Tornado Killed the power, acros in trouble!!!!!!!

[marine_freak]

Just to let you guys know... anybody who is serous about keeping acros should have a generator..... Friday I got off of work, I had worked a double shift. I was home for about 20 minutes when the tornado siren began to sound... First time I ever heard it to be honest...... Then about 5 minutes later a storm hit my city like a freight train. 80mph winds... received 10 inches of rain in 24hrs which flooded the city. The storm spawned 3 tornados which added insult to injury. Needless to say power was out for 4 days. After 8hrs of no power the acro tank began to smell a little fowl so I hooked up the generator for my circulation and heating. It worked well... I would have started it sooner but after coming off 16hrs of work I crashed and awoke 8hrs later to my current tank predicament. I have since done 2 water changes and running carbon heavy. The 8hr pause allowed the tank temp to drop to 72 when it is regularly 78-79. I have only lost 1 frag, and my rainbow monti has died back approx 1/8 of an inch. Everything else looks stressed but I think will survive. This makes the second time in 2 years that we have lost power for a long time. The first was last year, the worst ice storm in recorded Ohio history... it knocked out the power for 11 days... I had no generator at that time, and lost all of the inhabitants of my 450 gallon acro tank.... approx. 120 acro colonies, and it equaled out to be approx. 15,000.00 in livestock. Some colonies 8-9 years old. So just as a friendly reminder that it can happen anywhere.... We have lost power around here only 2 times since I can remember (30 years) and it just happened to be 2 yrs back to back. Buy a generator...... 500.00 is not much in comparison to the monetary loss you can sustain with dead acro colonies!!!! This time I was prepared and my losses where minimal...

 

[whiteshark]

Sorry to hear about the losses from your first tank. At least you were prepared this time and didn't lose to much. In that kind of situation, the most important thing is that you and your family are all ok...

 

[dreaminmel]

:eek1: I think I just figured out what I'm asking the hubby to get me for Christmas this year!

I've got to give you a pat on the back. After losing $15K in livestock I don't know that I would have had the will to start over again. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your acros that all will be OK this time around.

 

[The DOC]

GREAT advice!! I to keep a generator...with $40,000 in just acros its a must!!!

I got one on e-bay 800 watter for $124 with shipping! Works awsome!!! We take it camping as well...little added bonus!...lol...

YES reefers get you a generator or power pack...its cheap insurance!

Doc

 

[murphreef]

yes a generator is needed but u have to be home to turn it on and plug everything into the generator

i picked up a 400W battery back up system that i keep my sump return pump plugged into and it automatically switches on to keep some water running in the tank i figured at least if the sump return worked then the acros would be good until i got home and turned my generator on...

the battery pack cost me about $200 and should last 5-6 hours with my pan world 100px-x plugged into it

everyone deffinately needs a back up

my power went out a few sundays ago for 9 hours bcuz the electric company was replacing a power pole in the neighborhood and they didnt even tell me!

 

[fishdoc11]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune

I have battery powered air pumps that kick on when the power goes out. They buy me a few hours until I can get the generator turned on and hooked up.

Chris

 

[marine_freak]

Yeah, I think everything will bounce back... it is weird you know you hear people and meteorologists saying that weather is becoming more violent due to global warming and what not...... that has defiantly rang true around here..... we used to have seasons snow in the winter and hot muggy summers but now we may have a couple snows but most of the winter is just cold and wet, not snow like it used to be, summers have begun to get hotter and last longer, thunderstorms are much more intense and violent.... we never used to lose power and I mean never!!!! Now it has happened 2 years back to back!!!! What makes it even worse are the roaming blackouts, we had a couple of those last year.. it was a first for that also.... due to hot summers and everybody cranking up the ac. But anyhow my acros have lost some color, and the PE is not the best, but it all seems to be improving. I feel lucky that this time around it was not as bad... 4 days versus 11, and my losses were minimal.... and yes dreaminmel I thought long and hard about restarting some of those colonies were irreplaceable... but I love the hobby, I got to do it... it is my release and helps me cope with the highly stressful work that I do.... so no matter what happens I will always be a reefer and a coral keeper. It may only be a 10 gallon tank one day but I will always have it in me.

 

[badbones]

Last year I was out power for over 24 hours due to the electric company not restoring power after my home upgrade. I do have a 5200wt one, but its the BEAST. Sounds like a DC10. It works perfect, but cant run it at night. I bit the bullet and bought a Honda. Just over a $1000, but its so quite I can stand next to it and hold a conversation. It starts on the 1st pull everytime and has a load of around 1800wts. I used it to run the basics, circ and heaters, along with the house fridge, tv and some lights.

It only weight like 60lbs and can be taken anywhere!!!

Just my .02 and every serious sps'er should have some sort of backup.

 

[The DOC]

Yes our planet is changing...birth pains...there shall be famines, pestalices, earthquakes in divers places...floods....disease....

Global warming...?????....naaaa...much bigger friends....



Glad you stuck with the hobby!!!!!

