How long do i have when power goes out?

[Murice]

My power goes out quite often where I live. I always rush to start the generator. My question is, how long do I have to get the powerheads going before it starts to kill my tank? I have a 120 with about 15 fish

 

[Arabyps]

I would recommend you add a battery backup which will give you a buffer until you are able to start the generator. It will have the added benefit of protecting your equipment from power surges and brown outs.

 

[Murice]

But how long can a tank go before things start dying

 

[ludnix]

There's no hard fast rule, it really depends on stocking levels. I don't sweat a couple a hours but it's definitely not unheard of for there to be issues 3-4 hours and in sometimes. Sometimes 8+ hours is fine but it's not something you want to count on.

 

[Timfish]

It depends on your system but I would guess 10-12 hours. A cheap option is Penn Plax's B10 air pump, I've had them run for several days on just 2 batteries and they automatically switch on when power is lost. A more expensive option is a wavemaker with battery backup

 

[WVNed]

I have never pushed one beyond 8 hours.

 

[dwest]

My system would likely have problems within an hour or two. I am a big proponent of either battery back mentioned above.

 

[Murice]

Thanks a lot guys your responses have definitely put me at ease from rushing with a 10 min window in mind

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I have a big deep cycle battery for my boat and a power inverter I use for power outages

 

[Esage]

It depends on your system but I would guess 10-12 hours. A cheap option is Penn Plax's B10 air pump, I've had them run for several days on just 2 batteries and they automatically switch on when power is lost. A more expensive option is a wavemaker with battery backup

+1 on the air pump

 

[vetteguy53081]

No general time But Temperature plays a factor. Too warm, oxygen is reduced- Then utilize ice packs to keep tank cool
Too cold, wraps tank with blankets and even tape hand warmers to glass
Oxygen and water movement is key. Battery operated pumps at walmart sporting goods comes with an airstone and runabout $12 and will provide good oxygen. Keep in mind fish get shipped all the time and are in transport for at least 12-14 hours. It would be similar with a tank not powered

 

[andrewkw]

Personally I go out and start my generator 1 hour after the power goes out. This is probably way early, since I routinely turn off all pumps to target feed for 1 hour. However I have 4 different systems, plus my fridge and freezer and it takes a few minutes to get everything out and running.

In most cases you'll probably want power for something or at least want to get the generator going before it becomes an issue.

 

[Neuel]

so one of those battery pumps you just drop the air stone in and that's it? They are good on O2?

 

[Kaboobie]

I have had all my aquariums go down for 3 days once recently. Somehow nothing died. I can only guess that my systems are well oxygenated and have very robust bacteria. They came right back without skipping a beat.

Obviously I did not feed during this time

 

[Murice]

just ordered

 

[vetteguy53081]

so one of those battery pumps you just drop the air stone in and that's it? They are good on O2?

You may have to weight it down but will work

 

[Neuel]

You may have to way it down but will work

thanks man

 

[Neuel]

just ordered

just did the same thanks

 

[Not an IT guy]

I lost power for about 18 hrs not too long ago. They made it through. Left the light on to wake me up when power came back. It was 2am when it did. Started everything back up corals took a day or so to open up again.