Ice storm and reef tanks

[seafishes]

With an impending ice stom on the horizon...what do you do to protect your aquarium in such an event? We cannot afford a generator so close to Chistmas and the stores that rent them are out. I don't want to loose my investment so I'm looking for those pearls of wisdom that this board is so famous for. I have several battery operated air pumps, extra batteries, and kerosene heaters. Seeking everyones suggestions...


Lori

[AquaticCo]

Pray the power does not go down, I'm in Cherokee and in the same situation

Doug

[Doug1]

Welcome !!!!!!!!!!!
Oh yah, winter time again Battery op airpumps are good, use as many as you have and maybe cover tank with a blanky at night. If you lose power for exteded time you can use a pitcher(preferably new) to scoop and pour, for additional areation. I would premix a sizable amount of SW in case you need to do water change after. Good luck with the storm

[Casey]

this is what I did when I lived in Virginia if the temp starts to drop
take some empty 2 liter bottles fill them with hot water and float them in the tank I did this to stop my temp from dropn to low had to use a propane stove to heat the water hths

[triggereel]

They are both good ideas and the blanket works very well, I dont really think you have to worry that much unless the power goes out for a while then you might want to do some water changes Come on you live in GA you are over analizing your ice storm it should not be that bad but I guess down here in the south people do worry about ice and snow cause you dont get it that much. In PA and Jersey we had the ice storms all the time in the winter and it was not big deal we still had power and still went to work.

[seafishes]

Thanks Doug and Casey I've got the RoDi workin' overtime right now so I have plenty of water. Great idea with the hot water bottles....praying this will be just rain.


Lori

[Dad]

How about a 12V (car) battery and a dc/ac converter (like what you would use to power a laptop or tv in the car-cigarette lighter plug in ) to run powerhead for circ andor skimmer for areation..

rule makes a 12v 500gph bilge pump (around $16 at Grainger)
(Aquatico has them also-360gph for $13) not good for long term but good for temp...
I think the biggy would be the heater because of the wattage....

just some thoughts...

bob

[Rick O]

I'm going to try to find a power inverter tomorrow. I have two very large marine gel cell batteries that could run some pumps and heaters for quite a while.

[Mickadee]

triggereel one thing you gotta remember about down south we dont get them that often but when we do it can and does get really bad. I lived in AR the winter of 2000 and power outages were all over and it was several weeks before they got the power back on in some places. and there is that added amount of stupidity when it starts to happen that nobody can seem to get things together. up north (I am origianly from South Bend,IN) they are more aware that things are going to happen and have plans to accomadate the problems before they occur.


all the ideas are good ones though. hope you dont loose power though.
Mike

[Doug1]

Word of caution on submersable baitwell or sump pumps, not all are OK in SW, even tha ones that claim to be are designed to keep bait fish alive, not support delicate inverts Inverter and a phead seems a better idea

[triggereel]

thats right sorry everyting moves slower down here oops

[digital_dragon]

I am not worried. I have lived here in the south all of my life and Florida for a small part of my life. Down here in the south all they need to start a panic is a few flurries and schools close, grocery stores are pillaged, and people forget how to drive on dry roads. I am one of these that will believe we have a true problem with the weather when I am knee deep in snow and ice. So bring it on.

[tdwyatt]

Actually...

In this part of the South there is a band starting about 50 miles south of Atlanta, Georgia than follows I-85 north up into the Raleigh-Durham, NC area that is too warm for snow, but gets that very cold, thin surface layers of subfreezing air that causes sleet and freezing rain. It isn't the snow, but the freezing rain that takes down trees (and power lines, etc) and makes driving so bad. I just returned from a drive through West Virginia from Pittsburg. It was bad, but the snow there was nothing: a day of freezing rain and black ice on the roads will leave large numbers of folks stranded and without power for days at a time.

If you want to truly protect your investment, then get a generator. If you have $5000 to $10000 tied up in several years of reefkeeping, then $500 for a system to keep them going is a drop in the proverbial bucket. Those of you that just need to get by for a short period of time can do with a pair of Deep cycle 12 volt marine batteries and a power inverter, a deep charger, and a trickle charger, but the deal is you have to be prepared in advance. These batteries off the shelf from Wallyworld or Advance automotive, etc., (pep boys?) will have insufficient charge to carry you through. You will need to charge the battery fully, check to make sure if it needs maintenance, charge it to full capacity with the main charger, then maintain that charge with the trickle charger. This will keep it fully charged once it has reached full charge. The inverter can be found in any place that uses/sells RV products. This is usually clipped directly to the battery and Voila!!! instant 120volt power! For most 75 to 180 gallon aquaria, you should be able to keep a 100 watt pump and a 100 to 200 watt heater going for around 18 to 24 hours depending on how heavily they are needed. If you keep 2 batteries per aquarium system, you should be able to keep circulation and heat going for at least 2 days if not longer. Of course, you will need to totally discharge and fully recharge such a system at least once every 4 to 6 months to maintain its capacity. I have used this in the past, and although it will not run lights, if your intent is to survive the power outage, this is the cheap lifejacket. I would agree with those of you that use Styrofoam sheets and blankets to cover the sides and the top of the tank to reduce heat loss. This will reduce the amount of draw an aquarium would pull from the battery backup and make it last longer. When the power goes out, take the inverter, clip it to the terminals, and plug a power strip into the inverter and attach only those items necessary to supply circulation and heat, then wrap the tank up and leave it alone until the power comes on. Each time you unwrap and look at your systems, large amounts of heat will escape the mass of water. Don't forget to insulate the stand and back of the tank as well and keep them wrapped and insulated. You may need to run an airstone into the water column from outside the insulation if it is wrapped a little too well.

I hope this helps some of you, I will try to find some more specific info on how long to expect a particular wattage pump and a particular wattage heater to last in a set of different circumstances (or maybe some of our electrical whizzes can calculate this and chime in!) Seems I saw an article in a recent edition of FAMA on this topic.

Hopefully, none of us will need to do this, but it only works if you are prepared.

[ShirleyM]

Thanks, Tom, for your post and info!
And Thanks, Casey, for the floating hot water bottle idea!

I'm printing this for future use. We had a 7-hr power outage due to a summer thunderstorm a year or so ago, and winter outages occur every now and then when we get the inevitable occasional ice storm.

And, we've been thinking of getting a generator for a few years now.....

I just hope everyone is able to be prepared enough to deal successfully with whatever comes!
Shirley

[Mrs Smith]

We were out power for over 5 days last January in the worst ice storm Kansas City had on record. We bit the bullet, made some phone calls and waited 5 hours for a remaufactured generator the second day when we realized that the power wasn't coming back on anytime soon. Saved our tank, no doubt. (And a friend's - we took in all his livestock for a week.)

Have on hand:
Battery powered air bubblers and lots of airline tubing.
Thermal blankets work surprisingly well.
We had hot water, so we filled 2L bottles with the hottest water we could and floated them. (Crank up the hot water heater - we didn't have use of a stove, but the hot water heater worked well)
A whisk or something to agitate the water surface every so often.

If you have a friend with a generator... beg to steal one outlet-worth of power. That's what we did the first night to run the powerheads and heaters, which is why good extension cords and powerstrips are a must.

Good luck,
Danielle