Battery back ups?

[Reefing_addiction]

Ok so my boyfriend said he’d buy me one for Christmas
What I need to know is what should I make sure is hooked up to my battery back up?
I think the obvious answers are
Heater
Return pump

The not so obvious answers
Lights
Wave makers

And then what’s y’all’s recommendation for brand of back up?

 

[Uncle99]

Battery backups are great, but likely would not run your return or heater very long....maybe a couple of hours.

What I do with my back up is just run one small wave maker on constant lowest setting......then I get critical needed oxygenated waters and I’ve tested it to 72 hours......not overly concerned with lower temps, she won’t go lower than 73 in my house.

If you want longer term power of heater and pump, you need a generator.

In my area, the longest power outage in the last 60 years was 18 hours. So it does depend on the area.

 

[Billldg]

A heater on a battery back up will likely last 2.5 seconds. The purpose of a battery back up is to aerate the tank to keep it oxygenated. It gives you a chance to get home in a timely manner and, if need be, hook up the tank to a generator to power it. I agree with above, you have to look at the history of any power outage in your area and access the situation from that. Me personally, the longest power outage I have had in 10 years at my current house is 5 hours. As a result I have my flow pumps on a couple of battery back ups. I have Maxspect Gyres and Ecotech pumps, so I use the same namesake battery back ups for both. It gives me enough time to get home, in a timely manner to do whatever needs to be done for the tank.

Currently, I run a Neptune Cor 20 pump, and it will take 7 of those pumps to equal the output of one of my 300 watt
heater.

I use the Ecotech battery back up on my Mp40, and a IceCap battery backup on my Gyre. I have never had an issue with either.

I am currently upgrading to a bigger tank. Sorry to keep adding to this post, LOL, but I plan on going with 2 MP40's and 2 Gyre XF350's, so I will likely double the battery backups. You need to look at the likelihood of power outages, the common length of outage, and your work schedule and how quick you can get to your tank. Myself, I can sometimes break away from work quickly while other times it's impossible, it just depends on the job and time of year.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Problem is I live in Colorado biggest chance for a power outage is during a snow storm which mean my tank won’t stay warm enough. I would need to run a heater. Maybe I can talk him into a small generator from like harbor freight.

I live in an apartment so options are limited

it’s a 70 gal tank with a 20 long sump

 

[wonroc]

get a 1500ups. put one pump and the heater on it. if you cant start a generator within 5 hours it wasnt meant to be.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Problem is I live in Colorado biggest chance for a power outage is during a snow storm which mean my tank won’t stay warm enough. I would need to run a heater. Maybe I can talk him into a small generator from like harbor freight.

I live in an apartment so options are limited

it’s a 70 gal tank with a 20 long sump

Do you have a gas stove or a fireplace? If so, during a prolonged outage you could boil some water and place it in a hot water bottle or other container, then place it in your sump to act as a heater. Obviously you'd need to monitor the temperature and take it out and back in periodically, but that would allow you to maintain the temperature much longer than a battery.

 

[Reefing_addiction]

get a 1500ups. put one pump and the heater on it. if you cant start a generator within 5 hours it wasnt meant to be.

I was thinking about grabbing two of them. A backup for my backup!

 

[Reefing_addiction]

Do you have a gas stove or a fireplace? If so, during a prolonged outage you could boil some water and place it in a hot water bottle or other container, then place it in your sump to act as a heater. Obviously you'd need to monitor the temperature and take it out and back in periodically, but that would allow you to maintain the temperature much longer than a battery.

So I do have a fireplace. I guess if all else fails

 

[Reefing_addiction]

get a 1500ups. put one pump and the heater on it. if you cant start a generator within 5 hours it wasnt meant to be.

One for the heater, one for my return pump. I would assume this would allow them both to run longer?

 

[Cwentz758]

I would say battery backup like stated above for pumps. The harbor freight generator is also a good idea for your longer outages.

My Vectra S2 running currently is running at 13 watts on the Ecotech battery backup.

Any heater isn’t going to stay on long enough to do anything for you on a battery backup as it won’t last but minutes.

 

[slojim]

If the tank isn't circulating, it will take some time to cool down. Longer yet if you have a hood. If you are home, you can wrap it in a blanket - I had to do this once in an "emergency" and it made a noticeable difference. An air pump will run a long time (days) on a back-up battery, and with an airstone may circulate enough water to keep things alive without over-circulating to lose heat - but again, you have to be home.
I use a computer UPS similar to the APC1500 on one powerhead, but live in an area where temperatures won't drop fast.

 

[wonroc]

One for the heater, one for my return pump. I would assume this would allow them both to run longer?

well BRS did a video test of just what were discussing. the 1500 supply powered 3 pumps for over 5 hours. everyone should check it out