Do You Have Power Outage Backup Or Battery Backup? If So, What Is It?

[JChristophersAdventures]

There has been a lot of YT videos on power outages and aquariums over the past few months. I also know you can back up just about anything including your tanks/fish rooms... at a price. But, how far do you take it? Let me know ...are you prepared? Is this a "bucket list" item, wish list, or not necessary? Air only? Air and heat?

Your experiences and thoughts are appreciated... not to mention they help me in planning my current project. Thanks.

Edited August 25, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures

[Guppysnail]

I keep extra sponge filters or ugf running on air pumps with built in battery backups. I used to use Pennplax SAB-11 that ran on d batteries and kicked on only when the power went out but the new built in battery ones are so much nicer and eliminate needing a second backup in addition to the main pump. 
Hubby also bought me a gas generator dedicated to the fish room in case I need heat or air for longer durations than the batteries are good for. 
I do have cell phone battery packs from when I ran nano pumps that accept 2 usb plugs to buy extra time in the summer when I just need a few more hours of air. 
 

Peace of mind is PRICELESS. 🤗

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Guppysnail That's a lot of backup! I do have a moth-balled generator for emergencies... it is powerful, but super load... worse than a blender! lol There are lots of emergency backup power supplies out there, but they generally run $500 to several thousand dollars for something that will run just about everything for a day or so... so, far I am not planning to do that option, although they are quiet, seeing how they are really just a big charged up battery.

I am considering a battery backup built into the air supply, as that seems the most critical element for short-term power failures. Hygger put out a really powerful line of these within the last couple of years for well under $100... still looking into them... Hygger has some really good stuff as well as some cheap trash, so due diligence is key.

Have you ever had a power outage affect your aquarium(s)? Thanks.

[Guppysnail]

On 8/25/2023 at 11:31 AM, JChristophersAdventures said:

Have you ever had a power outage affect your aquarium(s)? Thanks.

3 days is the longest during an ice storm in 2007-2008 sometime. Thankfully I only had 1 tank at the time and it was goldfish so I did not lose anything but they were worse for the wear. I had no backup anything at the time. 

[TOtrees]

I have a 2 step plan. Though fortunately outages are pretty rare for me. 

1. LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) 12V battery can power my 46W linear air pump for 12-24hrs, which will get air to all my tanks (currently around 15). A few tanks have an extra hob, so they wouldn't get their full normal filtration, but air and circulation are more important and a few extra airstones on my loop is easy. The key here is having a one air pump, not many. [the battery can also power my home modem without too much extra load]

2. 3500W inverter generator, if power is out for longer, or during winter. This can recharge the 12V battery, run the air pump itself, and also power my freezer and a few other appliances with no issues. The other big move here is that I spliced an outlet plug into my gas furnace power cord, so the generator can easily run the furnace fan, while the heat comes from the gas which stays on during an outage. Heat the house not the tanks. Or at least keep it warm enough that fish are ok. 

So the plan, if there is ever an extended outage, is to use the generator during the day, and the battery at night. If it's winter, running the generator at night isn't so much a concern since all my close townhouse neighbors will have their windows closed. 

PS the generator will also power the coffee machine, thereby preventing insanity and utter chaos. 

PPS even if you don't have a gas furnace, the mid-range portable generator option is a good one for heat, still following the "heat the space not the tanks" principle. Eg run a space heater at 1,000 watts or so, and use that to heat the room where the fish tanks are (cause you all have your tanks in 1 room, right?). Tip: when shopping for a generator (if you haven't before), the extra money for an inverter generator is well worth it. Benefits are fuel economy and WAY less noise. Tip2: if you have ANY thought of wiring a generator into your house, DO consult an electrician on what you need to do before you buy. I had lofty plans to install a sub panel and transfer switch, but my generator isn't compatible with my fuse panel. It's not even compatible with my furnace, without some researching and fixing (neutral ground bonding plug). But now I'm all set, happy camper. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by TOtrees

[JChristophersAdventures]

@TOtrees That's really thinking it through! It's very smart that you are well prepared, like that. A lot of us are prepared for short outages, but not nearly as prepared as that for longer ones. We rarely get outages here, as well. And, I know what you mean... tying your own systems into the grid or being able to manually switch back and forth between on/off grid can be challenging and expensive.

