Hello, does anyone ha e any recommendations for a battery backup system. I’m thinking something big enough to run my fish room airpump for awhile.
Battery Backup
- Thread starter jandb
- Start date
I don’t have any first hand recommendations. But I’m in the process of figuring out a solid solar powered (wired through my wall) to power my air pump. So if my main power fails. I’ll always have the air going.
I have the same question. I have a batter/inverter that is good for more watts than the pumps need. So how long would it last if used to run the pumps in an outage?? I will do some testing and let you know. I got the unit from Costco. It's a nice compact little unit.
Because each battery backup is rated differently and has larger batteries, etc. it will come down to what your air pump runs wattage wise and how long you think you need it to run.
My brand preferences have always been APC, Tripp Lite, Cyber Power. My first brand being APC 100%.
Anything along these lines will do what you need it to do, just depends on how long you think you'll need it to run. I run a small Fluval Q2 air pump and I believe its wattage is like 4 watts pull, something really small. I have this one https://www.amazon.com/APC-Compact-...qid=1518766984&sr=1-7&keywords=battery+backup and I believe run time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 325 minutes estimated with just my air pump running.
You can search Battery Backup on Amazon and find loads of different models, brands, etc.
Something important to note with a battery backup, is that it doesn't need to be treated like a long term solution. The intended use of battery backups (in IT at least) is to keep systems on long enough to ensure generators can be turned on for systems to continue to run, or for systems to be safely shutdown, etc. Essentially this should be how it is treated for aquariums as well, long enough to not throw things off for you to get a generator running or if you are in an area with frequent short power outages, it might be able to get you by in that scenario. If you wanted one that would run a very low wattage air pump for 24hrs or more, it would be in the neighborhood of $500 to $1200 for a unit with the capacity to run for that length of time, depending on brand, etc.
My brand preferences have always been APC, Tripp Lite, Cyber Power. My first brand being APC 100%.
Anything along these lines will do what you need it to do, just depends on how long you think you'll need it to run. I run a small Fluval Q2 air pump and I believe its wattage is like 4 watts pull, something really small. I have this one https://www.amazon.com/APC-Compact-...qid=1518766984&sr=1-7&keywords=battery+backup and I believe run time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 325 minutes estimated with just my air pump running.
You can search Battery Backup on Amazon and find loads of different models, brands, etc.
Something important to note with a battery backup, is that it doesn't need to be treated like a long term solution. The intended use of battery backups (in IT at least) is to keep systems on long enough to ensure generators can be turned on for systems to continue to run, or for systems to be safely shutdown, etc. Essentially this should be how it is treated for aquariums as well, long enough to not throw things off for you to get a generator running or if you are in an area with frequent short power outages, it might be able to get you by in that scenario. If you wanted one that would run a very low wattage air pump for 24hrs or more, it would be in the neighborhood of $500 to $1200 for a unit with the capacity to run for that length of time, depending on brand, etc.
I’m still working on that. Luckily in Texas we get a decent sun hour amount year round.
I have a few buddies who install large solar systems and they are figuring out a good plan for me. I still haven’t decided if I’ll use a dc airpump or not. Upside is the have very low draw. (.45 Amps on average). And it can be much cheaper. Downside is everything I read says they usually only last 3-6 months. Standard pumps unusually draw only 10w or so but I’ll need a converter, etc. I’m really at the research stage and don’t fully understand all the calculating I need to do. So hopefully my friends can help me with that. When I do, I’ll make a thread because I’m sure others might be interested too.
You can even run a canister on these, and they last for years:
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/eheims-operating-on-back-up-batteries.157513/
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/eheims-operating-on-back-up-batteries.157513/
jan...
A battery back up system sounds pricey. You don't really need one. If you're concerned about a power outage, your tank, depending on how large it is, can go many hours, if not a couple of days without surface movement. If you're good about changing most of the water in your tanks every few days, then this will maintain good oxygen levels in the water for several days.
TTG
This depends more on how much saturation you had before the power outage, but more importantly the stocking levels in the tank when the power outage happens. If you have large fish that are moderately stocked your oxygen levels will rapidly deplete.
With the amount of money and time we invest in the hobby, I find it a very small investment to have peace of mind that my fish will be fine if I am out and about and the power goes out. I know I have a few hours at the very least to get home and get the long term solution in place while the power company fixes the issue. Then again, this will heavily depend on if you have a way of being notified that your power is off in the first place.
I work in tech for a living, so I have been well accustomed to the use of battery backups in all areas of my home. I have them on computers, fish tanks, internet modem and router, etc. It really is peace of mind in more areas than one.
