# What to do during a Power Outage



## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm just curious as to what you all do during a power outage so I can be ready myself.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I bought battery powered air pumps from a Tackle and Bait shop and a bunch of batteries. 
If the power goes out, I plan to plop these things in each tank and cross fingers.

If I really was worried about it, I'd buy a large UPS backup meant for computers and have that at the ready to run some plug in type air pumps...


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## Cichlidude (Feb 7, 2010)

Go get a 400 watt inverter for about $40. Use your car battery and extension cord to run all the electrics just fine. Start the car to charge the battery when needed.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

So you just need to pump oxygen in the water? And probably not feed them, right?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

That is my plan... though it has yet to happen. Usually power is restored in an hour or two.


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## benny71 (Sep 30, 2010)

A gas powered backup generator is the only way to be safe...If you have the money, buy a backup for the backup.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

benny71 said:


> A gas powered backup generator is the only way to be safe...If you have the money, buy a backup for the backup.


If your power is going to be out that long, are your fish really going to be your top priority? 
A gas generator to save your fish is overkill... by a mile. The UPS battery backup route is what most folks opt for even for the many thousands of dollars spent on a reef tank. It should be fine for cichlids...


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## maddyfish (Jul 23, 2004)

+1 to the battery operated air pump. If the power stays out for too long in the winter, I'll be more worried about keeping my family warm than my fish. During any other season my fish will be able to stand not having the heater.

I have a small generator, but I suspect if I had to drag it out, the fish woould not be high on the priority list.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

If one shops carefully a used backup generator can be pretty close in price to a UPS and run a frig when needed. The time to shop is a few months after a storm when people who bought for the storm begin to ask why they have the thing. The public is addicted to short term thinking.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

PfunMo said:


> If one shops carefully a used backup generator can be pretty close in price to a UPS and run a frig when needed.


Provided you also have a plan for gasoline to run it and how to use up that gasoline (e.g. puring it into your car) when it's still good then yup... a good gas powered generator can be a wise choice to keep fans going (or heaters if in a colder zone), fridge... an airstone and heater for a fish tank might be a good side-benefit then.


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## benny71 (Sep 30, 2010)

Number6 said:


> benny71 said:
> 
> 
> > A gas powered backup generator is the only way to be safe...If you have the money, buy a backup for the backup.
> ...


I wasn't talking about just for fish, but if you are ever worried about not having power, why wouldn't you own a generator? I've had two since I've owned a house...WAY before I ever owned fish.

And yes, a backup to your backup generator only for fish would be overkill. :lol:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

How can fish get to be a priority when the power is out? When you are snowed in, no work to go to, no TV or stereo, no lights to read. Might as well take care of the fish cause you sure don't have much else to do other than worry about the pipes breaking because you don't have a generator to power the furnace. When I lived in snow country I set up the elctrical panel and generator so that I could rotate power to different things by flipping breakers. It sure made life much more pleasant when the time came. Stabil cures the old gasoline question.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

If we had a power outage - haven't had one in a long time, touch wood - my 240G would start looking not so good after an hour or so. It takes a lot longer for any fridge or freezer to defrost. I have enough wood piled up in the yard to be able to heat at least one room for several weeks - if not months - and in summer it can get unpleasant here without A/C, but not life threatening.

So yeah, in case of a power outage my fish would likely be my main worry - at least under common weather conditions here in Ohio. I've been putting off buying a generator for years now, but after this thread I'll keep looking on Craigslist again for a while. I picked up a snow blower in summer for peanuts, and a generator might be next on the list - although my wife might be working with a different list :wink:

The battery powered pumps are not a bad idea, but by the time I bought enough decent pumps to supply all my tanks, we'd almost be getting in the price range of a used generator!


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## Rialb30 (Feb 25, 2010)

For what itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s worthÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Here in at my home in the mid-west we had a pretty severe storm two years ago that knocked out power for ten days. A typical 5000 watt generator kept 3 tanks, two frigs, a sump pump and all of the other Ã¢â‚¬Å"necessitiesÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## Teggy (Nov 5, 2010)

I'm a huge fan of UPS backups. I've always used them for the computer and I'm planning on getting another for the tank, just for the sake of having it. One extra bonus of the UPS is it stabilizes power from the wall socket, avoiding power surges and the like.

Before using one on my computer (crazy computer  ) I would have to buy replacement components frequently, about every 3-6 months I would have a problem of some kind. Since using a UPS battery backup I've had not a single part fail on me, been 3 years now if not more.

They are cheap, they are not overkill, and they are great to use with the tank at all times to avoid problems involving power spikes etc.


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## benny71 (Sep 30, 2010)

Rialb30 said:


> For what itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s worthÃ¢â‚¬Â¦Here in at my home in the mid-west we had a pretty severe storm two years ago that knocked out power for ten days. A typical 5000 watt generator kept 3 tanks, two frigs, a sump pump and all of the other Ã¢â‚¬Å"necessitiesÃ¢â‚¬Â


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## hollyfish2000 (Aug 23, 2007)

I can't afford a generator but did some homework some time back and bought a PowerPack 400. I actually used it last weekend when our power went out for a few hours. I plugged filters from two tanks into it and they ran just fine. I used battery-powered air stones for the other tank. The powerpack can't really run the heaters, though, so I wrapped all tanks in blankets as it was getting cold in the house. Fortunately, it was a short outage, but the tank temps hadn't changed at all and there were no issues at all with the power pack. In fact, I'm buying another one (maybe two) today just in case. It did give me great piece of mind. My fish are important to me!


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## Rialb30 (Feb 25, 2010)

> BTW, why don't you have yours set up outside, so it isn't loud?