My son-in-law is an engineer who has done all that with his house... solar, wood and gasoline options... each option heats and generates electricity. He manually switches back and forth. I will be doing well to get a portable back-up battery bank on my air and heat. Well done. Those fish are in good hands! Thanks.

Edited August 25, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures

[Maximus]

I use the ACO pumps with the battery backup, but I also have a UPS for backing up home office things so there is a bit of redundancy. It's a CyberPower model from Costco and seems to provide more than enough for any reasonable scenario (time to power down desktop computer, etc, and run pumps for extended periods after their batteries fail).

[TOtrees]

Thanks. I like the versatility of my setup. I can get air back up and running (via the 12V battery) in a matter of minutes, and as we all know most power outages, when they occur, are relatively brief. So a simple and fast solution for most outages (in fact I've only ever had to connect the generator twice in the year and a bit I've had it, and one of those times the power came back on soon after so it wasn't really needed). 

What's really great is the peace of mind knowing that I don't need to worry about warming plastic bottles or water and floating them to keep tanks from going too cold, or periodically stirring or pouring in water to aerate. It's all related to the number of tanks too. If I only had 3 tanks, all in separate rooms, my system wouldn't work or wouldn't be as easy. And the "manual" fixes like described above, when replicated across anything more than 3 or 4 tanks, becomes a real burden. For those who have say 6 or fewer tanks, or tanks in different rooms, yes the ACO battery pumps would be the way to go. My situation also reflects the fact that my hobby fish room generates some income, that I specifically put towards the costs of the items above. Neither the battery nor the generator were cheap, but that were absolutely 100% worth the cost. 

[mynameisnobody]

House generator, paid $5K installed

[nabokovfan87]

I have 3 D Cell battery pumps and I have a nano pump with a USB battery bank. Planning to get another nano pump (or two) and another battery bank. The goal is to also have some of the coop battery backup pumps.

[JChristophersAdventures]

@nabokovfan87 Hopefully the ACO pumps will begin shipping again, soon.

[Tazalanche]

I have the ACO battery backup air pumps as the primary line of defense for the aquariums. I also have APC ups systems that can run the heaters of the temp starts dropping a little. If it starts dropping a lot, we crank up the wood burning stove that's about 30' away from them.

 

One of our next home related purchases will be a whole house generator.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Tazalanche

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/25/2023 at 4:21 PM, JChristophersAdventures said:

@nabokovfan87 Hopefully the ACO pumps will begin shipping again, soon.

I'm trying to figure out how long they last compared to the other ones.  It would be nice to get the ones with the slightly stronger output pressure.

[PineSong]

Just had a 12 hour power outage last night. Outages are rare here and usually less than one hour, so I was pretty worried by hour three, but luckily my fish came through fine. (livebearer tanks, heavily planted and lightly stocked at the moment because half my fish are outside for the summer).

I think the investment level that would work for me (5 tanks spread over three rooms) are airpumps with battery backup. 

[tolstoy21]

I have a very simple UPS backup supply that will run maybe 15 - 20 minutes without power. I use it primarily to prevent the aquarium from resetting during a short power outage, brown-out, or other blip or drop in power.

My tank runs on a sump system that is hooked into a water change unit, so if the power did go out, the tank will drain out about 15% of its volume.  So my goal is to basically prevent this in the event that the power drops or sags for a moment. Should anything else happen, like a longer outage, I guess I'd just have to wait and see what happens.

I must add that my home is on the same power-grid as the township police station, court house and municipal center. In 20 years I have not yet experienced a power outage of more than 1 hour. In fact I've had maybe 2 outages total in all that time. This is through multiple hurricanes, some large blizzards and ice storms, and super storm Sandy where the rest of the area was without power for over a week.

I guess I lucked out being on THE PRIORITY power grid in our area!

 

Edited August 26, 2023 by tolstoy21

[JChristophersAdventures]

@tolstoy21 Yes, running things for a short period of time can be accomplished for a pretty reasonable price. If we want our tanks for keep running for weeks at a time, then it gets prohibitively expensive, at least for most of us. I guess if the government's lights don't come back on, then our fish may cease to be our first concern! lol Thanks.

