Preparing for a BLACKOUT! HELP!!

bobssecrtsn · Apr 19, 2013

So my community is turning off the power for approx. 9 hours and i have a 50g with a quietone 3000 pump i just checked the Watts on it and it pulls .5AMPS i also have a 500W heater i believe also pulls 5.5 AMPS.

What i have here is 4 4D batteries. each of them hold 200 AH and i also have another 8D battery which holds 250AH but i will not be attaching it.

SORRY MISTAKE MY PUMP PULLS .5 AMPS AND MY HEATER PULLS 5.5 AMPS

so i have 800 AH and if i run my return pump with the heater( it turns on and off whenever its needed.) how long will i have before i have to recharge them? heres a picture..

ritter6788 · Apr 19, 2013

9 hours without power should be no problem for a healthy reef.

RalphsReef · Apr 19, 2013

Do you really need the heater this time of year? I know it is extremely hot already here in FL. If you are going to be at home, I would drain 5 gallons of water and then dump it back into the tank every 15-30 minutes to keep some circulation and oxygenation. Or, see if you can borrow a generator if you think your batteries will not last.

bobssecrtsn · Apr 19, 2013

thanks, for more info. they will be changing out the power lines from 11pm -7 am and i alreayd have a gen. but its to loud and will wake the neighbors..

Eggs · Apr 20, 2013

I would try and go without the heater and the return pump, and use the batteries to run a powerhead for circulation in the display. You could wrap a blanket around the display if you're worried about the water temperature dropping too much.

_Alex_ · Apr 20, 2013

Um who cares about the neighbors?? It's your right to provide yourself with power. Stick generator in back yard and run extension cords in just run circulation pumps and heater if need be. Also why a 500w heater for a 50 gal???

And for what it's worth I've fired my generator up at 1 am before just to see of anyone woke up and no one did. And I have a neighbor house right up against my property line on that side it was running. Basically unles houses are 100 years old it shouldn't be that loud inside lol

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RalphsReef · Apr 20, 2013

In a case such as this, I would run the generator. There is too much at risk not to run it, if you ask me. Look at it this way, the only real gripes will realistically be from those neighbors who are thinking to themselves how they should have bought a generator. Depending on the size of your community, you might not be the only one running a generator. I would bet that anyone who has one will likely fire it up.

RalphsReef · Apr 20, 2013

I was also just thinking that perhaps the power company gave you the "worst case scenario" for the outage. Who knows, they might have it done more quickly. Either way, I would have the generator ready.