Powers out 🥺

[Dr4gula.f32]

We just had a blizzard. Made it through the storm fine but now the power just went out. I have a 65g reef and 75g in a room w gas fireplace. I have a small propane 700w generator and a "full" 20 pounder. The temp I can handle w the fireplace but I'm wondering how to extend the propane bottle as long as possible. Hour on, hour off to keep the water oxygenated? What else should I be thinking about in this situation?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I wish I had a good answer for you. Maybe getting your post commented on will get someone here who can help.

 

[TX_REEF]

how long can the generator run? If it were me I'd just leave it on with minimum necessities (flow pumps) as long as possible, and if it dies, since you have temp covered with fireplace, you can manually stir the tank periodically. How long are your outages generally?

On this topic, I've actually started looking at Base Power which provide a full-home battery backup for a super affordable price, might be worth looking into if outages are common in your area.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

You could try floating tightly sealed bottles of hot water in the tank. Just a thought

 

[Fish Fan]

It's always a good idea to have a couple inexpensive battery powered air pumps on hand for just these situations. If you can get to a sporting goods store or even a Walmart, they have these in the fishing department for keeping bait fish alive.

You can aerate a tank by filling a drinking cup or similar with tank water, hold it like 8"-12" above the tank's water surface, and then pour it into the tank. Repeat this a few times and it should help, and you can do this in between when you're not running your generator.

Good luck!

 

[Dr4gula.f32]

You could try floating tightly sealed bottles of hot water in the tank. Just a thought

As I mentioned in the OP. I am not concerned about temperature

 

[Sophie"s mom]

As I mentioned in the OP. I am not concerned about temperature

Gotcha! You can stir the water manually for oxygen. But I would imagine the generator would last quite some time with minimal usage. Sorry I didn't see where you were not worried about temp. Good luck.

 

[tripdad]

Keeping the water oxygenated and warm are key. You have temp covered. It takes quite a bit of movement to keep the water well oxygenated. If you can get one powerhead working then point it at the surface to make a bubbling effect. Good luck.

 

[W31Olds]

I would just add an air stone with an air pump to each tank and run them off your generator and move to the sump once in a while to keep that water moving and aeriated. If you have an inverter generator it would last for days on propane. A standard generator quite a bit less.