Battery backup insanity

[rknott]

I am upgrading from a 14g nano that I have had running for 7 years to a 75g. In my house for 20 years and electricity has gone out for maybe 30 minutes 1 time. I thought maybe for my new tank I should get some level of protection. I did some research and holy moly! I am finding everything from 5 car battery setups to God only knows what.

What is a reasonable solution for someone that hasn't needed a backup in the last 7 years that doesn't want to push my luck. I am thinking 25 watts of power for maybe 8 hours if a circuit was to trip when I was at work. I considered the $15 air stone battery backup solution, but even I am not that cheap and don't want to look at air hoses. Looked at the ice cap that I could use with my gyro, but 35 hours, extreme! And I will be buying a new one every few years. Why does that cost $100 and last for 35 hours and a CyberPower system 850 only last for 2 hours (based on ratings on their web site). Is there a middle ground here somewhere?

 

[inurmind]

You mentioned what I think is pretty much the best option at least at this point in time, and that's a ups backup. I have a couple CyberPower 1350 or 1500 (don't remember off hand). There's a lot of features I'd like to see come out from companies like ecotech and icecap in regards to controllability but for what it's worth atm I feel like using my CyberPower is the best bet.

Keep in mind you can plug in as little or as much to the battery and that'll determine how long it'll last in an outage. The nice thing about these over some other options is you can see on the screen your draw and the time frame remaining, which is a BIG bonus in my eyes.

I actually have two on my fragtank, one on the return and another on the powerheads... as the return it gonna suck up more juice so I wanted independent backups so the powerheads could run much longer if needed (with my icecaps they'll do ~15-20 hours, whereas my return at full blast is only like 7or8 if I'm not there to turn down the flow).

You are wise to be putting in thought on this, I lost a lot in a extended outage (before I had the backups) and that was hard to say the least. All you really need is to be keeping some minimal flow not necessary the normal amount, still water is dead water! Good luck

 

[FlyPenFly]

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/coral-box-backup-battery-v2/

Maybe that when it’s back.

 

[Aquavaj]

The difference in runtime is mainly due to the large overhead loss of a UPS by having to go from DC to AC and back to DC on these controllable pumps/wavemakers.

Battery backup units on the otherhand is straight DC to DC. They also use much better battery technology to increase runtime. Downside is they are more expensive.

 

[rknott]

Bump
. . . . . hoping someone on a Saturday cruising the forums might see this and have some tips on something less expensive than spending over $100 of a battery backup system every couple of years when the battery gets old for something I will likely never use and needs to fit in my relatively small space. My original idea of a CyberPower UPS and new battery I could buy every few years from the local battery store for $30 or so dollars doesn't seem to be workable. Possible I should have posted in DIY :-)

 

[rknott]

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/coral-box-backup-battery-v2/

Maybe that when it’s back.

Just to clarify how this would work. You buy this unit, and you still need to buy batteries and a charger, correct?

 

[Aquavaj]

It comes with the charger so it's ready to go. Most of these are sealed so you can't just pop it open to replace the batteries. This is for safety rather than to gouge you on having to buy another one. The lithium ion cells in these can explode or catch on fire if you aren't careful with them.

 

[rknott]

Okay, so they do come with a battery. Reading on the web site it said ". . . . . . mount your battery . . . . . . . " and therefore I wondered if you purchased a battery separate. I thought it would be included, but with this stuff, I am never sure.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

I personally am not a fan of the UPC backups. The batteries can spontaneously fail, or fail due to lack of use. What I did is buy a generator for like $250 that runs both on gasoline and propane. I have a window behind my fish room. I would run an extension cord and let the generator run a few things (heater, power heads, and return pump). Nice thing is this can be an indefinite solution as long as I have access to fuel. It does need annual maintenance though. Added bonus is if you ever go camping you have a generator you can take with you.

 

[rknott]

I personally am not a fan of the UPC backups. The batteries can spontaneously fail, or fail due to lack of use. What I did is buy a generator for like $250 that runs both on gasoline and propane. I have a window behind my fish room. I would run an extension cord and let the generator run a few things (heater, power heads, and return pump). Nice thing is this can be an indefinite solution as long as I have access to fuel. It does need annual maintenance though. Added bonus is if you ever go camping you have a generator you can take with you.

Thanks for the idea. I am looking for a less expensive and easier to implement system. Keep in mind, I haven't needed it for the past seven years. I just need something for 8 hours of survival mode.

 

[FlyPenFly]

Just to clarify how this would work. You buy this unit, and you still need to buy batteries and a charger, correct?

More info:

https://m.fish-street.com/battery-coralbox-powercell-for-backup-jebao-pump-dc-pump

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Thanks for the idea. I am looking for a less expensive and easier to implement system. Keep in mind, I haven't needed it for the past seven years. I just need something for 8 hours of survival mode.

You did mention the battery powered air pump, that might be your best option for an inexpensive 'just in case' solution. Anything that is going to run your pumps for multiple hours is going to be in the $100+ area.

