If you’ve been in the hobby long enough, you’ve had a tank disaster/wipeout of some sort. Disease, mechanical breakdown, poisoning/overdosing and heater malfunctions can all take out a tank. In my 31 years keeping saltwater aquariums, I’ve experienced most.
The one situation you might notice that is missing above is also one of the most common – a power outage. A power outage is not a question of when, but if. There are several steps you can take ahead of time to help mitigate the effects of that power outage, when it arrives.
Most tanks can survive a power outage of up to several hours without any harm. The primary issue of concern is water oxygenation; without surface water movement, a tank’s oxygen levels can drop enough to kill your fish (and eventually, your corals). How long your tank can go without power depends greatly upon stocking levels (not that anyone in the hobby would EVER overstock a tank
).
So, what steps can you take to prepare for a power outage? One of the cheapest and easiest is to have battery-powered air bubblers available. Power goes out, drop the bubblers into your tank (and sump!), and they will provide water movement at the surface, helping to keep the water oxygenated.
Of course, this requires you, or someone else, to be home when the outage occurs. I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law – that anything that can go wrong, will. In this case, the “wrong” being the power outage occurring when you are away from home. I was vacationing several hours from home when I saw on the news there was a major outage in my area. I remember calling my house-sitter (a teenager) and trying to talk them through finding the bubblers and getting them into the tank.
There are a couple of ways of addressing this possibility. Penn Plax makes a battery-powered bubbler (the B11) that plugs in to an outlet. When power to the outlet goes out, the bubbler switches on. This is a relatively cheap insurance policy, and the batteries run the bubbler up to 48 hours! Of course, you do have to keep the bubblers in place in the tank (and sump!) all the time, and occasional maintenance is required (coralline or other algae can clog the bubble stone).
A bit more expensive is a battery backup system. Some hobby manufacturers make battery systems specifically for their systems (I have a Vortech battery on my two MP40s currently). You can also buy a computer backup battery and plug a small powerhead into it (pointed at the surface of the tank). This was my “go-to” in the mid 90s. This can keep your tank “running” for several hours.
Moving up the expense list, you can buy a generator. If you live in an area with frequent outages, I highly suggest you do so! I have a 2200 HP Honda generator (not cheap) that can run my tank and my refrigerators (an important fact to help sell the purchase to your spouse
). Of course, this also requires someone to be at home when the outage occurs.
Finally, moving up the expense scale to the ultimate back-up systems, are whole-house generators and whole house batteries. These are expensive options, but the most complete and “hands-off” solutions of all. Another plus is that these systems also address the temperature needs of the tank (heating/cooling), which can become problematic in protracted outages. Solutions to those problems are for another post.
Depending on the size of your system, you’ve likely spent thousands of dollars on your tank to get it to this point. But what have you spent to keep it from crashing in the event of a power outage?
Please let me know your thoughts below.
Kevin
The one situation you might notice that is missing above is also one of the most common – a power outage. A power outage is not a question of when, but if. There are several steps you can take ahead of time to help mitigate the effects of that power outage, when it arrives.
Most tanks can survive a power outage of up to several hours without any harm. The primary issue of concern is water oxygenation; without surface water movement, a tank’s oxygen levels can drop enough to kill your fish (and eventually, your corals). How long your tank can go without power depends greatly upon stocking levels (not that anyone in the hobby would EVER overstock a tank
So, what steps can you take to prepare for a power outage? One of the cheapest and easiest is to have battery-powered air bubblers available. Power goes out, drop the bubblers into your tank (and sump!), and they will provide water movement at the surface, helping to keep the water oxygenated.
Of course, this requires you, or someone else, to be home when the outage occurs. I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law – that anything that can go wrong, will. In this case, the “wrong” being the power outage occurring when you are away from home. I was vacationing several hours from home when I saw on the news there was a major outage in my area. I remember calling my house-sitter (a teenager) and trying to talk them through finding the bubblers and getting them into the tank.
There are a couple of ways of addressing this possibility. Penn Plax makes a battery-powered bubbler (the B11) that plugs in to an outlet. When power to the outlet goes out, the bubbler switches on. This is a relatively cheap insurance policy, and the batteries run the bubbler up to 48 hours! Of course, you do have to keep the bubblers in place in the tank (and sump!) all the time, and occasional maintenance is required (coralline or other algae can clog the bubble stone).
A bit more expensive is a battery backup system. Some hobby manufacturers make battery systems specifically for their systems (I have a Vortech battery on my two MP40s currently). You can also buy a computer backup battery and plug a small powerhead into it (pointed at the surface of the tank). This was my “go-to” in the mid 90s. This can keep your tank “running” for several hours.
Moving up the expense list, you can buy a generator. If you live in an area with frequent outages, I highly suggest you do so! I have a 2200 HP Honda generator (not cheap) that can run my tank and my refrigerators (an important fact to help sell the purchase to your spouse
Finally, moving up the expense scale to the ultimate back-up systems, are whole-house generators and whole house batteries. These are expensive options, but the most complete and “hands-off” solutions of all. Another plus is that these systems also address the temperature needs of the tank (heating/cooling), which can become problematic in protracted outages. Solutions to those problems are for another post.
Depending on the size of your system, you’ve likely spent thousands of dollars on your tank to get it to this point. But what have you spent to keep it from crashing in the event of a power outage?
Please let me know your thoughts below.
Kevin
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