BlennyKravitz
Active Member
Plus you are the only guy with power when all the neighbors are out. I had the neighbors in my yard on their laptops last outage.
Backup power?
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Fudsey
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Around here, everyone has some sort of a generator. Have too or you'll freeze in the winter.
I use an Icap battery backup for one of the Tunze power heads to keep the water circulating. That can run about 24 hours. Also have an APC battery backup for the Apex.
When the Apex detects a power failure, it shuts all the outlets off but controls the one Tunze at a reduced RPM level.
If the power is going to be out longer I have an 800 Watt generator that can run a heater and all the powerheads.
Would love a whole house generator but planning to move in 5-10 years so I can’t justify the expense.
When the Apex detects a power failure, it shuts all the outlets off but controls the one Tunze at a reduced RPM level.
If the power is going to be out longer I have an 800 Watt generator that can run a heater and all the powerheads.
Would love a whole house generator but planning to move in 5-10 years so I can’t justify the expense.
laverda
2500 Club Member
Full sine wave Backups are required to operate most AC pumps properly for long. once you get one I suggest you test it and make sure everything works as expected. The size you need will depend on the pumps and equipment you want to run and for how long you expect to need it for. Most outages are short term, but better to be prepared for the day your without electricity for 24-48 hours.
You can find larger full sine wave APC Battery backups pretty reasonable if you watch ebay or amazon. I just picked up my second 1500VA one for a $129.99 shipped. I have two 1500VA backups plus one additional battery pack. The BLDC8 return pump on my 300 will run for 10-12 hours depending on what setting I have it on. You can also wire backups to power DC pumps directly making the backup battery last longer since your not converting DC to AC and then back to DC again. There are Youtube videos on how to do it. I have not done it yet, but plan to with my older APC that is out of warranty. I also have a 12-volt power supply for my apex on my backup. on the second backup, I have my router and some non-aquarium stuff. You can find smaller ones that are not full sine wave for free at garage sales and such. most people through them away when the batteries go dead. Put a new battery in them and they should be good for a few years of use.
for those of you running Tunze pumps, Tunze sells back up switch for about $50.00. It will automatically switch to a battery of your choosing in a power outage. These work really well and will run for a long time depending on the size battery. They do run the pumps at 12 volts instead of 24 volts while on backup. I have the pump on it pointing to the surface of the water for oxygen exchange. I have mine hooked up to an old larger motorcycle battery that is hooked to a small solar cell to keep it charged. A car battery could easily be hooked up in an emergency and run a Tunze pump for days. Which reminds me I need to install the second one I have on another Tunze at the other end of my tank.
As someone else mentioned you can get battery powered air pumps for $15.00. These work surprisingly well, but you have to be there to turn them on. You could modify one to turn on automatically if you are a little creative. One way would be to use a float switch wired to turn the pump on if the water level in the tank dropped to low as would happen when your return pump stopped working. If you don't have a sump you could use a relay to turn it on. There are more expensive air pumps that switch to battery power in a power outage. Problem is most people really don't want an air bubbler in their reef tank all the time.
You can find larger full sine wave APC Battery backups pretty reasonable if you watch ebay or amazon. I just picked up my second 1500VA one for a $129.99 shipped. I have two 1500VA backups plus one additional battery pack. The BLDC8 return pump on my 300 will run for 10-12 hours depending on what setting I have it on. You can also wire backups to power DC pumps directly making the backup battery last longer since your not converting DC to AC and then back to DC again. There are Youtube videos on how to do it. I have not done it yet, but plan to with my older APC that is out of warranty. I also have a 12-volt power supply for my apex on my backup. on the second backup, I have my router and some non-aquarium stuff. You can find smaller ones that are not full sine wave for free at garage sales and such. most people through them away when the batteries go dead. Put a new battery in them and they should be good for a few years of use.
for those of you running Tunze pumps, Tunze sells back up switch for about $50.00. It will automatically switch to a battery of your choosing in a power outage. These work really well and will run for a long time depending on the size battery. They do run the pumps at 12 volts instead of 24 volts while on backup. I have the pump on it pointing to the surface of the water for oxygen exchange. I have mine hooked up to an old larger motorcycle battery that is hooked to a small solar cell to keep it charged. A car battery could easily be hooked up in an emergency and run a Tunze pump for days. Which reminds me I need to install the second one I have on another Tunze at the other end of my tank.
As someone else mentioned you can get battery powered air pumps for $15.00. These work surprisingly well, but you have to be there to turn them on. You could modify one to turn on automatically if you are a little creative. One way would be to use a float switch wired to turn the pump on if the water level in the tank dropped to low as would happen when your return pump stopped working. If you don't have a sump you could use a relay to turn it on. There are more expensive air pumps that switch to battery power in a power outage. Problem is most people really don't want an air bubbler in their reef tank all the time.
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
I think everyone is missing the fact that this is a 5 gallon tank, smaller than a football, lol.
People talking about whole house generators for a 5 gallon tank is just absurd. If the power went out long enough where the car jumper battery couldn't handle the tiny flow pump, I'd take the loss. People are talking about investing thousands on a super small tank.
I guess it depends on what's worth the expense. But if someone has a 5 gallon AIO, they're not going to go all out on a power backup. It's not like there's $10,000 of livestock in there, lol. Plus, he has family that's always around if someone in his house isn't. That's the most important thing.
People talking about whole house generators for a 5 gallon tank is just absurd. If the power went out long enough where the car jumper battery couldn't handle the tiny flow pump, I'd take the loss. People are talking about investing thousands on a super small tank.
I guess it depends on what's worth the expense. But if someone has a 5 gallon AIO, they're not going to go all out on a power backup. It's not like there's $10,000 of livestock in there, lol. Plus, he has family that's always around if someone in his house isn't. That's the most important thing.
Instigate
Valuable Member
I think some people just read the title.
laverda
2500 Club Member
Other people are reading the thread as well and may be looking for ideas. My suggestion of a $15 battery powered air pump is perfect for a small tank, except it has to be turned on manually unless you modify it.
Fudsey
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And the 1st question in the OP is "What do y'all use for backup power"....
Just answered the question.
Just answered the question.