 

[rkpetersen]

If you wind up considering the air pump/stone option, the Cobalt Aquatics Rescue Air can be set to turn itself on automatically when the utility power goes out.
Although I don't use them for this specifically, I have a couple and they do work as advertised.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/rescue-air-usb-battery-powered-dc-air-pump-cobalt-aquatics.html

 

[rknott]

You did mention the battery powered air pump, that might be your best option for an inexpensive 'just in case' solution. Anything that is going to run your pumps for multiple hours is going to be in the $100+ area.

This is helpful! I don't see support for my IceCap waivermaker, but I thought I saw that elsewhere. Admittedly, I am quickly scanning while at work. :-) I also don't see a chart for how long it will last based on watts drawn. I assume longer than 8 hours at 50W

 

[rknott]

If you wind up considering the air pump/stone option, the Cobalt Aquatics Rescue Air can be set to turn itself on automatically when the utility power goes out.
Although I don't use them for this specifically, I have a couple and they do work as advertised.

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/rescue-air-usb-battery-powered-dc-air-pump-cobalt-aquatics.html

I am considering this as well. I am worried there would be enough flow. I am just doing LPS, but even then. . . . . Not sure how sensitive they are, my tank has always had movement. As with everything in this #*@&% hobby, there seem to be no end to the expenses. Next up, I have the backup, and I need a backup for the backup. Have been reading about that as well.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

With a 75g tank, a single air stone will be sufficient to keep stuff from dying, even for multiple days assuming that the temperature isn't extreme. I live in NC as my screen name suggests, and we occasionally get hurricanes. So I've been able to test this assertion on more than one occasion.

The issue that you have is that there's no correlation between what you'll need to spend to do this and the frequency that you'll use it. Because only one 4+ hour event will be more than enough to kill everything in your tank if it's well stocked, and one 8+ hour event will be enough to kill everything in your tank no matter how it's stocked.

And yes, about $100 - $150 is about what you'll have to spend for an automatic fail-safe solution. That's because all of these solutions incorporate an inverter/charger, voltage sensor, and battery. It's possible to purchase these components separately in the form of an inverter/charger, a battery tender, and several 85 amp-hour lead acid batteries, and that sort of setup will run your tank in life-support mode for 3 or 4 days depending on how it's configured, but that will run you about $500 for the equipment.

If you're OK with a "needs intervention" sort of solution, then a $15 Penn-Plax battery powered air pump and a big package of D-cells will get you through at least a day or two.

 

[Jet915]

I bought a ups battery backup, it runs a powerhead for about 4 hours. I then bought a small portable generator thats still in the box sitting in my garage.

 

[rknott]

I bought a ups battery backup, it runs a powerhead for about 4 hours. I then bought a small portable generator thats still in the box sitting in my garage.

Which one, what size, how big of a power head?

 

[rknott]

With a 75g tank, a single air stone will be sufficient to keep stuff from dying, even for multiple days assuming that the temperature isn't extreme. I live in NC as my screen name suggests, and we occasionally get hurricanes. So I've been able to test this assertion on more than one occasion.

The issue that you have is that there's no correlation between what you'll need to spend to do this and the frequency that you'll use it. Because only one 4+ hour event will be more than enough to kill everything in your tank if it's well stocked, and one 8+ hour event will be enough to kill everything in your tank no matter how it's stocked.

And yes, about $100 - $150 is about what you'll have to spend for an automatic fail-safe solution. That's because all of these solutions incorporate an inverter/charger, voltage sensor, and battery. It's possible to purchase these components separately in the form of an inverter/charger, a battery tender, and several 85 amp-hour lead acid batteries, and that sort of setup will run your tank in life-support mode for 3 or 4 days depending on how it's configured, but that will run you about $500 for the equipment.

If you're OK with a "needs intervention" sort of solution, then a $15 Penn-Plax battery powered air pump and a big package of D-cells will get you through at least a day or two.

Not OK with a "needs intervention" solution, but I have see many battery powered air pump that will automatically turn on when electricity goes off and uses D batteries like the one "RKpeterson" mentioned above. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/rescue-air-usb-battery-powered-dc-air-pump-cobalt-aquatics.html

Appears this is probably the winner if I can figure out a way to elegantly hide the air hose. Good to hear one will be enough. I wasn't sure. This is a lifetime solution unless I lose electricity for more time for me to get home. Something that hasn't happened in over 20+ years of living in my house.

Option 2 is mentioned above and seems to be an elegant solution and will also last will over 8 hours for my application. This is an obvious second choice and still in the running: https://m.fish-street.com/battery-coralbox-powercell-for-backup-jebao-pump-dc-pump Only bad news is, need to buy a new one every few years.

 

[Jet915]

Which one, what size, how big of a power head?

Here is a pic, powerhead is like a 660 gph which is sufficient for a 100 gallon tank I would think.

Im in southern California and this all came about last summer when it was really hot (like 115 degrees) and it tripped my circuit and my tank lost power. Luckily i was home.e at the time or it would have been a disaster. In order to reduce the risk of this happening again, i had an electrician install a dedicated 20 amp circuit, I bought the APS battery, a wifi webcam and a portable generator. Not a cheap solution but definitely gives me some peace of mind.