Generator Suggestions for IM Nano 20

[Ryan Browne]

I had months of power outages, and I found that I my favorite generator is a Honda EU2000i. It's super quiet and very efficient. I would run my fridge and tank off it. I have almost the same setup as you, my guess is you could run you tank for 24-48 hours with one tank of gas. Good luck!

Hi all,

With Hurricane Irma posing a threat to pretty much all of Florida at this point, I have begun my search for a reliable power solution in the event I'm left without power for a day or so. I've started looking at portable "quiet" generators and found a couple that seem to meet my conditions of price vs. quality.

My question is, what is the power limit I need to be shooting for in one of these generators?

I have the following equipment running on my tank at the moment:

Jebao DC-2000 Return Pump 20w
Jebao PP-4 Wavemaker 10w
Eheim Jager 150w Heater
SB Reef Lights 16" LED Light 165w
Innovative Marine Ghost Desktop Skimmer 6.5w
Tunze Nano Osmolator/ATO

During an emergency, I can easily turn off all but the necessary equipment (return, heater, skimmer [skimmer for aeration purposes mostly]) since I use a multi-switch power strip/surge protector. If I'm without power for more than three days, I would like to be able to switch on the lights for a couple of hours so my corals don't starve.

Right now this is the generator I'm looking at: link

If you have any other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

 

[Tiger-Paws]

The generator you are looking at will work well, buy it now before they are all gone.

Be sure to gen enough fuel, that generator will run for about 8 hours on a 1 gallon tank and you may not be able to get fuel for several days after the storm passes.

 

[Neptune1707]

I have a good size batter back up on my Red Sea S-Max 500. I got it at Best Buy. I mainly got it for storms we may get in Midwest where at the most power may go out for just a few hours. However my IT director at work said he's has used their Generac backup generator....the ones that run off fuel will be your best especially if your powering something h like a chiller of your AC goes out. They are pricey but worth it if you consider what it will cost to replace your tank mates. Good luck to the Southeast US, take care!!!!

 

[Shon]

If it is just for your tank and it is under 700w. Harbor Freight has a TailGator 2cycle generator for ~100$. A friend uses one to power his chest freezer when he goes hunting. Just don't store it with fuel in the lines, the tube will crack/rot.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Have you looked into using a a deep cycle car battery and using an AC/DC inverter? A battery will run your equipment for a long time without need of gas since its scarce right now. It also may be easier to get your hands on this equipment during hurricane times

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Have you looked into using a a deep cycle car battery and using an AC/DC inverter? A battery will run your equipment for a long time without need of gas since its scarce right now. It also may be easier to get your hands on this equipment during hurricane times

I thought about it but I don't want to be limited to battery power alone. It's also very impractical for me to store something like a car battery in my apartment.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

If it is just for your tank and it is under 700w. Harbor Freight has a TailGator 2cycle generator for ~100$. A friend uses one to power his chest freezer when he goes hunting. Just don't store it with fuel in the lines, the tube will crack/rot.

I'm not a fan of two-cycle engines after having a two-cycle boat motor having to be fixed every 2-3 months because fuel line issues and carb failures. These small 4-cycle engines are supposed to be a lot more reliable. I'd probably end up going with the generator from Walmart just because they would probably give me my money back if their was an issue with it instead of trapping me in an endless warranty claim cycle with cheap products at Harbor Freight.

Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I have a good size batter back up on my Red Sea S-Max 500. I got it at Best Buy. I mainly got it for storms we may get in Midwest where at the most power may go out for just a few hours. However my IT director at work said he's has used their Generac backup generator....the ones that run off fuel will be your best especially if your powering something h like a chiller of your AC goes out. They are pricey but worth it if you consider what it will cost to replace your tank mates. Good luck to the Southeast US, take care!!!!

I'm looking into getting a large battery backup for my system, probably going to Best Buy tomorrow to look at them!

 

[Bdrake]

Florida this time of year you should probably worry more about keeping the tank cool than heating it. Cool temps are far less devastating than the heat.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Florida this time of year you should probably worry more about keeping the tank cool than heating it. Cool temps are far less devastating than the heat.

Yea I'm gonna look into chillers soon. Hopefully we'll have no more major storms this year. Expecting them to go on sale right before winter.

 

[PlanB]

I purchased a 500W Power Inverter that will hook up to my car battery in case needed. It supposed to come in today (fingers crossed!) But yeah, I'm mostly worried about keeping the tank cool.

 

[Fercho]

Good luck you guys in Fl. I really hope you dont loose any of your wet pets. Fingers crossed.
Concider giving this a try if power goes out.
Create a syphon with an spare hose if you have one (from the display tank, to the display tank) achieving a auto or self water recirculation from the display to the display. (You might need claps to hold down the hose in place)
This way, you can have water circulating your tank at all times with out the need of any power or batteries at all. Thus saving you power from the generator or batteries to power something else. Or just as an extra safety net if you turn on your return pump anyways.
Just a thought.
Good luck again.