Reef Tanks and sustainable emergency power

[plankton]

So, my tank is in Northern California home to earthquakes, wild fires and energy company that’s expensive, mostly dependable (unless it’s hot and there’s a wildfire).

I have eco tech battery for my two MP10QD that’s will run two for 36 hours. So basic circulation is OK

And I have APC Pro 1000 which is 600 watt (has two 12AH AGM batteries) which yields 24 AH and at my 25 G nano load of 243W would last according to display 19min. This is fine for protecting sensitive electronic devices from surges and momentary outages but not multi hour let alone multi day.

So what to do in event of multi hour or day?

1000 W gas powered inverters will run at half load for 4.8 hours per 1.18G of gas.

I could add solar cell charge 100AH RV batteries but one would only last 1.3 hours at my load so would need a bank of them to last until sun comes up next day.

What did you do or what would you do to prepare for multi hour / multi day outage of your coveted reef tank? Separately I have probably spent at least $5k on my current nano not including time and really want to edge on the side of caution and be prepared for outage.

TIA Scott

 

[Mike konesky]

Honda generator, extension cords, and plenty of gas.

 

[DC Reefer]

I have a gas powered generator for my tanks. Thankfully have had it for 8 years and never had to use it. I am looking at a whole house natural gas generator. My wife has a greenhouse with 250 orchids and need something that can keep the power going there as well which is a stretch for the generator I have.

For the battery option, have you looked at LI deep cycle batteries. They cost a lot more (4-5x) but you can use all the power rather than just half and they last a lot longer. Have been looking at some for my boat. Some have 11 year warranties.

 

[CMMorgan]

Happy to see this thread.... I was considering a solar generator to keep at least wavemakers running. Being in SW Florida, sun is easy to come by.

 

[plankton]

I have a gas powered generator for my tanks. Thankfully have had it for 8 years and never had to use it. I am looking at a whole house natural gas generator. My wife has a greenhouse with 250 orchids and need something that can keep the power going there as well which is a stretch for the generator I have.

For the battery option, have you looked at LI deep cycle batteries. They cost a lot more (4-5x) but you can use all the power rather than just half and they last a lot longer. Have been looking at some for my boat. Some have 11 year warranties.

Thank you for the prompt reply as I’m currently designing and ordering components for my system.

What about hybrid batteries that claim to have 11 year life span and hold their change much longer than normal batteries?

 

[CMMorgan]

Thank you for the prompt reply as I’m currently designing and ordering components for my system.

What about hybrid batteries that claim to have 11 year life span and hold their change much longer than normal batteries?

Haven't used those but I'm intrigued.... better option perhaps than a boat battery. Boat batteries die so quickly. If you have a good inverter, it could work.

 

[mdb_talon]

In my opinion the cost effective answer is a gas generator. If prepared with fuel you can go days. I keep 20 gallons on standby(every 4-6 months i put them in the car and refill to keep gas fresh)

Solar is fine, but be prepared to spend a lot of money on batteries

 

[DC Reefer]

Thank you for the prompt reply as I’m currently designing and ordering components for my system.

What about hybrid batteries that claim to have 11 year life span and hold their change much longer than normal batteries?

I have not looked into the GEL batteries in any detail. One thing I read about them is they take longer to charge than other batteries and you have to be careful to turn the charger off when they are done or it will cook them (I find this hard to believe as there has to be a smart charger that will turn them off). These are the batteries I have been looking at for my boat - they are pricey.

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[plankton]

OK pulled trigger on small solar based charging station because I have limit full sun exposure based on my location but enough to charge two 100AH batteries AND I purchased small 2000 watt full sine wave gas powered generator as back up and I realize I’ll have to test the gas generator several times per year to keep it in good condition. Enough backup for the tank and critical house stuff if the need arises.

 

[DC Reefer]

OK pulled trigger on small solar based charging station because I have limit full sun exposure based on my location but enough to charge two 100AH batteries AND I purchased small 2000 watt full sine wave gas powered generator as back up and I realize I’ll have to test the gas generator several times per year to keep it in good condition. Enough backup for the tank and critical house stuff if the need arises.

