Hey guys. I was without power for over 6 days with my 90 gal reef tank. By day 3 after only using battery operated bubble box i started to scramble because tank was way too cold it was in the low 60's and fish were lathargic. I had a friend lend me a small generator which i now think is a must have for all aquarium owners. I used a 800 watt gnerator from harbor freight which cost roughly $100-$125. Its a 2 stroke oil amd gas mix. Less than a gallon of gas ran this thing for 6-8 hrs straight. I had my sunpod 2x250 watt lights running. Which lit up my downstairs which was a bonus. When lights werent being powered i had my 250watt heater running. my house was 58degres during this time. I also ran my pump to circulate the water and a koralier to give the water flow. This little powerhouse is about the size of a 12 pack of bottled bear amd kicks ***. Small and light enough to store its a must have. I alreasy ordered mine off there website but u can find them in ur local harbor freight store.
Sandy success story...
- Thread starter jayblock
- Start date
Jay Block I did the same thing the generator I used was 300 watt. Just enough to run Koralia pumps and then actinics intermittently. I use the BBQ grills side burner to heat up tank water then mixed it in. Took all of 8 hrs to get my tank from 64 to 76. Next day same thing. I did it for 5 days straight. Picked up a 3000w generator and got one tank of gas and that was it no more gas. But I made it with only loss to a few corals . But I'm ready for anything which means it probably won't happen again. It took 2 years for me to use my snow blower.
Tom
Tom
After 3 days without power and long struggles to keep my 40br system warm, I moved my stuff to a temporary setup at my mom's (thanks to fishome25 for the tank). After several hours and a few trips back and forth between Lake Grove and Setauket, I came to get the lights and, pow, we had power. I didn't lose anything, though. Definitely getting a generator after all that.
Good job. Made it thru 14 days with no power with my tank. 1st day neighbors generator + Ecotech battery, 2nd day had to run the car all night with inverter, neighbor pulled the plug. Finally got generator on day 3. People with their own homes should invest in one. Best is Honda 2000i of course. You can run your tank (circulation and basic lights is all you need, not MH people - use LED!), fridge (energy star one), boiler (not furnace, it only produces 120V, should be able to handle hot water systems) basic lights (buy LED for your house! Ikea has some very cheap bulbs/fixtures) and TV if you are careful on 1 gallon of gas every 9 hours. I know $1K seems like a lot for that little guy, but all the work that goes into our tanks... its not that big price to pay. Good luck everyone!
4 days after no power I bought the 3000i. Barely came off an idle with my tank. MH worked. But getting gas was the problem. I orginally planned on getting a natural gas generator but when your desperate......I'm starting to see a small patch of HA growing. Guess from the die off. Hope I beat it back.
Tom
Tom
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