Battery backup/UPS

[NeedAReef]

What about for a heater? Wouldn’t you need to keep the heater on as well?

I mean how cold does it get inside your home? Well insulated home will take a long while. To get cold. Fish and corals can handle temp changes better then expected they do in the ocean. Water movement with small pump to oxygenated water is better IMO.

 

[Sherman]

I also looking at backup power in case of power blackout.
I live near the equator. So instead of looking at Heater I need to look
at chiller.
Of course the router and wifi need to be working first.
Then regardless where you are you know there is a blackout.
And you know if your backup power is working
So I will be working on the router and wifi power first follow by
return pump and chiller

 

[n2585722]

I also looking at backup power in case of power blackout.
I live near the equator. So instead of looking at Heater I need to look
at chiller.
Of course the router and wifi need to be working first.
Then regardless where you are you know there is a blackout.
And you know if your backup power is working
So I will be working on the router and wifi power first follow by
return pump and chiller

With a chiller you are going to need some kind of backup generator or one heck of a battery system. Chillers are energy hogs.

 

[Snoopdog]

I have three Cyberpower 1500 on my Red Sea E260. I have two 6k inverter generators in my garage for if things get really bad here.

 

[Sherman]

True. Can I equal the energy need is like running a heater

 

[n2585722]

I have three Cyberpower 1500 on my Red Sea E260. I have two 6k inverter generators in my garage for if things get really bad here.

I was born in Mobile. My dad was in the air force at the time. I here it is a beautiful place.

 

[NotApplicable]

While I'm EXTREMELY new to the hobby, power outages were one of the big things I researched about and decided to invest in protection against on day 1. I hate the idea that I could have an entire extinction event without me knowing or being able to do anything about (power outage while asleep or away).

I ended up purchasing an Anker 757. It's NOT cheap, but it has 1229whr, LFP battery cells cells, and a 5 year warranty. With the typical coupon on Amazon ($100-150), it ends up being right around $1 per whr. For my Max Nano Peninsula, it will power the pumps and the heater for ~2.25 days.

While researching I found that typical computer UPS systems have substandard battery chemistry (cells often need replacement annually) and they aren't optimized for runtime... they're more optimized for speedy cutover in the single digit milliseconds to provide the user with some number of minutes to cleanly shut down IT equipment rather than experiencing an unclean shutdown.

The Anker unit is really designed to be a "portable power bank" type system, with chunky grabhandles and the like. BUT, it does have a "UPS mode", which will power the AC ports as passthrough from wall power until a power outage, at which time it will perform a cutover to the battery within an advertised 20ms.

There are slightly cheaper per whr "portable power bank" with UPS systems available with the more economical cells (e.g. NCM, like EcoFlow DELTA). The LFP cells, though, offer something like 3k cycles to 80% capacity vs. 500 cycles to 80% capacity with NCM. But, no lithium ion options will thrive being static at a high state of charge... may need to set a reminder to cycle it here and there!

 

[DHill6]

I have a battery back up for each mp10, 2 of them. Also purchased Yeti 500X portable generator and solar panels to charge it just in case. Living in CA desert it gets cold in the winter. Had the power go out for 8 hrs one night, tank was wrapped in an insulated cover, provided movement with battery powered air pumps. Didn’t keep it warm enough. Once was all it took. Now the Yeti sits not far from the controller, I’ll just plug in what’s needed. Quiet, no gas smell or exhaust.

 

[Sherman]

While I'm EXTREMELY new to the hobby, power outages were one of the big things I researched about and decided to invest in protection against on day 1. I hate the idea that I could have an entire extinction event without me knowing or being able to do anything about (power outage while asleep or away).

I ended up purchasing an Anker 757. It's NOT cheap, but it has 1229whr, LFP battery cells cells, and a 5 year warranty. With the typical coupon on Amazon ($100-150), it ends up being right around $1 per whr. For my Max Nano Peninsula, it will power the pumps and the heater for ~2.25 days.

While researching I found that typical computer UPS systems have substandard battery chemistry (cells often need replacement annually) and they aren't optimized for runtime... they're more optimized for speedy cutover in the single digit milliseconds to provide the user with some number of minutes to cleanly shut down IT equipment rather than experiencing an unclean shutdown.

The Anker unit is really designed to be a "portable power bank" type system, with chunky grabhandles and the like. BUT, it does have a "UPS mode", which will power the AC ports as passthrough from wall power until a power outage, at which time it will perform a cutover to the battery within an advertised 20ms.

There are slightly cheaper per whr "portable power bank" with UPS systems available with the more economical cells (e.g. NCM, like EcoFlow DELTA). The LFP cells, though, offer something like 3k cycles to 80% capacity vs. 500 cycles to 80% capacity with NCM. But, no lithium ion options will thrive being static at a high state of charge... may need to set a reminder to cycle it here and there!

