Hurricane Ready

[brandon429]

I wanted to insert the option here/ the brainstorm in using a peroxide drip as an emergency source of o2 for high fish load setups, its better than nothing to consider. Its actually a dated/old school method LFS use to deal with power outages not caused by storms, if they didn't have backups. There is some irritation in the drip but peroxide isn't known lethal to any reef fish Ive seen given safe zone dosing, and that o2 can be a breakpoint life saver if the tank is being fully stressed by outages anyway

a simple kent fw drip fert doser would meter out h202 for a few days before having to be re adjusted for example, and even after a few days all I ever had to do to restore timely flow was loosen up the occluder a bit

 

[MnFish1]

If you're worried about budget and a generator. Here's a tip. Bite the bullet now and get everything ready to go, but don't put anything in the generator yet. If **** hits the fan. You're set and if not, the most you have spent after returns is the gas bottles and you have extra gas for your vehicle. Do not wait until it is too late

So- you want to take a generator away from someone that 'needs it' so you can have a spare you can return. Sorry - Maybe Im wrong - but this seems unethical and selfish. JMO

 

[Reab]

If someone needs it they should purchase one beforehand. I'm sorry but your failure to plan is not my fault. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. There's nothing unethical about purchasing something because you might need it. I'm not talkin about a spare here I'm talking about one period.

So- you want to take a generator away from someone that 'needs it' so you can have a spare you can return. Sorry - Maybe Im wrong - but this seems unethical and selfish. JMO

 

[MnFish1]

If someone needs it they should purchase one beforehand. I'm sorry but your failure to plan is not my fault. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. There's nothing unethical about purchasing something because you might need it. I'm not talkin about a spare here I'm talking about one period.

I was getting at the point that you were suggesting that people buy a generator and then return it if they end up not using it. IMHO its unethical. We can agree to disagree.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Bring empty gas cans to fill up on your return and to use for generator power.

Prayers and hopes for none to minimal impact on our fellow reefers. Pray- Our Lord Never sleeps !!!! We members are here for you when you return for any emergency needs and advice- This is what makes R2R !!!!!!

 

[Reab]

How is it unethical to prepare yourself? You honestly have no idea if you will lose power or not. Even if you are right in the center of it. If that were the case it's unethical to purchase one unless your power is already out in which case you probably can't get to the store to get one

I was getting at the point that you were suggesting that people buy a generator and then return it if they end up not using it. IMHO its unethical. We can agree to disagree.

 

[MnFish1]

How is it unethical to prepare yourself? You honestly have no idea if you will lose power or not. Even if you are right in the center of it. If that were the case it's unethical to purchase one unless your power is already out in which case you probably can't get to the store to get one

Its not unethical to prepare oneself. The unethical part is buying something as a kind of 'insurance policy' and then having no cost associated with that insurance policy (because you're planning to return it if you don't need it). Here is another thread describing this practice and the reasons it's not 'ethical'.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/should-generators-be-returnable.3017813/

One point was - if you're not sure you're going to want to keep a generator, rent one - and return it. That way you're not 'getting something for nothing' - which is the other ethical question.

It interesting - apparently this kind of thing is common - leading some companies to say 'upfront' that generators (even unused) are not returnable. Again JMO

 

[Reab]

So it's unethical to do this because it comes at little to no cost. But it's ethical for someone to make money off another's misfortune. You're saying that renting one because I may not need it is ethical yet if I do not end up using it then the business is making money off of something that I did not need. There is no harm done in purchasing something and then returning it because you do not need it. No one gets hurt in the process.

Its not unethical to prepare oneself. The unethical part is buying something as a kind of 'insurance policy' and then having no cost associated with that insurance policy (because you're planning to return it if you don't need it). Here is another thread describing this practice and the reasons it's not 'ethical'.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/should-generators-be-returnable.3017813/

One point was - if you're not sure you're going to want to keep a generator, rent one - and return it. That way you're not 'getting something for nothing' - which is the other ethical question.

It interesting - apparently this kind of thing is common - leading some companies to say 'upfront' that generators (even unused) are not returnable. Again JMO

 

[MnFish1]

So it's unethical to do this because it comes at little to no cost. But it's ethical for someone to make money off another's misfortune. You're saying that renting one because I may not need it is ethical yet if I do not end up using it then the business is making money off of something that I did not need. There is no harm done in purchasing something and then returning it because you do not need it. No one gets hurt in the process.

Like I said some time ago - lets agree to disagree. But - if I lived in hurricane zone, I wouldn't waste time buying and returning a generator every time a storm 'might' be coming. Having a generator (on-site) is 'preparing yourself'. Buying and returning one potentially multiple times yearly doesn't make sense (to me).

BTW - I have a full house generator installed - with natural gas. It was expensive - but not as expensive as my tank and its inhabitants. Even a short power outage can wipe out a reef tank.

 

[Reab]

Not all of us have the luxury to afford such commodities

 

[MnFish1]

Not all of us have the luxury to afford such commodities

Yeah I know. The thing is so many reefs have been destroyed by even a 4 hour power outage. I would say anyone with a reef tank should have a backup power source

 

[Amoo]

Can we please keep this on topic. This thread was made to ask what people are doing to prep, not to discuss the ethics of it. There are people who may still need this emergency style information.

