Storm Season among us. Power outage readiness!!!

Neoma

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Good afternoon everyone, I wanted to make this thread to give myself and others who live in Florida and other outlying states who are affected by hurricanes and other storms which can leave us without power for days to weeks at a time. I am still newish to the hobby and I haven't had my tank up and running long so I haven't experienced a power outage lasting longer than a few minutes while the tank has been up and running. Anyone who has a good plan of action that will work on the smallest to largest sizes of tanks. I myself have a 25gal lagoon. I already have a bubble box and extra batteries, and frozen bottles of water to help oxygen levels and water temp. Any other tips or tricks to help your aquarium survive is greatly appreciated. Also I understand a generator is the best option probably, but I live in an apartment and don't have storage space for one. Thank you to all who post and happy reefing everyone, stay safe during this storm season.
I'm in the same boat!
 

josephxsxn

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Second power outage of the year for me, Went off about 30 minutes ago. Already got the generator running and a fire started in the wood stove. Generator has definitely paid for itself and then some now!
 

don_chuwish

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Generator was critical two years ago when we had a 'snowmaggedon' that pulled thousands of trees down on power lines all over the county. My power was out for a week and the house was down to 40 degrees. Between my mom and I we had 3 generators on hand - only one would start due to neglect. So that one was tasked with keeping my tank alive. Once I got done dealing with being snow bound I was able to spend time cleaning carburetors and got the other generators going. ALWAYS properly prepare your gasoline powered generators for storage!
 

disdareef

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I keep a generator ready. My wife is going to be ticked when I plug it up to reef to make sure the corals stay warm while my kids are bundled up freezing with no heat!!!
 

lisarafala

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Last year after Irma, we were without power for 3 days. I just used a battery powered air pump with a stone, opened the windows to help keep it cool, and stirred the tank every 3-4 hours. I didn't have a single loss.:)
I have a 29 gallon with her hang over the back filter. I am also worried about outages living in Florida. How do I keep the filter running the heater running and the powerhead. I need a good enough battery for all three but nothing too large because I also live in apartment and I don’t want propane in my apartment. Any advice on a purchase would be greatly appreciated
 

Untapped

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Not many suggestions for people that live in Condos/Apartments...
I have very limited space myself, and no place to really store or set up a generator. Recently we lost power for 3 days - i wound up getting a battery operated air pump found in sporting dept/fishing supplies, a boat/marine battery, an everstart device (very small size) that has 2 outlets and 2 usb ports and attaches to the battery. I also invested in zeolite for saltwater tanks <tho still hesitant to ever use it> to help if ammonia spikes, and the hothands warmers to put into a bottle and float in the tank to help keep heat regulated...it all fits under my stand and my only concern now is if the battery loses charge in between storm outages.

Also having enough saltwater on hand for frequent water changes during an outage.

Cost me around 100 for peace of mind. Pretty simple and efficient - I never had to try my hothands in bottles idea due to the 2 plugs on the everstart converter.
 

tltruitt8

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Good afternoon everyone, I wanted to make this thread to give myself and others who live in Florida and other outlying states who are affected by hurricanes and other storms which can leave us without power for days to weeks at a time. I am still newish to the hobby and I haven't had my tank up and running long so I haven't experienced a power outage lasting longer than a few minutes while the tank has been up and running. Anyone who has a good plan of action that will work on the smallest to largest sizes of tanks. I myself have a 25gal lagoon. I already have a bubble box and extra batteries, and frozen bottles of water to help oxygen levels and water temp. Any other tips or tricks to help your aquarium survive is greatly appreciated. Also I understand a generator is the best option probably, but I live in an apartment and don't have storage space for one. Thank you to all who post and happy reefing everyone, stay safe during this storm season.
Hi...I just went thru the February freeze in North TX. We lost power for 2 nights (0 degrees then -6 degrees the2nd night) I didn’t lose anything, while others here (and a lot farther south) lost their entire tanks. I didn’t have a generator at the time, but have now purchased the 4 Patriots solar generator. Check it out...small, portable, silent...panels will charge on a patio or balcony. I had their solar phone/device charger, and it was GREAT...charging with sunlight coming thru my French doors. I adjusted one of my powerheadS for more aeration and hooked it up to my Halo Bolt. (Not enough power for the heater for many hours) Slapped 2 heat packets on each end of the tank, and wrapped it from top to floor in thermal blankets. Vented for CO2 exchange every 2 hours. By grace of God, everything survived. The solar generator charges while running and will power all pumps, protein skimmer and heater for 6-8 hours. It will charge while operating. So I have one for the tank, and aBother to cycle my fridge, my freezer, microwave and small appliances. That generator, a Halo Bolt in reserve, and a cold source will get you thru hurricane season even in an apartment.
 

