Battery Back-Up for Reef Tank

[ReefWithCare]

Hi All,

Is there such thing as a sub $400 battery back-up for a mid-size reef tank (under 100 gallons)? I'm looking for a battery backup for the essentials in the event of a power outage. We have been getting a lot more outages lately which has me very concerned. I've weathered the first few luckily.

I've looked at gas powered portable generators for about this range (3500-4000W)....even sub $1000 for 900-1000W, but was looking to see if a battery back-up exists.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hi All,

Is there such thing as a sub $400 battery back-up for a mid-size reef tank (under 100 gallons)? I'm looking for a battery backup for the essentials in the event of a power outage. We have been getting a lot more outages lately which has me very concerned. I've weathered the first few luckily.

I've looked at gas powered portable generators for about this range (3500-4000W)....even sub $1000 for 900-1000W, but was looking to see if a battery back-up exists.

Look at your overall wattage. Im pretty sure its not 4000w. Check the specs and wattage on the essentials and look for the online calculators, they will tell you how big a backup you need and how long it will run.


generators like this. lowest is $250
https://www.google.com/webhp?source...=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=2000w+generator&tbm=shop

 

[Irsug1]

Battery backup for an entire system won't last long for that price range.
You should be able to find generators for a good price if you search. Cabelas had a 3500 watt champion for $250.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Battery backup for an entire system won't last long for that price range.
You should be able to find generators for a good price if you search. Cabelas had a 3500 watt champion for $250.

Yeah - that was exactly one of the ones I was looking at. How do you guys run when you can't have the generator run outdoors through? In several cases when the power has gone out here - it's been due to heavy storms.

Excuse my noobish on this topic --- it's new to me and I've been blessed to not lose a tank from an outage. But that's like playing russian roulette.

 

[cnason3]

I picked up a 1200 watt pure sine wave inverter with a built in transfer switch cost was $180 then a sealed deep cycle is around $90 to $200 for a 75ah with a small battery tender that cost $25 the math say's it should power my two small 7w return pumps ato and heater for around 24 to 36 hours I also have an 8000w generator for a longer outage. the inverter has yet to be tested but should do when the power goes out when not home or sleeping. I dont know about where you live but here it get windy alot so short outages are the the normal. and running a gas gen all night might tick off the neighbors thats where the battery set up will be nice

 

[ReefWithCare]

I picked up a 1200 watt pure sine wave inverter with a built in transfer switch cost was $180 then a sealed deep cycle is around $90 to $200 for a 75ah with a small battery tender that cost $25 the math say's it should power my two small 7w return pumps ato and heater for around 24 to 36 hours I also have an 8000w generator for a longer outage. the inverter has yet to be tested but should do when the power goes out when not home or sleeping. I dont know about where you live but here it get windy alot so short outages are the the normal. and running a gas gen all night might **** off the neighbors thats where the battery set up will be nice

I live in Texas. We do have shorter outages because of storms and they are pretty frequent, but usually do not last more than 2-4 hours. They have just been happening more often than I'm comfortable with. The issue I see with a gas generator is if the power goes off in the middle of the night there is no coverage. With a battery back-up it can cover during the time you meant be asleep. We have had several outages in the middle of the night.

 

[120reefkeeper]

Hi All,

Is there such thing as a sub $400 battery back-up for a mid-size reef tank (under 100 gallons)? I'm looking for a battery backup for the essentials in the event of a power outage. We have been getting a lot more outages lately which has me very concerned. I've weathered the first few luckily.

I've looked at gas powered portable generators for about this range (3500-4000W)....even sub $1000 for 900-1000W, but was looking to see if a battery back-up exists.

What kind of pumps do you have?

 

[120reefkeeper]

I have 2 of these air pumps installed on my tank. If you have a maxspect gyre you can use these icecap battery backups to power it if there is a power outage. I bought 2 of them for longer power life. The battery backups work with DC pumps.