Edited August 26, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures

[tolstoy21]

On 8/26/2023 at 2:48 PM, JChristophersAdventures said:

@tolstoy21 Yes, running things for a short period of time can be accomplished for a pretty reasonable price. If we want our tanks for keep running for weeks at a time, then it gets prohibitively expensive, at least for most of us. I guess if the government's lights don't come back on, then our fish may cease to be our first concern! lol Thanks.

Yeah, for my display tank my solution for short term power loss is fine, but I really need to start thinking about what to do for my fish room. For this I'm guessing I'll have to go out and get a generator to have on standby. 

[JChristophersAdventures]

@tolstoy21 I have a generator which I purchased really cheap, new during a Black Friday sale... powerful, but very noisy! I would highly recommend going with a higher quality, super quiet model... even though they are usually a couple hundred dollars more. You will be glad you did.

[Matt B]

More or less the same backups orhers use. 

[Shadow]

I live on the Gulf Coast aka Hurricane Alley. I keep gas generators and window AC units to ensure I get proper temps to not need heaters. I prefer keeping at least one AOC sponge filter on each tank with the battery backup air supply that way if the power does go out for a short time, I am good. Battery backup packs for computers are all super expensive that I have researched and don't seem very feasible for our hobby. There are specific ones for the hobby but they are pretty pricey from what I have seen as well. 

[HelplessNewbie]

We only have 3 tanks: two 10g and one 20g. Each in a different room. Only the 20g is moderately stocked but heavily planted, the other two are light

We have no plan for long outages...seems cost prohibitive for a young family on a budget. Husband is looking for excuse to get a generator, though  LOL

Most of our fish have extra breathing capabilities (can't recall the names). We have guppies, endlers, betta, pygmy cory.

For outages less than 48 hours:

1. air powered sponge filters with usb nano powered by used/2nd hand 450VA home office UPSes, or powered by ACO battery air pump (same as everyone else) - we confirmed the ups units last at least 12 hours from the last time severe thunderstorms came through and knocked out electricity. Bought identical used UPS for each setup, so battey replacement will be less complicated and we can take advantage of bulk discount in the future.

2. no heater backup (we are in SE US), surge only

3. if getting too hot, not sure if this will help...remove tank lids and cover sides with some sort of insulation?

4. lights have no backup power, surge only

5. home automation is configured to detect restoration of mains after a power outage, then prevents any non-self priming filters from being switched on automatically; if our UPS powered router and home automation hub is still online during an outage, it also switches and keeps off any aquarium lights that for various reasons were hooked to ups power

6. any non-air filters are on surge only; every tank has 2 forms of filtering for redundancy (thank you, popped airline hoses, for making me paranoid)... I made sure one of the types is air-driven

Edited August 31, 2023 by HelplessNewbie

[Matt B]

I had to look up UPS. 

I'm old.

Our backups are basically for other things, like a refrigerator, fans, coffee maker, cellphones., etc and it just works out we include the basic tank operations ( airstone sponge filters)

We've had power outages no matter where we've lived over the years and it's nice to have some simple backups for us and the critters in the glass boxes. 

[Vicki]

I had to look up UPS too, and I’m not *that* old.

We don’t have nearly enough backups for anything. My husband just denies the need for it - saying that we’ll just live without it. We recently had a blackout in our neighborhood lasting 22 hours - no reason we could identify - and we had actually made an online purchase of a generator when our power came back on… and my hubs cancelled the purchase. My fish weathered the outage fairly well. We had the ACO air pump in my Tank of Nightmares (55g) that I switched to the 30 sec on and 30 sec off, and it was going strong the whole time. For the future (and when more pumps are available) I’d like to get one with another line so I can have two pumps in that tank. I normally have a HOB and a sponge, but if the power goes out, wouldn’t it be better to have two sponges in a bigger tank?  In my 20 gallon, I’d just happened to put in a small sponge the day before to seed it for a Q tank since I’m planning on buying more stock for my ToN, so all I had to do was switch that small sponge to a battery and it was good to go. Now I’m planning to buy a few more sponges to keep in both my tanks (and the Betta tank I’m planning that nobody knows about yet). 

Now. To figure out how to plan for heat maintenance…