Reacting to Loss of Power
In this day and age we rely on electrical power for many things. In this hobby all of the equipment used to sustain life depends on electricity including lights, pumps, powerheads, and controllers. If the power goes out the life support systems are terminated and the countdown timer to disaster begins. This article will describe the different ways an aquarist can protect the living creatures in their care in the event of power loss.
DISCLAIMER: Please note, this article will describe possible ways to help prevent equipment failure related disasters. By no means is this intended to be a warranty or a 100 percent fail safe for your aquarium. Please use good judgement and research the implementation of each in your specific scenario to determine what will work best in your system.
Noticing the power outage
This is a fact of life that at some point you will lose power to your house. This is usually due to equipment failure at a substation or mother nature voicing her opinion. Sometimes power loss is obvious when you are home and able to notice the outage. Other times the power could go out when people are asleep or on vacation so a notification method is needed.
If people are asleep when the power goes out, a cheap UPS unit will sound an alarm when the power is lost. This will usually be enough to alert a sleeping person to an issue. If no one is home, a controller with email capabilities can be used to send off a power loss alert before it shuts down. This requires a backup source of power on both the controller and the internet modem and routers in the house.
Determining the scope of the power outage
When it comes to power restoration, an aquarist is at the mercy of the power company and the repair crews dispatched to fix the issue. Restoration of power can take anywhere from a few minutes to days depending on the extent of the damage causing the outage.
To determine the scope of the outage a phone call to the power company will need to be made. Make sure you talk to a person on the other end of the phone who can give more info into the situation. Ask them for a reasonable ETA on when power will be restored. Sometimes it is helpful to mention that you have an aquarium that depends on the power to survive. Being nice and addressing the urgency of the situation can put you higher on the priority list for restoration.
Short Duration Power Outages
Short duration power outages are typically less than 1 hour and sometimes last only 15 minutes. These outages there is usually nothing that needs to be done to the aquarium, unless it is heavily stocked where the oxygen can deplete faster, or in a climate where heat will become an immediate concern.
Long Duration Power Outages
Long duration power outages can be from 1 hour to many days and are more severe than short term. These usually affect many people and can sometimes be tied to a natural disaster. There are a few different ways to handle the long term outages depending on how prepared an aquarist is. Each method for maintaining the tank has its own cost and ease of use associated with it.
Manual Method
The manual method is the cheapest way to maintain the life support in the aquarium without power, but it requires much more manual work. Oxygenation and circulation can be accomplished by scooping up water in the tank and pouring it back in. This gets the water moving while aerating the water when the poured water breaks the surface of the aquarium water. Depending on the climate, temperature can be maintained by using heated water or ice in a zip lock bag and set inside the aquarium. The aquarium can also be wrapped in a blanket to help reduce heat loss in the cooler climates or seasons.
Battery Method
The battery method is easier than the manual method but may not last very long. In this method the aquarium is maintained through the use of battery powered equipment. Battery operated air pumps are available that run off two D cell batteries. Also some powerheads like Vortecs can be powered via a backup battery system for a good amount of time.
Computer battery backups or UPS Units can power other equipment in the aquarium for a short period of time. Care needs to be taken when purchasing one of these units though as many of the cheaper ones do not provide a true sine wave power to keep magnetic pumps running. Also many will not run a resistive load like a heater. These methods are usually good for the multiple hour outage, but they will not last forever and if the batteries run out they shut down.
Generator Method
The best protection method is a generator, whether it be a portable or whole house. The generator can run the majority of the aquarium equipment up to its rated watts This will cause minimal interruption in the life support systems as long as the generator remains powered up. Be sure to keep good gas on hand at all times so the generator will be able to run until the power is restored. This is typically the most expensive method, but it also provides the best protection and flexibility. Even a cheap generator from Harbor Freight can provide enough power to keep the essentials up and running like a small return pump and a powerhead or heater.
Conclusion
Being prepared is the best way to make sure your aquarium’s inhabitants are taken care of in the event of power loss. Losing power is a large inconvenience but does not have to be the cause of a crashed aquarium. Make sure a plan is in place to handle a loss of power, and be sure to test yourself to make sure the plan is sufficient to keep the life support running where it needs to be.