If you can find clear gas (no ethanol) for the generator that would be best as it stores better. For my generator I use fuel stabilizer and when I turn it on I let it run for 15-20 minutes and then turn the fuel off and let the engine stop from lack of fuel so I don't get gunk in the carburetor. Has started right up for the last 8 years doing it this way. Good luck

 

[TheWalkingCoral]

I live on the second floor of a apartment and have a 40B. Only thing I currently have for a safety net is a cyber power 950va UPS that can keep a fan running until I figure out what the heck to do. Wife and I have been talking about this a lot after witnessing all the tragedy that struck Texas. I realized how heavily reliant this hobby can be on resources if not planned accordingly. Our entire apartment, stove, heating etc. is entirely electric. My hope is that the water heater they have here is gas and I can fill some water bottles to get me through a short outage and rely on the battery to keep water moving. Not sure we'd be able to get away with a generator but I'm sure I could throw some heaters/bubblers in a couple 5 gallon home depot buckets and find someone with one. I wonder if there are any cigarette plug inverters powerful enough to run a small wavemaker and a heater in a bucket, might be a cheap safety net for everyone.

Reality is for most of us there is only so much you can do, but to do nothing is not a option. Even though some stuff may be out of our control that does not mean it isn't worth the effort.

 

[plankton]

If you can find clear gas (no ethanol) for the generator that would be best as it stores better. For my generator I use fuel stabilizer and when I turn it on I let it run for 15-20 minutes and then turn the fuel off and let the engine stop from lack of fuel so I don't get gunk in the carburetor. Has started right up for the last 8 years doing it this way. Good luck

got it but with four stroke engines you also have to add oil right? Thinking of only using pure synthetic as it might last longer?

 

[DivingTheWorld]

For gas generators, I recommend getting an "inverter" generator. They cost more but will keep your sensitive electronics like tank components damage free. We use a Champion dual-fuel model and run it off Propane so no need to worry about gas spoiling or gumming up your carburetor. You can also buy larger propane tanks like 30 lb so it will run a long time between tank swaps. Ours can run the entire fish tank, both refrigerators, laptops, charging phones, etc.

A note on the APC backups, be sure to test them to see how long they will last. We had a 1500w one on the fish tank and it estimated about 1 hour of backup. When the power went out it lasted at BEST 5 minutes.

 

[Jekyl]

So, my tank is in Northern California home to earthquakes, wild fires and energy company that’s expensive, mostly dependable (unless it’s hot and there’s a wildfire).

I have eco tech battery for my two MP10QD that’s will run two for 36 hours. So basic circulation is OK

And I have APC Pro 1000 which is 600 watt (has two 12AH AGM batteries) which yields 24 AH and at my 25 G nano load of 243W would last according to display 19min. This is fine for protecting sensitive electronic devices from surges and momentary outages but not multi hour let alone multi day.

So what to do in event of multi hour or day?

1000 W gas powered inverters will run at half load for 4.8 hours per 1.18G of gas.

I could add solar cell charge 100AH RV batteries but one would only last 1.3 hours at my load so would need a bank of them to last until sun comes up next day.

What did you do or what would you do to prepare for multi hour / multi day outage of your coveted reef tank? Separately I have probably spent at least $5k on my current nano not including time and really want to edge on the side of caution and be prepared for outage.

TIA Scott

I have a 5500 watt generator that powers my house overnight on a single tank of gas.

 

[plankton]

Today had unplanned test of the solar panel inverter and generator and both worked.

APC1000 lasted about 15min as expected then died. <had to drive 10 miles to find gas station that has power to fill 2.5G canister of gas>

Got back and ran extension cord from solar inverter to tank and worked perfectly. See pics. After lights came back on one hour forty minutes later started up generator to make sure it worked and also all good.

I literally just finished wiring up inverter with two 100AH marine deep cell batteries, fuses and amp meters at lunch today.