battery backup

[jmontel]

Greetings:

My question is "How do I keep my tank going if
I lose electrical power?"

I was thinking about using a P.C. ups but
the runtime is like only 10 minutes.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

jesse

[vjvl51]

That's a good idea. Remember that a computer takes a lot more power than a couple of pumps.

An aquarium will last, without lights, for days. So turn off your lights to conserve power. Without heaters working, the aquarium temperature will only drop to room temp. In most cases, this will happen slowly and not stress the fish, providing it does not last for days and most importantly, you very slowly bring the temp back up to normal to avoid stressing your fish. You can wrap blankets around the tank to help prevent heat loss. You can also use a barbecue or camp stove to heat water. Fill some bottles and float them in the aquarium.

The most important item is your filtration and water movement. Those I would power with ups. Some people have been able to get 6 hours backup with ups - using it only for filtration. It all depends upon the size of the ups and the amount of load/current draw.

I've heard of some people using a clean, manual air pump (bicycle pump) and pump air through the water for 15 minutes out of every hour.

There are battery powered air pumps (for use in transporting fish a long distance). You could purchase one of those.

Vickie