What to do when the power goes out

[Warrensmentor]

I heard on the radio about power outages last night and it got me thinking...do I know what to do with my tanks when the power goes out? I think the information would be worthy of being a sticky. So, what are the emergency steps to take after the power goes out so that you keep all your fish alive?

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[ECW]

Get an emergency battery powered pump(s) and a bunch of seeded hydro sponges. Or if you got some cash, expensive fish, or fish you really care about, buy a generator. My water quality is good here in Hawaii and I don't have to use any dechlor or stuff like that so if it got bad I could do a slow water change while filling at the same time if needed. The water stays on when the elctricity goes out. I guess the water change idea will only work on one tank though so maybe keep your tank understocked too.

 

[canadian.fish]

^x2 battery power air pump or generator small gas ones are easy to come by now a days.


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[TripleW]

I found this sticky pretty informational.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...578-Prepping-for-and-Surviving-power-outtages

 

[pacu mom]

^^^^ I agree.

Because we're running a wet/dry trickle filter off our 300 gallon tank, when the power goes out, I add enough water to the main tank so the bioballs get submerged in the wet/dry filter. I then throw in two BRAPs in the main tank. If the power is out for more than a few hours, we bring home a large generator to get the tank and refrigerator/freezer running. We've done it this way this for six years, but the nagging question is, "What if the power goes out, and we are't home to add water to the tank, throw in the BRAPs, bring home a generator?" The only good solution I could find was a generator with a transfer switch that comes on when the power goes out.

 

[Dan F]

A generator is the way to go.

The permanently-installed, automatic-start setup was out of my price range, but I picked up a nice Subaru-powered 10K generator at Home Depot on sale for $1200. It has electric start, which is nice. I had an electrician wire a second breaker box with all the aquarium plugs, plus TV, lights, fridge, freezer, well-pump, and a few other plugs. Basically it will run everything but the heat-pump and oven. The second breaker box is connected to a lock-out breaker that makes it impossible to accidentally back-feed power into the power lines. There is an external plug that connects the generator to the second breaker box.

It takes about five minutes to wheel the generator out of the garage and plug it in. Of course, it won't work if I'm gone, but I work three minutes away from home and my neighbor watches our house while we're gone, so it has never been an issue. The whole setup cost about $1700, roughly 10% of what it was going to cost for a whole-house auto-start unit.

Prior to buying this generator last year I would wire my old P.O.S. Generac 6.5K generator into the breaker box, but it was a real pain in the butt. Trying to hook up four wires in a breaker box with a flashlight in your mouth kind of sucks...

 

[pacu mom]

A generator is the way to go.

The permanently-installed, automatic-start setup was out of my price range, but I picked up a nice Subaru-powered 10K generator at Home Depot on sale for $1200. It has electric start, which is nice. I had an electrician wire a second breaker box with all the aquarium plugs, plus TV, lights, fridge, freezer, well-pump, and a few other plugs. Basically it will run everything but the heat-pump and oven. The second breaker box is connected to a lock-out breaker that makes it impossible to accidentally back-feed power into the power lines. There is an external plug that connects the generator to the second breaker box.

It takes about five minutes to wheel the generator out of the garage and plug it in. Of course, it won't work if I'm gone, but I work three minutes away from home and my neighbor watches our house while we're gone, so it has never been an issue. The whole setup cost about $1700, roughly 10% of what it was going to cost for a whole-house auto-start unit.

Prior to buying this generator last year I would wire my old P.O.S. Generac 6.5K generator into the breaker box, but it was a real pain in the butt. Trying to hook up four wires in a breaker box with a flashlight in your mouth kind of sucks...

 

[Stavfish]

Hey!! We encounter power outages or brown outs in AZ because of the warm temps. Invest in a generator and an aerator/diffuser. Obviously you'll need a pump to run the aerator off of. This will keep the fish alive for quite some time by adding oxygen to the water. Also it will not zap all the power on your generator because your single aerator pump will not not use too much electricity. Sometimes people try to run all their equipment off of a generator to find out that its possible only for a few hours due to the large draw a heater, pump, lights, etc can have on electricity
As for the single pump and aerator, I do this on both my 300 gallon and my 15k outdoor amazon pond. For the tank, I use a whisper pump...pretty old but does the job just fine. My outdoor uses a Hako pump which is great.


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[wolf96]

Generator is definitely the best way to go. I saved up and just recently bought a 10000 watt generator that will power all my tanks (5 of them 10 gallon to 246 gallon) as well as the fridge, lights etc..... Pricey, but worth it.

 

[Loves severums]

I have a generator so i just have the use a extension cord to get all the filter and heater working.