Brand New 8 gallon bio cube

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Tony Thompson said:
Sorry, I am new to this Forum type thing. I have stayed clear of them until recently. I did not notice this was originally posted some time ago, I only read page 1, ha ha. Never mind, maybe of use to anyone else thinking of starting a Pico. Thanks for the like anyway Katrina. Best wishes.
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We do support sustainable practices. Glad you feel that way too!
 
Avast
She isn't happy yet, but ate Reef Frenzy.
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Deltec
I'm trying to prepare for a possible winter power outage. What to do for heat? 8&29 gallon cubes. Just curious if I could use hot hands either outside the tank or in a Ziploc inside? We have a gas fireplace in the living room where the 29 is. The 8 is my real concern.
 
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Katrina71 said:
I'm trying to prepare for a possible winter power outage. What to do for heat? 8&29 gallon cubes. Just curious if I could use hot hands either outside the tank or in a Ziploc inside? We have a gas fireplace in the living room where the 29 is. The 8 is my real concern.
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I have read of people taping hand warmers to the outside of the tank in an emergency. Floating in bag could also work but i never quite trust zip locks. Filling with ice ok. Not the end of thr world if they leak. Filled with hot packs though and whatever chemical reaction is happening to generate the heat probably would be very bad to mix with tank water. Just my thoughts.
 
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Deltec
I hadn't really thought about solar... Being in the northeast most of my power outages are storm related so more than likely no sun when it happens. I'm lucky in that my town has its own power utility and outages if we ever have them last less that an hour. I have a couple of things in my amazon cart that I debate ordering often but haven't yet. They run off the car but here's the links. I'd be curious to Salty and Robin's thoughts on them. I'd only be looking to power a heater and pump so I think these would be adequate for short term situations.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCJBF4C/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_17?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWZ3LXPHZK09

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UFERZKO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_18?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWZ3LXPHZK09
 
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Scurvy said:
I hadn't really thought about solar... Being in the northeast most of my power outages are storm related so more than likely no sun when it happens. I'm lucky in that my town has its own power utility and outages if we ever have them last less that an hour. I have a couple of things in my amazon cart that I debate ordering often but haven't yet. They run off the car but here's the links. I'd be curious to Salty and Robin's thoughts on them. I'd only be looking to power a heater and pump so I think these would be adequate for short term situations.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCJBF4C/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_17?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWZ3LXPHZK09

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UFERZKO/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_18?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AWZ3LXPHZK09
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Hehe, now you're talking cars. I went to college for 2 years to learn about cars and their electrical systems were included. I also work in a power plant, and we make a few electricals... those are both 4.8A capable, and add long as you have gas the alternator will keep it powered, but I doubt the power cord will reach from the car to the tank. So you'd need to use an extension cord. Make sure you use a UL listed cord. I wouldn't use anything smaller than 16AWG and no longer than 50'. Now that we have power available at the tank, you need to look at the peak amps of everything you wish to add to the inverter. If its like most things and tell you how many watts it uses, the formula is W=V×A. So to find amps divide the watts by the volts. A=W÷V.
So let's take a 100W heater, at 120V...

A=100/120=.83A

There's another thing in there that has to do with the power factor of the electrical device in how efficient it if at using the electricity and that effects wattage some... but we're not too worried about that. Add up the calculated amperage for everying you wish to plug in, and stay under half of that inverters max load. If you can keep eveything you need ruining on that, that's great.

I would save up and buy about a 7000W generator that can run your tank, and your freezer. They are pricey, why I said save up. Can't have the frozen Mysis and squid(eel food) thawing out.
 
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Top Shelf Aquatics
An easy test. Assuming you have an instant read thermometer or a spare aquarium thermometer.

5g bucket in the garage , add the hot hands to the bucket and note the change over several hours and the structural integrity of the bag.

Larger packs (9x5) are also available on amazon , just search instant hot pack. $17 for 18 of them. I have zero experience with these.

IMO , flow is a bit more important if the temp is not extreme so if you buy a battery back up plug the D.C. Powerhead into it.
 
saltyfilmfolks said:
An easy test. Assuming you have an instant read thermometer or a spare aquarium thermometer.

5g bucket in the garage , add the hot hands to the bucket and note the change over several hours and the structural integrity of the bag.

Larger packs (9x5) are also available on amazon , just search instant hot pack. $17 for 18 of them. I have zero experience with these.

IMO , flow is a bit more important if the temp is not extreme so if you buy a battery back up plug the D.C. Powerhead into it.
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Thanks. I have that part covered.
 
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