 

[Newb73]

I use the vortech backup battery and two Bubblers that cost about $20.00 each that run off D batteries. I just place the airstone from the bubllers in the tank so the bubbles go into the vortech and get blown all over the aquarium. I keep enough batteries i can go about 6 or 7 days this way provided the house itself doesnt go into a deep freeze in winter.

One year i heated water on my propane grill and dumped it into the tank near scolding hot when the temps got down in the 30s and 40s in the house during a 5 day ice storm. I would do a couple pots every couple hours.
Didnt lose a single fish or coral.

I plan to add a Vortech vectra main pump and put a vortech back up on that within the next year or so.

I have an icecap battery on a gyre but i have found the gyre to be utter garbage with regard to reliability. I think it ran 3 months out of the whole first year and when i contacted Carlos in customer service they give me instructions on how to service, which i did exactly and it would still only run a couple weeks. They never offered to replace so i will probably just trash it...anyway i plan on moving the ice cap to a couple cheap jaebos..supposedly it works with them as well.

 

[120reefkeeper]

I use the vortech backup battery and two Bubblers that cost about $20.00 each that run off D batteries. I just place the airstone from the bubllers in the tank so the bubbles go into the vortech and get blown all over the aquarium. I keep enough batteries i can go about 6 or 7 days this way provided the house itself doesnt go into a deep freeze in winter.

One year i heated water on my propane grill and dumped it into the tank near scolding hot when the temps got down in the 30s and 40s in the house during a 5 day ice storm. I would do a couple pots every couple hours.
Didnt lose a single fish or coral.

I plan to add a Vortech vectra main pump and put a vortech back up on that within the next year or so.

I have an icecap battery on a gyre but i have found the gyre to be utter garbage with regard to reliability. I think it ran 3 months out of the whole first year and when i contacted Carlos in customer service they give me instructions on how to service, which i did exactly and it would still only run a couple weeks. They never offered to replace so i will probably just trash it...anyway i plan on moving the ice cap to a couple cheap jaebos..supposedly it works with them as well.

Sorry you had sooooo many problems with your gyre. Must have gotten a lemon.

6 months and not even a hiccup here. Mine have been flawless.

 

[Brew12]

Hi All,

Is there such thing as a sub $400 battery back-up for a mid-size reef tank (under 100 gallons)? I'm looking for a battery backup for the essentials in the event of a power outage. We have been getting a lot more outages lately which has me very concerned. I've weathered the first few luckily.

I've looked at gas powered portable generators for about this range (3500-4000W)....even sub $1000 for 900-1000W, but was looking to see if a battery back-up exists.

In my opinion there should be two plans in dealing for a power outage. I'll give you some of my thoughts.

For an outage less than 6 hours:- 2 vortech MP40 powerheads, not on a GFCI breaker, on a computer UPS from Staples. This will allow me to maintain good air exchange and water circulation through the live rock. Since the MP40's are outside the tank I can use them on a non-GFCI breaker safely. I would recommend a setup like this even if you have a generator. If you have a breaker trip due to an electrical fault this will still protect you for short periods of time.

For an outage greater than 6 hours:- A generator is almost a must imo unless you live in a very mild climate. For most home aquariums even a small 1000 watt generator would work for a few days. A 2500+ watt generator would power all but the largest home aquariums. If it won't you should really consider a whole home generator with auto start.

 

[120reefkeeper]

In my opinion there should be two plans in dealing for a power outage. I'll give you some of my thoughts.

For an outage less than 6 hours:- 2 vortech MP40 powerheads, not on a GFCI breaker, on a computer UPS from Staples. This will allow me to maintain good air exchange and water circulation through the live rock. Since the MP40's are outside the tank I can use them on a non-GFCI breaker safely. I would recommend a setup like this even if you have a generator. If you have a breaker trip due to an electrical fault this will still protect you for short periods of time.

For an outage greater than 6 hours:- A generator is almost a must imo unless you live in a very mild climate. For most home aquariums even a small 1000 watt generator would work for a few days. A 2500+ watt generator would power all but the largest home aquariums. If it won't you should really consider a whole home generator with auto start.

Agreed! I also have a portable generator capable of running everything. 2 prong approach.