A generator *MUST* always be run *outdoors in a well ventilated area!* 
I shut mine down at night, mostly for the benefit of the neighbors. Generators are noisy especially during a blackout when its the only thing generating sound.

I have to admit I never thought of using a UPS on my tanks. Sounds like a great idea, especially due to the fact that it would be automatic and run the filter system in the event you were not home. Then of course for an extended outage you could always recharge the UPS with the generator if need be. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s always a great idea to be prepared. LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hope all of this preparation is in vain.


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

I've heard of quite a few salt-water keepers using UPS's on their tanks.

I'm tempted, but our power has been really stable the last few years.
(that being said I have UPSs on 2 computers and my big-screen TV)


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I used to go on storm breaks to areas when there was a major problem and I soon got the idea that the people who suffer most are the ones who live in areas where "those things don't happen." If you've been through it and expect it, you learn to cope. If you feel safe, you are in for a rough time. When ice hit the Memphis area hard, it took weeks for them to restore power in some areas. I sold my last generator in the St. Louis area and a man drove from the Missouri bootheel to buy it as he could not find one any closer. He called me and said if it ran he wanted it no matter what shape it was in so I held it for him until he got there. You are in a very rare part of the country if you don't expect a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, ice or snow storm. 
When was it the last hurricane hit the New York coast? '30's maybe? I only read about it but I sure don't want to be there for the next one!


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

Heh.. I slept through Hurricane Hugo in 1989 - it tore up Charlotte NC.
Most people had no power for 3-7 days. That - would suck. But no UPS will help with that!


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

A UPS battery backup for an aquarium is a waste of money for most people. The amount of time they can run the wattage draw of an aquarium air pump and heater (the two items that need to keep running during a power outage in winter) is so short that it is of little use.

They are meant to be able to provide enough time to shut down a computer properly during a power outage. They are not meant to run for hours or days that would be the case in an extended power outage.

If you are in an area with frequent short power outages (a few minutes to an hour or two) then it is of use to you. However power outages of that short in duration do not really affect an aquarium. If you are concerned about a power outage extending 8 hours or more then a gasoline powered portable generator is the best solution.

P.S. Always run your generator outside. Don't run them inside or you will suffer and possibly die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Andy


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

:thumb:


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Can the fish last in a tank for 24 hours with just air bubbles? I guess it depends on the bio load. But in general....


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

pretty-nifty said:


> Can the fish last in a tank for 24 hours with just air bubbles? I guess it depends on the bio load. But in general....


Yes. I've kept fish overnight in food grade plastic tubs with nothing but an airstone. It is less stressful on the fish than shipping in a bag.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

How can you determine how much oxygen or how much air to pump on you fish load?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I think for power outage it is less the load creating ammonia since that is a somewhat slow process that can be solved by water changing when the power comes back. The temperature goes down pretty slowly as well so that a few hours is not a problem. The lack of water movement and possible lack of gas exchange at the surface is more deadly in my thinking. Fish can be shipped in bags for days totally without heat or bubblers. What they do have is water movement making for gas exchange at the surface. With that in mind, I can deal with the short term outage (8hours?) by water changing. If the temperature is kept even, the water change does two things which help. It removes pollution and it also creates water movement. This would be a good time to make a spray from the hose and fill slowly for maximum stirring. Fortunately many of us do not lose our water supply when we lose power. It gives us a shot at moving and warming.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

If your power is out so is your hot water heater. Unless of course you have a gas powered hot water heater.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Anybody with natural gas available who is using an electric water heater should most likely consider switching. Once your power is out for an extended time, you will understand why.


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## Glaneon (Sep 27, 2010)

Not to mention, it's a LOT cheaper (for us anyway, 80gallon WH)
Wish gas dryers werent so much more.


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## Notrevo (May 2, 2005)

We had a bad winter blast here in Newburgh this past winter and we lost power for a couple days. we had to leave the house and go south so we could eat and so forth. By the time I got back to the house the tank temperature was in the 50s if memory serves. My poor fish were just a few hours from passing...listless, on their sides, on their backs, not moving... but once the filters and pumps powered back on and the heaters kicked in...not to mention me draining our hot water tank and changing out some tank water with it, all recovered from the ordeal just fine. We have natural gas here but no generator to keep at least the heaters going.

I am not looking forward to that experience again.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I agree with everything that's been said about gas fired hot water heaters. The advantages that have been mentioned are the reason I am glad I have one in my house. Unfortunately the darned thing is so far away from the chimney that it needs a fan powered exhaust. I understand that's increasingly common with modern units, but because that exhaust needs power, you can't run the wretched things if the power is out. It's the same with my gas fired furnace :roll:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Bummer. I had not run into a water heater that required power. Is it a high efficenxy model of some sort? Or possible the vent pipe has a lot of crooks and bends so that it doesn't draw well? Most are just kind of like a blowtorch under the tank and the vent just needs to run uphill so the hot gas will travel up. Sounds like a bad plan when they built the house or somewhere. Thinking it over that would mean you would have some sort of safety to kill the burner if/when the vent fan stopped? That would make it a bummer to find if it stopped working. One thing I've liked about gas water heaters was that there were so few parts to fail compared to electric. Sounds like that doesn't fit in your case.

What I meant about losing power and then also losing hot water was that it is a real drag to fight the weather and not have any power for a week. Not being able to take a shower would take that to a whole new level on top of all the rest.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

so where do you pick up those battery powered air pumps?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Fishing supply shops. Bass- Pro, etc. They use them for minnows &livewells.


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## pretty-nifty (Nov 4, 2009)

Cool! I like going to Bass Pro Shop


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