Thank You - Mike Finch

[cameron]

A mag 7 draws about 70w on a 1000VA powersupply from TrippLite (about $350) you would get about 4 hours with nothing plugged in. A Mag 7 would probably drain it in 1-2 hours.

 

[jhutto]

Run 1-2 of those to keep the water moving in an emergency? Talking about the biggest ones.

Joe

 

[jmaneyapanda]

The only problem with those air pumps is that you'll need to keep them running all the time. As mesmerizing as it was when I started fish keeping, the sight of a curtain of bubbles sends shivers up my spine now. The unit Cam posted run on AC until power is severed, and then run off battery. I have a couple battery driven pumps that I can throw in when I know the power goes off, but if Im not home to see it and install the pumps- I'm screwed.

Look under Xantrex for inverter power supplies- they make a little beefier product thatn the UPS. ALso, something to cosnider, some pumps are really freaky about recieving a modified sine wave power source (which most lower cost power generators usually make).

 

[cameron]

Cheaper in the long run is the Vortech pump. $350 for a 3000gph pump and another $150 for a 24 hour backup on it. $500 is a lot, but it is a nice pump with a lot of neat features.

 

[cameron]

Well had a 3 hour power failure this morning. If this thread wasn't enough to get me thinking about these kind of failures, this morning certainly was. Will let you guys know what I find.

 

[cameron]

So far these seem the best options:

http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/HARDWARE_/Battery_Backup_System/battery_backup_system.html">http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/HARDWARE_/Battery_Backup_System/battery_backup_system.html</a>

[IMG]http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ICE-VORTECH&Category_Code">http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ICE-VORTECH&Category_Code</a>=
(battery backup is an extra $150)

 

[suasati]

I could feel your pain, I had a breaker trip over night for about 9hrs and lost almost all my fish, 6 anthias, one powder-blue tang and a six line wrasse. Had the powder blue for over two years. Since then, I have split my pumps and return on 3 different breakers.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

 

[cameron]

hmmm...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=92996">http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=92996</a>

Might need a DC (PC power supply) to charge it as I can't tell input voltage, but it could work fairly cheaply with some DIY work.

 

[washowi]

When you figure out the right combination....Let me know....with all this money I have in 3 tanks....$500 or so is nothing.

 

[judochop]

Was your tank equipment on its own breaker or did you tap into an existing line? I think the general rule is to go no higher than 80% of the breaker value on the circuit.

Matt

 

[jefft]

JMandy.. is right, don't depend on an inexpensive converter for AC motors. Motors need smooth sine waves or they can be erratic and can easily overheat. I was an industrial electronic tech till I retired and if you don't run a backup generator you need to spend the money on a converter that has decent filtering of the sine wave. The one he linked to looks pretty good. Also a lot of homes have many recepticals coming off of one breaker and they can easily be overloaded. In my old house there was 2 bedrooms and 1 bath on the same breaker. I feel you should have the aquarium receptical coming off it's own breaker. If you can't run your own wiring have it done, most receptical breakers are 20 amp and with everything needed to run a tank and then someone starts a hair dryer or toaster or even the microwave, bam the breaker trips and then we have floaters. Have someone that has one put a clamp on ampmeter on the line, you would be suprised how much current your stuff is drawing. Jeff