Twain

06-22-2006, 10:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
djpj001 Tubeworm Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 36 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? thanks really great advice- I guess I will invest on a generator plus i heard it might be tax deductable ( just a rumor, hope it's true).

06-23-2006, 11:12 AM	#8 (permalink)
iluvzigz Elegance coral Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: palm beach FL Posts: 1,026 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Hurricane season is coming- what to do??? ahh yes the hurricane season has arrived as for i have been grazed by one hurricane already... ive had power outages over the past three years some as much as almost three weeks -im from palm beach county- man is it crazy...maybe even as a last resort if you have to ive used a airator (used to keep bait in your bait bucket) it creates oxygen in the tank as long as the power isnt going to be out a long time that should help....better than nothing seems to work..usually 10-20 bucks at your local bait shop i chose the 20 dollar one ..didnt feel as cheap..luckly i have a generator now to keep my lights going..

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