8BALL_99
New member
Hey everyone,
Its that time of year again for severe weather. It looks like we might get some bad thunder storms tonight even. Just thought I'd remind everyone to have a plan for emergency power for your Tank\Tanks.
You dont have to have something as nice as a Generator although it helps
.
Something as simple as a battery powered air pump can keep your critters alive for several hours during a black out. If you want to try to run your return pump or maybe even a few more things. A Car inverter isn't a bad option either.. Plugs into your 12v outlet in your car or clips onto the battery terminals under the hood. It converts 12v DC into 120v AC. They run as cheap as 30 bucks for a 300watt one.. Just be sure not to run your car battery down. If you have a newer car you can leave them idle for hours without any problems. A UPS is also a Decent option for running a small power head or two. Just dont expect to run very much on them for very long. You can also make your own Ups with a 12v Deep cycle battery and a few other odd and ends. I made one a while back for around a couple hundred. It should run a good sized return pump for several hours.
The best part about a Battery powered Airpump or some kind of Ups is that they are automatic. When the power cuts off they switch over to battery power with out you having to be there!.
Anyway just thought I'd Remind everyone to have a plan.. Most dont think about it or put if off till they need it. Including myself! We lost several fish a few years ago when we lost power.. I was even home.. You would be amazed how fast fish die in a power outage.. I figured if they live in a bag shipping from CA to here, then they could live in a large tank for a few hours..Wrong! In a full blown reef tank our fish started floating up and gasping for air in as little as 2 hours.. Even if they don't die most fish dont handle stress well at all.
Will
Its that time of year again for severe weather. It looks like we might get some bad thunder storms tonight even. Just thought I'd remind everyone to have a plan for emergency power for your Tank\Tanks.
You dont have to have something as nice as a Generator although it helps
. Something as simple as a battery powered air pump can keep your critters alive for several hours during a black out. If you want to try to run your return pump or maybe even a few more things. A Car inverter isn't a bad option either.. Plugs into your 12v outlet in your car or clips onto the battery terminals under the hood. It converts 12v DC into 120v AC. They run as cheap as 30 bucks for a 300watt one.. Just be sure not to run your car battery down. If you have a newer car you can leave them idle for hours without any problems. A UPS is also a Decent option for running a small power head or two. Just dont expect to run very much on them for very long. You can also make your own Ups with a 12v Deep cycle battery and a few other odd and ends. I made one a while back for around a couple hundred. It should run a good sized return pump for several hours.
The best part about a Battery powered Airpump or some kind of Ups is that they are automatic. When the power cuts off they switch over to battery power with out you having to be there!.
Anyway just thought I'd Remind everyone to have a plan.. Most dont think about it or put if off till they need it. Including myself! We lost several fish a few years ago when we lost power.. I was even home.. You would be amazed how fast fish die in a power outage.. I figured if they live in a bag shipping from CA to here, then they could live in a large tank for a few hours..Wrong! In a full blown reef tank our fish started floating up and gasping for air in as little as 2 hours.. Even if they don't die most fish dont handle stress well at all.
Will
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