Power outage temperature control

[Thomthom329]

I just bought this on amazon: https://www.westinghouseportablepower.com/shop/all-products/igen2200/. Cheaper on amazon too.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Get some space blankets to wrap your tank and sump for insulation. Worry more about heat. Cooler water holds more oxygen and causes fish’s metabolisms to slow down. They won’t eat or pollute the water as fast, so can survive longer with no circulation if needed. Short term it is much much safer than water that gets too hot.

 

[srad750c]

90g 40g sump, estimated total volume 110g.

I have an ecotech battery back up to run an mp40 for 36 hrs. I also have 6 battery powered air pumps/air stones and 36 D batteries so I can oxygenate the water for over a week if the vortech didnt work for some reason. I also have a 1000w inverter for my car to run my heater if necessary and vortech once battery back up runs out.

I may purchase a 2000w generator today though as well.

A single car battery wouldnt run my heater for more than a few hours, although that assumes it's on 24/7 which wouldn't be the case. I may pick up a deep cycle marine battery of like 100ah+ that way I can run the heater without running my car/generator outside and running an extension cord into the house in potentially terrible weather.

What size battery did you use and how many watts was your equipment?

I have EcoTech battery backup for my MP40, this will be my second hurricane reef tank. I didn’t have power for a week, tank was fine. As long as you keep water areated you should be fine. I use my bait cooler aerators. Battery powered fans will keep water cool. Computer fans run on 12V DC also.

 

[srad750c]

Does anyone know when cold temps pose a threat? At what temp?

I’m in NC also, good luck for us. I’m not worried. I didn’t have heat for 3 days, my tank got down to 68, I didn’t lose anything but I was very worried. I would try to prevent it getting below 70.

 

[srad750c]

Does anyone know when cold temps pose a threat? At what temp?

You will have a problem keeping tank cool vs needing to heat.

 

[BigJohnny]

I have EcoTech battery backup for my MP40, this will be my second hurricane reef tank. I didn’t have power for a week, tank was fine. As long as you keep water areated you should be fine. I use my bait cooler aerators. Battery powered fans will keep water cool. Computer fans run on 12V DC also.

How high or low did your temps get and what were the temps outside?

Thanks!

 

[srad750c]

How high or low did your temps get and what were the temps outside?

Thanks!

Hurricane Fran, was first. I don’t remember outdoors temp then. Last was during winter 2 years ago. It was 52 degrees in my house. 300W heater kept temp at 68 degrees.

 

[srad750c]

Do

Thanks. I wonder about the other end, although I think it's less likely the tank will cool down that much. I just want to know when I would need to run a heater. My other problem is my fish only eat live or frozen food lol, crash course in pellets starting now!

Don’t worry about feeding fish, I created a bigger demand for oxygen and also they will produce waste. They will be fine not eating for a few days, if it comes to that. The less waste products you tank has to process, the better off it will be.

 

[JakeK]

I’m in NC also, good luck for us. I’m not worried. I didn’t have heat for 3 days, my tank got down to 68, I didn’t lose anything but I was very worried. I would try to prevent it getting below 70.

My tank has dropped to 64*F during a power outage. Battery backup on the ecotech kept everything alive. I didn't lose any fish and only a couple newly cut SPS frags. All other corals were fine. I'd worry more about extreme heat than cold assuming you can keep tank oxygenated.

 

[vetteguy53081]

84 degrees should not be a problem however as temperature goes up, oxygen goes down. Hopefully you have/had a method of portable and/or battery operated pump.
As much as I hate to say this, Take care of you and family first. Any loss can be replenished. Hopefully you don't the impact Nearly expected.

 

[srad750c]

Do


Don’t worry about feeding fish, I created a bigger demand for oxygen and also they will produce waste. They will be fine not eating for a few days, if it comes to that. The less waste products you tank has to process, the better off it will be.

Spell check:mad: ...it creates a bigger demand for oxygen.....

 

[Dwaters]

For Irma I froze water bottles and floated them on top of my tank if temp was going up.

 

[T Carey]

Wrapping the tank in bubble wrap will slow the heat loss at night as will putting a solid lid of saran wrap over the top. You said you have air pumps so one or two of those running will keep the O2 levels OK even with the saran wrap on the top. During the day I'd take the saran wrap off the top and if the tank gets to warm I'd use a 12 VDC computer fan blowing on the water surface to control the temps. The bubble wrap will help dampen the temp swings. If you have enough air pumps or small power heads I'd put one in the sump to keep things alive down there. Don't want a sudden surge of O2 depleted water full of dead bacteria getting pumped out of the sump when the power comes back on.

 

[Marie7]

Thanks. I wonder about the other end, although I think it's less likely the tank will cool down that much. I just want to know when I would need to run a heater. My other problem is my fish only eat live or frozen food lol, crash course in pellets starting now!

You need dry ice

 

[MDandD]

Feeding:
Ok you need to stop feeding them 12 hours out and do not resume until power comes back. They can go a week without eating (a few can’t like a mandarin but they should have live food living in the tank)

I assume you are going to run your return pump so the sump and main tank stay alive. Correct?

Temp:
Your temp will likely be just fine bc if the volume. It will likely swing slowly but remain around 78-80 based on your forecast. The heat will be your biggest issue by far! So you can do 2 things:

1 - freeze blocks of di water for top off. Drop cubes in when you need to top off. Do this in the afternoon to drop the temp a degree or 2.

2 - run your reactor with carbon into a cooler with ice. Regulate the flow to cool it off in the afternoon/ eve when it will get warmer. I assume everyone has some sort of reactor.

When the battery dies, use 2 air stones in the main and one in the sump. A dead sump makes recovery a nightmare.

Also buy dr Tim’s or stability for bacteria replenish as you go. Also prime or amquel

This system got me through 8 days without power with 95deg heat during irma

My tank is only 10g larger than yours

 

[tom reilly]

Thanks. I wonder about the other end, although I think it's less likely the tank will cool down that much. I just want to know when I would need to run a heater. My other problem is my fish only eat live or frozen food lol, crash course in pellets starting now!

I would not feed unless power is out for days and then only sparingly.