Gup

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Small tank, a power inverter would be a good choice. Run it off a car battery. Even better would be to be able to run it off a car battery in a car, so you can recharge it by running the car. Inverters aren't that expensive, depending on the size needed.
I've been reading call the posts of this thread and was going to mention a power inverter when I was finished reading. You're right, a power inverter can supply the most basic equipment you need 4 your tank.

I have one myself, in the car, constantly. But I use it for an ice machine because I have a bad nerve in one shoulder causing extreme pain, so ice is the only relief besides heavy doses of narcotics
 

FishyDP

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Battery power for air stones and lots of bottles of frozen ro water in freezer. This is of course only good for a shorter power outage otherwise gas powered generator.
 

blasterman

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Heating your tank when the power goes out is the biggest problem. Those of us who live in Apts and condos don't have a generator option and running an inductance heater off a battery is asking for trouble. Frankly I think anybody who owns electric ovens in a northern state is a moron. Even if my power goes out I can flip my gas stove on and keep at a comfortable temp.

A cyber power 1000VAC UPS and basic powerhead is a solid choice for watermovement. I have some sunsun powerheads that move 400+ gph and use less than 10 watts. For the record these type of basic powerheads are far more efficient than air stones when it comes to converting battery power to water movement.
 

ReefMan692

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Just dropped 1000 on an inverter generator i figure that and 10 gallons of gasoline should keep me up for a couple of days
 

SDK

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Oh dang thats expensive
It is, but you can power your tank, with leftover juice for yourself in the event of a power outage. If your condo gets sun, you can add a solar suitcase and survive for a while. It's a bigger upfront investment than a generator, but will last for decades and requires no gas to be purchased and stored...
 

Zeal

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It is, but you can power your tank, with leftover juice for yourself in the event of a power outage. If your condo gets sun, you can add a solar suitcase and survive for a while. It's a bigger upfront investment than a generator, but will last for decades and requires no gas to be purchased and stored...
How long will one run? I live in South Florida so keeping the tank warm isnt an issue. The issue is just keeping the water moving. Dont need the lights and all that stuff. The tank is near a window that gets sun.

Edit: I hate hurricanes
 

SDK

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How long will one run? I live in South Florida so keeping the tank warm isn't an issue. The issue is just keeping the water moving. Don't need the lights and all that stuff. The tank is near a window that gets sun
It depends on your tank size and equipment. Loosely speaking, probably days if you just ran an air pump and powerhead along with some lights for you and phone charging, etc. If you throw a solar panel out on your balcony and it gets decent sun, maybe indefinitely....

I have the smaller River 600 MAX for my RV, and I can do lights, charging and keep the RV battery topped up almost forever with a solar panel..
 

Zeal

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It depends on your tank size and equipment. Loosely speaking, probably days if you just ran a skimmer and powerhead along with some lights for you and phone charging, etc. If you throw a solar panel out on your balcony and it gets decent sun, maybe indefinitely....

I have the smaller River 600 MAX for my RV, and I can do lights, charging and keep the RV battery topped up almost forever with a solar panel..
Good to know. Ill look into one. Its a 40G cube... As long as the return or powerhead is moving I think ill be fine
 

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