jtown Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 I just had a bad power outtage. power went out at 4:30 PM on saturday and just came back on Sunday night at 9PM. I think my gramma is on his last leg, but my two clowns seem ok. The power is still flickering on and off. I'm so sad. The temperature went down to 70 and I was trying to heat it with boiling water in a glass milk jug, but I can't do that ALL night. sad day. Link to comment
XtraKritical Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 being a computer geek im thinking how about a UPS unit which is basically a rechargable battary the size of a shoe box on its side (size 11) with outlets usaully 4-6 good luck! Link to comment
Rocket_155 Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 i have an APC UPS system that kicks in when the power goes out. Link to comment
spoondigity Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Well if you are worried about oxygen, they make battery operated air pumps which come with air stones. These also plug into the wall. The neat thing, is that while they are plugged into the wall with power, they will not run. But once they sense the electricity has stopped to the plug, they automatically start. I have one and I don't have to worry about not being home when something happens. Temperature is a tougher problem. I haven't checked into battery operated heaters but I bet they are made by someone. UPS systems are good if you can spend the money on a decent one. Link to comment
jawarden Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 We had a three day power outage in North Carolina a few weeks ago due to an ice storm. I kept the temperature reasonably consistant in my 30G FOWLR by wrapping the aquarium with all the blankets I could find and heating aquarium water on the gas stove. Not fun, but everyone survived. A few hours each day I would run the aquarium from a generator to get some oxygen in the water and stabilize the temperature. The rest of the time I would fill/empty buckets of water into the aquarium to keep oxygen in there. If I ever set up a large reef tank I will have a small generator just for it. Pretty cheap insurance compared to restocking your aquarium if your area is prone to long outages. $0.02, Jeff P.S. I'll be setting up a nano in a month or two - been lurking and learning... Link to comment
belamy Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 how long before O2 starts running out in a 10gal? Sacramento's been going on and off in power outages this past weekend. Luckily it's about 15 minutes long at most. Wanna find out if I need to invest in battery back-up or not. man, i spending more on the reef than on my house! Arbel Link to comment
Catspa Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Na, you shouldn't have to wory about the O2, just think how long a fish survives in a bag during shipping. If the power goes out, all you really have to wory about is the temperature. Powerbackup systems that they sell for computers, may be the way to go, but i'm not sure they would be realy that helpfull, don't think they would run much more then 20min, and that really doesn't help much, if temperature is what your worried about. I think the only real solution, being in Canada, is a gass powered genator, but then you have to be home to turn it on when the power goes off, unless you spring for $$ and get one professionaly installed backup system (basicaly turns on automatically) - but costs big $$$ But i could be wrong.. Link to comment
jtown Posted December 16, 2002 Author Share Posted December 16, 2002 A few updates ... The power supposedly was on last night for a few hours, but then shut off again at midnight. I came home from school at around 2:30 and my mom had wrapped both my freshwater and saltwater tanks which helps tremendously. My dad bought a generator on my behalf and I ran it all this morning from 8am to 10pm almost getting the temp. back up to 80. Then the power just came on! SWEET! My gramma seems to be alive and well also! I'm a pretty happy camper. How long will a UPS last? I used to have them at work and once the power was out and the battery only lasted like 10 min. My boss said they just use them so you can shut down properly without losing your work etc. I hope the power doesn't go out again. Link to comment
BCOrchidGuy Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Just adding warmer water every couple hours is sufficient to aerate your water, the big thing is water movement and temperature in my humble opinion. Most inverts will be fine with temps down to the mid 70s for a period of time, heck they may even love it, the fish however will not. I would add Novaqua and Amquel to the water to help the fish with the stress, and probably take up prayer again... (big move seeing as Im a pagan) Link to comment
spoondigity Posted December 16, 2002 Share Posted December 16, 2002 Yeah, 15 minutes is no big deal. I have transported several marine fish in a small 2-3 gallon closed cooler and left them in it for a couple of hours. Any more than that and I would have wanted a powerhead going or some type of water movement. The battery backups are cheap if you need one. I bought mine for $13. Add in some 'D' batteries and you are set. Not all come with the power plug so check what you are getting. Sounds like blankets on the tank are a good idea. If you have a gas water heater you may still have hot water in a power out situation too. Link to comment
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