Tanks prepared for winter weather this weekend??

[carey1465]

As I sit here this morning watching the weather warnings on television for the Atlanta area, I'm thinking "am I ready for a power outage?" Usually my tank will hold its temperature during the summer months. But here it January and its bringing some cooler temps. And if your like me, I have my tank in the basement where the temperature is cooler.

Please make sure y'all have a back up plan in case you have a power outage and be safe!!


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[fishlips]

Thanks for the warning.

 

[oryansreef]

no back up here, at least I have under ground utilities and have not had a power outage in the 2 1/2 years ive been there.

 

[johns94ss]

this is my first winter with a tank. i have a biocube 29 what are the best per-cautions in case the power goes out.

 

[carey1465]

Johns94ss;1104477 wrote: this is my first winter with a tank. i have a biocube 29 what are the best per-cautions in case the power goes out.

I have the ecotech battery backup on one of my powerheads if it's a short outage. But If the power is out for hours, I have a power inverter that plugs in your vehicles cigarette lighter. Only thing with that is you need to idle your car to keep that running and make sure you have plenty of gas!! One day, I'll have to buy me a portable generator


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[johns94ss]

i was wondering if i could use a battery back up for mean time in case the power does go out.

 

[xilez]

Johns94ss;1104477 wrote: this is my first winter with a tank. i have a biocube 29 what are the best per-cautions in case the power goes out.

The most important thing is water movement. You want to keep the water moving/oxigenating. You could grab a cheaper battery powered air pump to hold you over. If you dont have battery backups, use a cup and just fill it up pour it back in to get oxygen circulating.

Wrap blankets/towels around the tank to help keep it warm.

 

[bcavalli]

Great advice from everyone. We have a portable generator, battery backup for the powerheads and lots of blankets to wrap the tanks. But, it can get really cold without electricity. An car inverter is a great option if you don't have a generator. I have an extra if anyone near me needs one.

 

[Adam]

I just bought a 7500 watt generator
I installed a transfer switch myself last week and can power 10 circuits. 2 furnaces, 2 fridges, 3 TV's, Internet & WiFi and the entire aquarium except lighting & top off. All covered and tested. I also have my powerheads on a battery backup, so they will run until we get the generator fired up.

I figure now that I've got all this done there won't be another power outage for a long time. But if I didn't do it I'd be screwed tomorrow. Good old Murphy, lol.

 

[bcavalli]

Dang Adam that's amazing. When I upgrade my generator I may have you help me set mine mine up like yours.

 

[bulkrate]

Then there's low-tech/small tank folks like me. Living room has a fireplace that can keep the whole room at 70-odd degrees. Next to the tank's a Dixie cup for occasional water movement/aeration & a glencairn glass holding a dram of something suitable for me.

Remember, in a pinch a good number of water heaters are mechanically thermostat-controlled and gas fired... they can provide hot water for floatin bags to keep a tank tropical even if the power's out.

Good luck, all.

 

[bcavalli]

Jeremy that's a great idea! I didn't even think about floating hot water bags.

 

[axio]

Bcavalli;1104493 wrote: Jeremy that's a great idea! I didn't even think about floating hot water bags.

+1 ALWAYS FLOAT hot water bags or bottles. NEVER EVER EVER pour hot or very warm water directly into your aquarium.

 

[Adam]

Bcavalli;1104487 wrote: Dang Adam that's amazing. When I upgrade my generator I may have you help me set mine mine up like yours.

I got the generator on Amazon, $900 delivered. The Transfer Switch and cord from Northern Tool $300.
The switch was only surface mount so I got a box from Lowes to mount it in, $50. It look's like an electrician put it in and you'd never know it was not there to begin with.
The transfer switch can handle 6 to 10 breakers and up to 7500 watts max. So even if you don't have that large a generator you can still power the essential circuits to get by without running extension cords all over the place.

Another option for people on a budget and tanks of all sizes it to get some

 

[bcavalli]

That's not bad at all Adam. Hmmm I'll have to fit that into next years budget.

 

[franciscosalazar]

Glad y'all survived! LOL

 

[jennm]

It's always a good idea to have a plan for water movement in the event of a power outage. Battery powered air pumps, UPS for a powerhead, inverter, generator.... in a pinch, scooping water and pouring it back into the tank will agitate it to aerate it.

Temperature is a bit more tricky but you'd be surprised at how some creatures can handle a swing.

Jenn

 

[morganatlanta]

For those doing without a generator because of the cost and hassle, I just got one of these from Walmart, delivered to my door for $200. It's light enough to pick up and move, with enough juice to power the tank, including the heaters. The best feature is that it runs on propane, which, unlike gasoline, you can store indefinitely, and I have it on hand for the grill anyway.

 

[firethorn77]

Fortunately my house has never lost electricity for more than 30 seconds in the six or so years I've been here. Aside from one time a transformer blew in the summer. Just put a battery powered air pump in for a couple hours until they fixed it.

 

[morganatlanta]

A neighbor's tree went down on the wires on our street a couple months ago and we lost power for two days. Thankfully it wasn't too cold, but the tank did get down to 65 degrees. Last summer, a lightening strike took out our power for three days while we were on vacation. It was enough of a scare to finally do something about it. We are without power for a day or two every year on average, and every 10-15 years we have an ice storm and loose it for a few days or more. Our neighborhood is in an older section of Brookhaven with huge oaks and pines and above ground power.