 

[Firemanreefkeeper]

My preps. 2004 hurricane charley hit and I lost power for 6 weeks. I had no tank then but it taught me a lot about what I needed. Last year was Irma, I was prepared. I bought a Honda 2800i in May and tested it to see what it could run. It ran the essential stuff for my tank, main return (dc), powerheads (dc) skimmer (ac), reactor pump (ac) and ato (dc). It also ran my freezer in garage, fridge in the house, a fan, and a window shaker at night. It ran for 6 hours before needing 1.2 gallons of fuel. I have 40 gallons of gas stored beginning July 1st. I keep 30 gallons of rodi water on hand for drinking and water changes if needed.
The only thing I wasn't prepared for last year was not having a battery backup for my tank. I'm a firefighter and I have to stay no matter what. I was on duty for 60 hours before going home. I sent my family away so my tank sat for at least 60 hours without circulation. Luckily I didn't lose anything but it was a lesson learned, get battery backup so water is moving.

 

[fishybizzness]

I've been through many storms before to include Irma and Maria last year, Marilyn, Louis and Hugo. In the Caribbean when we get hit we lose power for months at a time. Irma and Maria I didn't get power back until just before Thanksgiving. A generator is not a luxury, it's a necessity. My 16k whole house is great but the noise gets to you really quick.. I also have a Honda 3k inverter gen for running during the day to save on fuel and cut down on the noise level. The Honda is worth every penny imo. It runs my refrigerator, freezer and all the pumps and Apex no problem on about 2 gallon of gas a day and you can barely hear it running. If you are willing to spend thousands on an aquarium and equipment, a generator for emergencies is a drop in the bucket. As with tank equipment, buy a quality generator to begin with or be prepared to buy a new one every other year.

 

[TheEngineer]

I just ordered a new rechargeable automatic air pump. I have several of different varieties but none of the rechargeable ones. It’s a nice little piece of mind IMO if I’m not there when the power goes out.

These ones will run for over a day on a charge which is really nice.

 

[TheEngineer]

I've been through many storms before to include Irma and Maria last year, Marilyn, Louis and Hugo. In the Caribbean when we get hit we lose power for months at a time. Irma and Maria I didn't get power back until just before Thanksgiving. A generator is not a luxury, it's a necessity. My 16k whole house is great but the noise gets to you really quick.. I also have a Honda 3k inverter gen for running during the day to save on fuel and cut down on the noise level. The Honda is worth every penny imo. It runs my refrigerator, freezer and all the pumps and Apex no problem on about 2 gallon of gas a day and you can barely hear it running. If you are willing to spend thousands on an aquarium and equipment, a generator for emergencies is a drop in the bucket. As with tank equipment, buy a quality generator to begin with or be prepared to buy a new one every other year.

I love those Honda generators. So quiet and lightweight. Some day I’ll get one but today I still cringe at the price.

 

[Amoo]

I learned last year that as long as I could keep my return pump going and monitored for extremes, nothing else was really an issue. I ran my return pump only off an inverter from the car for the first 48 hours until it was safe for the gen and to bring the whole tank back online. Temp scared me at 70 but everything pulled through fine.

 

[rkpetersen]

I just ordered a new rechargeable automatic air pump. I have several of different varieties but none of the rechargeable ones. It’s a nice little piece of mind IMO if I’m not there when the power goes out.

These ones will run for over a day on a charge which is really nice.

Would you be able to share a link for that? I'm interested in buying a couple of those myself.

 

[TheEngineer]

Would you be able to share a link for that? I'm interested in buying a couple of those myself.

Sure! I got the small one, but it comes I 3 sizes.

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/dc-usb-air-pump-1-outlet-battery-backup-cobalt/

 

[redfishbluefish]

I know it's too late for the Carolina folks for "Hurricane Ready", but I'd like to tell my story about Sandy, that devistated the area of New Jersey I live in. I pray for the Carolina folks...the next couple days are going to be.....

For those who want the short story, buy a generator, if for any reason, to save the hundreds of dollars of food in your freezer/refrigerator. It pays for itself in it's first use just for the food.


We just don't get power failures where I live. The power goes out, and before you can get up off the couch, the power comes back on. About a month and a half before Sandy, we had one of these power failures. I looked at my wife and didn't move and said, "Wait a minute or two." After 30 minutes without power, I started to panic, and we went off in the car to Sam's Club to buy a 300 dollar generator. As we were returning home, and now driving down our street, all the lights came on!!!! So the generator, still in the box, simply went into the garage. I later found out a car hit a pole one street over and knocked out the power. But I now had a generator.

Well, long story short, if it wasn't for this early power failure, I wouldn't have had a generator when Sandy hit NJ a month or so later. We were without power for over seven days. My little generator ran my entire tank, the refrigerator, my boiler, the television and a few lights, 24/7. During the day, the elderly in the neighborhood would come to my house because I had heat and a television. It saved my tank and all the food in the refrigerator/freezer....paid for itself. It now has it's own little shed with all the cords and ancillary equipment needed to respond quickly.

Buy a generator! It's required equipment.