In this day and age we rely on electrical power for many things. In this hobby all of the equipment used to sustain life depends on electricity including lights, pumps, powerheads, and controllers. If the power goes out the life support systems are terminated and the countdown timer to disaster begins. This article will describe the different ways an aquarist can protect the living creatures in their care in the event of power loss.
DISCLAIMER: Please note, this article will describe possible ways to help prevent equipment failure related disasters. By no means is this intended to be a warranty or a 100 percent fail safe for your aquarium. Please use good judgement and research the implementation of each in your specific scenario to determine what will work best in your system.
Noticing the power outage
This is a fact of life that at some point you will lose power to your house. This is usually due to equipment failure at a substation or mother nature voicing her opinion. Sometimes power loss is obvious when you are home and able to notice the outage. Other times the power could go out when people are asleep or on vacation so a notification method is needed.
If people are asleep when the power goes out, a cheap UPS unit will sound an alarm when the power is lost. This will usually be enough to alert a sleeping person to an issue. If no one is home, a controller with email capabilities can be used to send off a power loss alert before it shuts down. This requires a backup source of power on both the controller and the internet modem and routers in the house.
Determining the scope of the power outage
When it comes to power restoration, an aquarist is at the mercy of the power company and the repair crews dispatched to fix the issue. Restoration of power can take anywhere from a few minutes to days depending on the extent of the damage causing the outage.
To determine the scope of the outage a phone call to the power company will need to be made. Make sure you talk to a person on the other end of the phone who can give more info into the situation. Ask them for a reasonable ETA on when power will be restored. Sometimes it is helpful to mention that you have an aquarium that depends on the power to survive. Being nice and addressing the urgency of the situation can put you higher on the priority list for restoration.
Short Duration Power Outages
Short duration power outages are typically less than 1 hour and sometimes last only 15 minutes. These outages there is usually nothing that needs to be done to the aquarium, unless it is heavily stocked where the oxygen can deplete faster, or in a climate where heat will become an immediate concern.
Long Duration Power Outages
Long duration power outages can be from 1 hour to many days and are more severe than short term. These usually affect many people and can sometimes be tied to a natural disaster. There are a few different ways to handle the long term outages depending on how prepared an aquarist is. Each method for maintaining the tank has its own cost and ease of use associated with it.
Manual Method
The manual method is the cheapest way to maintain the life support in the aquarium without power, but it requires much more manual work. Oxygenation and circulation can be accomplished by scooping up water in the tank and pouring it back in. This gets the water moving while aerating the water when the poured water breaks the surface of the aquarium water. Depending on the climate, temperature can be maintained by using heated water or ice in a zip lock bag and set inside the aquarium. The aquarium can also be wrapped in a blanket to help reduce heat loss in the cooler climates or seasons.
Battery Method
The battery method is easier than the manual method but may not last very long. In this method the aquarium is maintained through the use of battery powered equipment. Battery operated air pumps are available that run off two D cell batteries. Also some powerheads like Vortecs can be powered via a backup battery system for a good amount of time.
Computer battery backups or UPS Units can power other equipment in the aquarium for a short period of time. Care needs to be taken when purchasing one of these units though as many of the cheaper ones do not provide a true sine wave power to keep magnetic pumps running. Also many will not run a resistive load like a heater. These methods are usually good for the multiple hour outage, but they will not last forever and if the batteries run out they shut down.
Generator Method
The best protection method is a generator, whether it be a portable or whole house. The generator can run the majority of the aquarium equipment up to its rated watts This will cause minimal interruption in the life support systems as long as the generator remains powered up. Be sure to keep good gas on hand at all times so the generator will be able to run until the power is restored. This is typically the most expensive method, but it also provides the best protection and flexibility. Even a cheap generator from Harbor Freight can provide enough power to keep the essentials up and running like a small return pump and a powerhead or heater.
Conclusion
Being prepared is the best way to make sure your aquarium’s inhabitants are taken care of in the event of power loss. Losing power is a large inconvenience but does not have to be the cause of a crashed aquarium. Make sure a plan is in place to handle a loss of power, and be sure to test yourself to make sure the plan is sufficient to keep the life support running where it needs to be.