This is one of the option I am considering.
Most come with more then 1 form of input

 

[TrottingReef]

This is the one I am thinking about getting. Energizer Portable Power Station 2100W(4800W Peak), 2150Wh LiFePO4 Solar Generator with 6 AC Outlet, Backup Battery Pack with PD 100W for Home Backup Outdoor Camping Travel CPAP Emergency RV Van https://a.co/3xBih36

 

[MYosh88]

Hello, I was wondering what people are using as a UPS or battery backup for a reef tank if the power goes out. I know there are some DIY builds if you have built one I would like to know more about it, what the specs are, devices you are using, how long it will run without power, and cost. I had a tank crash while I was on vacation and lost several coral and fish. I need to prevent this from happening. I would need to run my return pump which is 60W and a heater which is 250W I realize that is a lot of draw, I have a 90 gallon tank and would have my backup heater on the UPS or battery backup. I believe I could get by with a 250W heater. I just desperately need some suggestions/ideas/ your own personal builds (if you don’t mind sharing) and what you have plugged in for a power outage. I am really unfamiliar with the whole battery backup systems and UPS in general. Any advice would help. Thank you guys so much!

Like you I am considering a battery backup. As others have said, the most important thing is make sure there is water circulation so the fish do not run out of oxygen. I am considering the Penn Plax Battery Air Pump for up to 29 gal (I will need 2), with a claimed run time of 72 hours, or the CyberPower CP900AVR UPS.

Like you, my worst case is when I go on vacation, the power will fail for a long time. Call me paranoid, but I am worried about the fire risk with lithium ion batteries, and don't trust myself to do a safe DIY.

Regarding UPS's, it's interesting that for aquarium applications, the ones with biggest batteries don't last the longest. BRS has some good videos explaining why, and also testing how long different devices last:
Is cheaper better?
What battery backup SIZE is the best? What about lithium ion backup?
Surviving a Power Outage

 

[backbayreef]

I use a JBJ battery backup air pump, connected to a Cyberpower 1500 (a gain of 3.5hrs in runtime) and push thru an IceCap CO2 scrubber. I can get 24hrs of runtime in an event of a power outage while getting a little pH boost throughout. I do have a Honda 2000i generator just in case. The whole-house off-grid / UPS-powered system is cost prohibitive for me.

Maxum Battery Backup Air Pump

Up to 24 Hours of High Air Flow During Power Outages The JBJ Maxum Air Pump is a low voltage AC/DC air pump with a built-in Li-Ion battery. The built-in battery provides up to 24 hours of operation during a loss of power. Easily change between continuous output and interval modes with the built...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy

Shop top saltwater aquarium equipment at Bulk Reef Supply. We carry everything you will need for your saltwater aquarium or reef tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[SepiaOfficinallis]

I use a JBJ battery backup air pump, connected to a Cyberpower 1500 (a gain of 3.5hrs in runtime) and push thru an IceCap CO2 scrubber. I can get 24hrs of runtime in an event of a power outage while getting a little pH boost throughout. I do have a Honda 2000i generator just in case. The whole-house off-grid / UPS-powered system is cost prohibitive for me.

Maxum Battery Backup Air Pump

Up to 24 Hours of High Air Flow During Power Outages The JBJ Maxum Air Pump is a low voltage AC/DC air pump with a built-in Li-Ion battery. The built-in battery provides up to 24 hours of operation during a loss of power. Easily change between continuous output and interval modes with the built...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Bulk Reef Supply - Making Reefing Fun and Easy

Shop top saltwater aquarium equipment at Bulk Reef Supply. We carry everything you will need for your saltwater aquarium or reef tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

necroing this to ask: does the jbj air pump auto kick on when power is lost or must it already be running all the time

 

[backbayreef]

necroing this to ask: does the jbj air pump auto kick on when power is lost or must it already be running all the time

I don’t think so — you have to manually turn it on. Since this posting, I’ve moved to a DIY 20wH battery, connected to an Ecotech MP40 - 30hrs of runtime and kicks in automatically when loss of power.

 

[SepiaOfficinallis]

I don’t think so — you have to manually turn it on. Since this posting, I’ve moved to a DIY 20wH battery, connected to an Ecotech MP40 - 30hrs of runtime and kicks in automatically when loss of power.

Gotcha, thanks for the response

 

[n2585722]

What about for a heater? Wouldn’t you need to keep the heater on as well?

Heaters use too much energy.We had rolling blackouts that lasted a week a few years back. However long the power was off the power would stay on that long before the next outage so power was on only 50% of the time during that period. It was below 32 degrees the whole time of the rolling blackouts so it did cold in the house. By the time the power was back on for good the tank had dropped below 70 degrees. It took a couple of days to get back up to 76 degrees where the heaters are set. The only things that had backup power at the time were my 2 MP10 flow pumps. They were set to run at 6% when the power goes out so they keep a minimal flow going. My heaters are in the sump so they would be no good to the tank in a power outage without the return pump running anyway. I did not loose any fish or corals from the event. I was lucky some others in the area lost their whole tank's worth of coral and fish.