Doc

 

[marine_freak]

Matter a fact badbones I have a Honda 1000 watt generator just for my tank.. and yes it cost me 800.00, but I also have a 5500 watt workhorse for the house, fridge etc. and yes it sounds like a dc 10 but it is well worth the sacrafice...I just have a very long extension cord and it sits in the back yard under my porch awning. Cannot hear with the door shut.... and if I am running one, so are the neighbors since we are all on the same power grid, when I lose power so does every house in the area for 6 blocks!!!!

 

[Stoney Mahony]

Yeah, you don't have to tell me about the weather changing. How many frickin hurricanes can hit Florida in a year? I was born and raised in Orlando and the last couple years have definately been the worst. I am hoping for a calm season this year but who knows. Good advise, generator is definately a must!

 

[DirtySouth056]

I smell what your screamin Marine, All together my power was out for more than a month last summer, 3 hurricanes! A generator pays for it-self the first time you use it. Hopefully everything recovers nicely in your tank. Glad to hear you were ready this.

 

[marine_freak]

Thanks guys... today the corals look even better..... all polyps open, I trimmed the dead from the rainbow monti and it seems to be holding its own and not receding anymore. This is kind of on and off the subject but I rented a DVD thru Imax films called the Coral Reef Adventure 2003... it is all about the south pacific reefs. A group of scientist are commissioned by the Oceanographic institute are to explore the largest south Pacific reefs and figure out how quickly they are dying and what is the cause in each case.... usually it was more than 1 cause but all had the same common stressors.... increased ocean temps. Another big one was silt run off from logging companies... once the trees are gone, the silt runs into the rivers which dump it into the ocean and onto the reefs.. killing them. Very educational... a lot of really good video footage of the reefs in 2003 healthy and dying. They estimate that at the current rate 75% of all coral reefs as we know them will be gone within 30yrs. That is sad!! Now we can change some factors that are causing the damage such as leaving forest intact within a 50 mile radius of the coast line, Plant mangroves near coast lines..... decrease fossil fuel consumption... you all know the drill. Anyhow if you get a chance to rent it, I highly recommend it.

 

[The DOC]

man I feel like hugging a tree! LOL

Doc

 

[mikekman]

Sorry to hear about your loss. If you know the power outage will only be out for a few hours, then a battery powered air pump will suffice. But if it lasts for more than a few hours and even up to days, then definately a generator will be needed.

I'm wondering, what size generator should a person get? I saw some 5000 watt generators at Home Depot. I was thinking that would be enough for lights, pumps, etc.

If anyone can give pointers on what size generator to get, let me know.

Mike

 

[salt-rookie]

Check out the Penn Plax Silent Air B11. It has 2- D sized batteries, with an airstone, plugs into an outlet. The plugin senses that the power is out and kicks it on. Its not a long term solution, but if the power goes out while I'm sleeping, I'm glad the corals are safe!

 

[Serioussnaps]

Man i am sorry to hear about your losses.

15K in ACROS AND NO GENERATOR.....*** WERE YOU THINKING...I HOPE EVERY THING GOES WELL...FOLLOW MURPHY'S LAW...OH , IT WILL HAPPEN.....

OH WELL , YOU LIVE AND LEARN...I BET 15K DID IT FOR YOU...BUT I BET THE TIME AND EFFORT REALLY DID IT FOR YOU....listen to this man and get thee a fricking generator....you can also be cool and have lights, tv, refrigerator and what not while everyone else is roughing it, all while looking at your gorgeous, properly functioning tank...thats what i do when power goes out...its a pasttime and i actually look forward to it...see everyone else sitting in the dark while i drink beer and bourbon and look at my tank

 

[DitchPlains2]

jesus dood

jesus dood

Youch man, I am sad to hear, of your previous losses, sounds like Eric Borenman's stories, so friggin scary, to loose such prized and hard earned specimens. Glad you rebuilt and used your brain and bought a generator. cheers to you buddy! Good luck hope all is well in Ohio, I remeber living in Michigan, for a few years and driving through ohio through a horrendous ice storm on I90 and was sliding all over the road.

David

 

[marine_freak]

I know, I am even an educated man and it didn't make a difference..... stupid... stupid.... stupid. But ever since I lived in Ohio, I never had a power outage of more than 4-6 hours...... then BAM!!! Loose power for 11 days..... everybody in the city was looking for a generator... Heck everybody in the state!!!!! So needless to say there were none to be had...... the shops getting them had a 6hr line for 6-8 generators.... I waited overnight in an ice storm to be one of the first ones to get mine...... I paid 4x what the generator was worth because all the businesses found it as an opportunity to cash in on other peoples misfortune... Oh well.... by the time I got my generator, and got it running my tank temp had dropped to 60 degrees... the acros that had not died I was forced to watch die slowly over days.... I lost some big colonies out of that 450 gallon, including an Oregon tort of 10", a red table 14", a true leng sy cap of 8"... and that is only a few that come to mind quickly!!! There were others... many others. I have to go now because I am going to vomit...... again......