I would truly appreciate your opinion....

[zoechance]

For my tank holiday gift I have purchased 2 Vortech back up batteries. I know its not very glamorous but I live in So Cali and we all know that an earthquake or power outage is just a reality.... So I have a 100gallon mixed reef system with 2 MP 40s at opposite ends of the tank. what my question is:
1) would you attach the back up batteries to each MP40 and they will run for 36 hrs in an outage or...

2) would you daisy chain the batteries so in the event of an outage it will run 1 MP40 for 72 hrs....
The last outage lasted 3 days,,, I just dont know what kind of flow a tank/corals need to stay alive. I do have a generator also to run a heater and even the main pump if necessary but that can take hours to set up and depends on being home at the time of the outage.

OPINIONS?.... are greatly appreciated..... so I can proceed to drill my tank stand and mount these big boys... (batteries are bug ugly and heavy.....

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

If you are gonna be sps dominant than I would hook up each individually, if not then daisy chain.

 

[Tradewinds]

I have a battery backup for each of my MP40, but thankfully the outages in my area are typically less than 12 hours in length.

If you tend to have extended outages I would think you would want to opt for the longer run time.

 

[zoechance]

Thanks guys... so I am 50:50... LOL... hmmmmm any more opinions...?

 

[cparka23]

You don't need a lot of water movement to keep things alive during long outages. Even SPS will survive with low flow for a few days, but a tank with zero flow can die off overnight. (Speaking from experience, sadly. Your mileage may vary, of course.) The Vortechs are designed to operate at low speed when running on backup power, so take that as a sign that only a little flow is necessary to sustain a tank in survival mode.

Personally, I'd go with one pump on backup, even if it is on one end of a long tank. A two-day outage isn't out of the question, so 36 hours just doesn't cut it if you're ever out of town.

 

[tanked37]

The goal during a power outage is to tank the tank alive for as long as possible and not necessarily in its most optimal state for a shorter period of time. I would without question run one power head for 72 hours verses 2 for less time.

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

How long is the tank? The reason I say one on each ( depending on your live stock) is because if it is a longer tank then one mp's flow will not reach the other side. Therefore possible die off and other problems due to that. I know it's a pain to get the generator up and running but 36 hrs should be plenty of time to due so.

 

[zoechance]

thanks so much for your opinions
my tank is 42inches in length
i am still pretty torn. leaning towards daisy chain for longer run time. but… also thinking what if 1 doesn't kick in when the power goes out….? then at least I have the other side running… i have read reviews where they fail to turn on,,, I am a nervous Nellie… huh?

 

[gtbarsi]

In the end I think the question is will you be able to get the generator up and running in 36hrs... If the answer is yes than setup both, if not then both need to go on one and you should test it from time to time. If it fails during the test then try and switch them to the other and test...