Bill Smith

Thank you Cory for the kind words, it means a lot. Not to derail this thread or anything, but thank you for setting up this forum. I don't make videos, and I have no interest in setting up a channel. So this forum provides a way for me to share what I've learned in a format I'm more comfortable with. More to come in the coming weeks, I hope! Thanks for reading! Bill

Great point! Someone should invite Aqua Huna to post their updates here as well...

I got this rack from Home Depot for $40!! https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-4-Tier-Wire-Garage-Storage-Shelving-Unit-in-Chrome-36-in-W-x-54-in-H-x-14-in-D-EH-WSTHDUS-004/204466874 I loaded up three 20-Longs on mine (plus two 5-1/2 gallons on the bottom) and they are plenty stable if you add an earthquake strap. So yes, easily handles four 20-Longs, no problem. The space above each tank is only about four inches, but the tanks pull out easily if you drain them 75%. I also use tongs for moving/planting things, and I have no real complaints about the cramped quarters. Hope that helps! Bill

Uninterruptible Power Supply. Basically a power strip with a giant battery on it. It's intended for desktop computers, to give you a few minutes to save your work in the event of a power failure. But those draw a lot more watts than a simple aquarium filter pump, so it should be even better for those, right? So I ran a test with an entry level UPS to see how much time I could get. I'll post those results in a new thread in a couple more days. Spoiler: You'll get maybe a couple hours; not worth it. Just run backup sponge filters in your pond, spare tank, breeder tank, quarantine tank, etc. and one of the above battery packs and you're golden for days! If I had a fish room, I'd seriously consider running a small pond full of sponge filters and overloaded with cleanup crew (siamese algae eaters, bristlenose plecos, snails, etc.). And just place them whenever you need an extra boost somewhere.

Not sure how powerful the USB nano pump will be on a gang valve...I wouldn't trust it for more than two tanks in an emergency. Might consider a UPS for the linear piston pump instead and keep your whole fish room running. (UPS test coming soon. I did one of those too!)

Doesn't look like it. These kinds of chargers usually stop powering your device when you plug them in. An affordable pass-through device was hard to find after much research.

Sort of. The port that you use to charge it can also be used as a second output port, so it can work on two devices if it's not plugged into the wall. Which cancels out the "pass through" benefit.

Great idea! I am SO going to find something solar that works for the 17g daphnia tub I'm hoping to set up in the next few days...

Thank you! Hopefully more such tests coming in the near future.

Caught in the act:

Extending the USB Nano Pump: A Test of Power As my order history will attest, the USB Nano Pump is hands-down my favorite Aquarium Co-Op product. It's crazy quiet and powerful for the money. In my home office where I have five tanks, there is ZERO humming sound coming from the five nano pumps providing air to the 20 longs on a wall rack. All I hear is the air rushing "white noise" that even serves to mask the hums of my hang-on-back filters. Find me a conventional 4-port pump that can accomplish that! This gives me a room with several tanks that aren't singing in the key of "E"! But testimonial aside, I recalled Cory talking about the benefits of the "USB" aspect of the pump; especially that it can be powered by a backup battery during power failures. But what if that could be taken a step further? What if it could be used as a daily workhorse pump THAT ALSO automatically switches over to backup power when the power does go out? How long will it last? Can it do this without human intervention? For twenty bucks and ZERO DIY skills, you bet it can! SELECTING THE BACKUP BATTERY In making my choice of backup battery, I listed the following criteria that needed to be satisfied: 1. It has to be Compact 2. It has to Last a Long time 3. It has to Power my pump on wall power 4. It has to Switch to battery power without my touching it 5. It has to be Affordable; I have a lot of pumps! With that in mind and a lot of research, I settled on this UGREEN Portable charger for phones and tablets, for $22 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S73M12N (I'm receiving and want no affiliate kickbacks for this.) It mostly matched up with my requirements: 1. Compact: It's about the size of a pack of cigarettes 2. Long-Lasting: 10,000mAh will be tested 3. Power: Pass-through feature sends wall-power directly to the pump 4. Switch: Pass-through charges the battery and switches over when unplugged 5. Affordable: Mixed feelings on this...pass-through isn't cheap! 6. Bonus! Digital readout shows the percentage of charge remaining What is pass-through power technology? You can't just plug the pump into any phone charger and expect it to power the pump while the charger is plugged into your wall; most phone chargers will stop powering your device when they are being charged themselves. But with "pass-through", the charger passes your wall power through to your charging device while it charges itself. Instant permanent battery backup! How to use it? Simply plug the battery backup between the USB pump and its USB charging adapter that comes with it. You need nothing else! So let's dive into the testing... TEST ONE: DOES IT WORK WITH NON-PHONE DEVICES? What we're proposing here is to plug in a device that doesn't draw power the same way as a phone does, into a powering device that's made for phones and tablets. Will it handle low voltage fish stuff? This article wouldn't exist if the answer weren't a resounding Yes! I connected it all and plugged it into the wall. It immediately started the pump and started charging itself at the same time. When I unplugged the power from the wall, the pump kept going and the battery started draining. SLOWLY. Blue or orange port? I tested the charging process twice, curious about whether choosing the blue or orange ports on the new Aquarium Co-Op charger plug that came with the pump would make a difference in charging time. It made no difference. So this will work. But for how long? Here's where it gets interesting. TEST TWO: HOW LONG DOES IT LAST? I charged it up to 100% while connected to the pump (about 3-4 hours), and then unplugged everything from the wall to simulate a power failure. The pump continued to run for 60 HOURS. That's two and a half days! Not much more to be said there. It's quite an effective backup power source! TEST THREE: OKAY, BUT HOW LONG DOES IT REALLY LAST? On the theory that it will not last as long when it's under a load and actually powering a real airstone in water pressure, I connected it to a never-clog airstone on 24" of airline tubing that had already been running for several months in 12" of water depth. The runtime result was another round number: 50 HOURS on a full charge. So this means that the pump was powered for about 17% less time while under a basic load. Logically, I'd assume that as the airstone becomes more clogged, its capacity for backup time will be diminished even more. Mounting? The battery pack is not terribly heavy, so it can be mounted with some double-sided foam tape to the back or side of the aquarium, or any other flat surface so that it doesn't dangle. CONCLUSION The combination of 2+ days' power, always-ready pass-through powering, and the compact size makes this a huge winner. I'm buying one of these for every one of my USB Nano Pumps. Yes, $22 can add up fast, but for me, it's a small price to pay for the peace of mind. When the power goes out, I will have oxygenated water for days! Even if I were to lose most of the beneficial bacteria, the bacteria that remains in proximity to the moving water caused by the bubbles (on the glass, rocks, gravel, and decorations) will serve as a seed population for a new colony. But that's a moot point if the pump is powering a sponge filter! What more is there to say? Spread the word: USB battery backups aren't just for phones!

Was wondering if it was worth considering creating a forum area for DIY projects or testing? I have a few things to share that aren't full tank journals per se, but wasn't sure it that was more appropriate to Journals and such. Thanks for your consideration! Bill

Hi all, super happy to be here! Looking forward to this forum being the anti-"fish police" safe space! Bill