Chiefsurfer
New member
^^^Plus your tv and sattelite if thats what you have, or fridge, etc. even a smallish generator should do your tank, fridge, and maybe a few lights.
doomed power is out/heater
- Thread starter reef_lover24881
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reef_lover24881
New member
Popeye I don’t know why I didn't think of just placing the warm water in a bag instead of putting it straight into the aquarium thanks for bringing that to my attention, I guess that’s why I am posting in the newbie forum=) About the generator I also happened to forget my good high school bud from back in the day works at the home depot down the street, he told me I can just rent one for about 40bucks a day.
Flipper62
Premium Member
Home Depot.....1100 watt super quite generator.......$239.00
here is a link.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...53&cm_sp=3d07f87c-0f20-4e65-aad2-b20868d9408b
here is a link.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...53&cm_sp=3d07f87c-0f20-4e65-aad2-b20868d9408b
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
that's a good deal for a 4 stroke.
lordofthereef
One reef to rule them all
I would look for something used on craigslist or something. So long as it is in good working order. I don't see a reason to buy a brand spanking new generator for only a fish tank to be used in emergencies.
EDIT: That said, 189 bucks is a great deal for that 2k watt generator. Hell I might pick one up myself. Thanks for the link
EDIT: That said, 189 bucks is a great deal for that 2k watt generator. Hell I might pick one up myself. Thanks for the link
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lordofthereef
One reef to rule them all
UPROM22
Use that coupon code for $10 off.
Use that coupon code for $10 off.
reef_lover24881
New member
I think I am going to go with the one on the link. thanks very much for all the help everyone=)
I don't see a reason to buy a brand spanking new generator for only a fish tank to be used in emergencies.
EDIT: That said, 189 bucks is a great deal for that 2k watt generator. Hell I might pick one up myself. Thanks for the link
Wow, I am surprised to hear that from lordofthe reef... :sad2:
Here in Oklahoma, we are subject to tornadoes, severe thunder storms, and worst of all - ice storms. All can and will cause power outages from a few hours to several days.
Several years ago, my wife was watching the TV where the meteorologists were promising the mother of all ice storms. She told me to get in the car and not come back unitl I bought a generator!
I went to the Depot and they were sold out and had none to rent. None of the big equipment rental companies had any to rent. I went to Lowes and they had little cheap gens that were two cycle (add oil to gasoline). They also had a single 6500 watt Troy-Bilt with electric start. It cost more that I wanted to pay...but I was under orders!
I brought that Tro-Bilt home and assembled it out on my driveway. It was already sleeting, so I used the shipping box as a "dog house" to keep the generator dry during that big storm. I ran long extension cords to my then 95G aquarium, our refrigerator, freezer and furnace.
When we lost power three hours later, I started it up and stayed warm with our fish and coral while a 2" layer of ice coated everything, bringing down trees, powerlines and transmission lines. We had no power for almost four days.
Cost of generator: $500 Cost of fish and coral: (then) $900
Best investment I ever made. Since then we have used the generator on four occasions. Each time we avert disaster, we save thousands of dollars invested in our system. Cheap insurance.
We use an APC (brand) UPS (uninterrupted power supply) to run a pair of MP40w powerheads for those brief, but frequent power losses. They are good for about 90 minutes of flow in the display tank. If service is not restored within an hour, I crank up the Troy-Bilt.
The generator is now housed in a small "log cabin" former playhouse in our back yard, where it can be stored securely. We have an automatic switching device which allows us to plug the generator into an external jack on the rear wall of the house. It will now run any 120V device in the house during an outage. We practice power management with the new tank, so as to not overload the generator. We don't run the 1300 watts of T5 lighting, but we have all of the pumps, heaters and skimmer running.
I test run the generator on the first Saturday of every month and charge the starter battery for 24 hours twice a year. Just an additional step in my tank maintenance chores.
Unless you have utility power that is failsafe (and who does), I think a generator should be a part of the aquarium budget just like a skimmer and good lighting.
JME.
LL
For the less expensive and shorter term option:
If you loose power and have a battery backup, you'll want to run a powerhead off the supply. Heaters will drain it very quickly as they generally have higher current draws.
Floating hot water bottles will probably be best to keep the tank warm, if you have a gas stove/oven or a wood stove/fireplace.
__
More expensive option is a generator (must be put outside) and an extension cord. This could run for as long as you have gasoline on hand and as others have said, it can run multiple things in your house if sized appropriately. I personally won't run sensitive electronics off a generator as they tend to be noisy. (I've killed some high priced equipment at work with power spikes from a generator) Most things will be fine though (fridge, pumps, etc.) especially if you add a surge protector.
Remember, you don't have to run everything in the tank in an emergency. Just some flow in the display (and sump) and heat. Maybe the skimmer occasionally. No light for a day or two will not matter. If the outage goes longer, you'll need to be able to run the other equipment at least intermittently.
If you loose power and have a battery backup, you'll want to run a powerhead off the supply. Heaters will drain it very quickly as they generally have higher current draws.
Floating hot water bottles will probably be best to keep the tank warm, if you have a gas stove/oven or a wood stove/fireplace.
__
More expensive option is a generator (must be put outside) and an extension cord. This could run for as long as you have gasoline on hand and as others have said, it can run multiple things in your house if sized appropriately. I personally won't run sensitive electronics off a generator as they tend to be noisy. (I've killed some high priced equipment at work with power spikes from a generator) Most things will be fine though (fridge, pumps, etc.) especially if you add a surge protector.
Remember, you don't have to run everything in the tank in an emergency. Just some flow in the display (and sump) and heat. Maybe the skimmer occasionally. No light for a day or two will not matter. If the outage goes longer, you'll need to be able to run the other equipment at least intermittently.
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Living in New Orleans we are always having power outages. I started with marine batteries hooked up to a inverter. With 2 marine batteries I could use a 1000 watt inverter which worked fine for hours as long as the batteries were fully charged. Now I use a back up generator. Much easier.
Chiefsurfer
New member
I think lordofthereef's argument is that mostly, fish are the cheapest part of the equation, so it would not be necessarily cost effective. That said, there is no real way to put a price on a pet you are attached to. If I had more than one fish and I had frequent power outages, I would also buy the generator.
Guygettnby
Well-known member
+1 this is what a couple of my buddies do and something i have done in the past. i can run a 300w heater and a power head for almost 2 days. but this also depends on how cold your house and tank get.
meco65
New member
If you have gas you can get a gas heater that dose not need electricity just keep the room at about 80° to 85° and the tank should be fine. The LFS I go to dose not use heaters in there tanks just room temp of 80° even if you had to run the heat at 90° it would be worth it to save the tank. Plus it will heat the house when power is out.
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Btortorelli
New member
Buy a cheap generator one of the best things you can buy if your in this hobbie!My power was out for like 6hours a couple months back if i didnt have that thing everything would of been done for.Before i had one all i did was worry when they said there was going to be a storm lol:rollface:
1DeR9_3Hy
New member
Something like that, they are great to have even if you dont have the tank. Also whether you get the cheap one or an expensive one, they all use the same safety valves so your only paying for looks. TSC has some nice ones for under $300.
That was my experience, as explained above... the rental guys around here hold them for their regular customers...
LL
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