Snowpocalypse!

We are about to get a big snow storm tomorrow that will supposedly drop between 8-15" of snow. I have never owned a saltwater fishtank during a snowstorm this bad, and have a few questions for those who may have gone through something similar.

How can I keep my tanks at the correct temperature if the power goes out? I live in a condo, and we are not allowed to have generators (part of the Home Owners Association rules that is completely bogus, if you ask me). Our building is on the same power grid as the fire station, and while that can mean that if we were to lose power it wouldn't be for long, we could still be without power for a few hours. I've lost power before here with fishtanks, and the longest they'd gone was 4 hours. It was warmer out, though, so the only thing I had to keep doing was swishing the water around for airation.

I only have the two nano saltwater tanks, but they won't retain their temperature for too long after the heater turns off if our power goes out. What are some recommendations for keeping it warm??

I'm very nervous for this blizzard. The last thing I want is to lose my tanks. I've put a lot of work into them, and my fish mean a lot to me. Any advice is welcome!!! Thanks, geeks

All I can suggest is a propane heater. The kerosene ones put off to many fumes. Also having a battery operated air pump will help to keep a little bit of movement in your tank.

We had this thread a while back. It has a ton of info in there.
power outages

You can also get some of those pink insulating foam panels, and cut them to make a cover around your tank.

Originally Posted by rgrking

All I can suggest is a propane heater. The kerosene ones put off to many fumes. Also having a battery operated air pump will help to keep a little bit of movement in your tank.

We had this thread a while back. It has a ton of info in there.
power outages

Ooohh, thanks Glen! I'll check that link now

Originally Posted by Ashlar

You can also get some of those pink insulating foam panels, and cut them to make a cover around your tank.

That's a great idea! I'll go to the store and pick some up today.

We do have a fireplace, so if worse comes to worse, we can get a bunch of duraflame logs and heat up some towels in front of the fireplace to wrap around the tanks. The only problem is going to be keeping my little toddler away from the fireplace O_o

oh he'll only touch it once lol. That's how I learned lmao.

Another option if you have an inverter is.. and don't laugh.. an electric blanket wrapped around the tank.

Originally Posted by Ashlar

Another option if you have an inverter is.. and don't laugh.. an electric blanket wrapped around the tank.

While I don't have an inverter, an electric blanket isn't a bad idea at all! My only worry there would be overheating the tank, since one is only 4 gallons, and the other 2. But still, a good option!

+1 on the inverter... I keep an inverter and an extra car battery on hand, just for power outages... the inverter will run my return pump and heater for a couple of hours, which is all thats needed in an emergency

when i car battery goes dead, you can start up your car (on your good battery), and while it is running, swap out the batteries and let the car's alternator charge the dead one, if you have a prolonged power outage! and its possible with you Seattle people.... can't wait to start seeing the news mwahahahahahahahahaha

all joking aside, I hope your power doesnt go out, cuz its stupid stressful

Any recommendations on a specific type of inverter?

You can also buy little fish winter coats on ebay to put on your fish

Originally Posted by LadyOfIreland

Any recommendations on a specific type of inverter?

they have different wattages - so get one big enough to cover all the wattage draw of your heater and pumps..

i.e. - 100 watt heater and 50 watt pump, get a 200-250 watt inverter (better safe than sorry)

you will find when looking at battery backups they don't hand peak voltage very well, which is why I recommend an inverter over say one of those APC battery backups anyday... they backups just are not designed for sustained high wattage draw, they just cover things when the power "burps" so you have time to save your data on your computer and shut down until the power comes back on

Originally Posted by donkey

You can also buy little fish winter coats on ebay to put on your fish

ohhh do the coats come in "ugly holiday sweater" style?? I totally need some if they do!!

They sure do,the ones i got have a big santa claus on the front

Originally Posted by donkey

They sure do,the ones i got have a big santa claus on the front

Wow Kev, I was expecting a chocolate and shoes joke there.

Originally Posted by donkey

You can also buy little fish winter coats on ebay to put on your fish

Hey! You found my Fish Coat e-bay account! I do custom sweaters, too

Originally Posted by estanoche

... the backups just are not designed for sustained high wattage draw, they just cover things when the power "burps" so you have time to save your data on your computer and shut down until the power comes back on

No kidding - I have one of those and that's definitely pretty much the only thing it's good for :P

I'm assuming I can find an inverter somewhere like Target - or do I need to make a venture to Home Depot?

Originally Posted by Pat B

Wow Kev, I was expecting a chocolate and shoes joke there.

Originally Posted by LadyOfIreland

Hey! You found my Fish Coat e-bay account! I do custom sweaters, too



No kidding - I have one of those and that's definitely pretty much the only thing it's good for :P

I'm assuming I can find an inverter somewhere like Target - or do I need to make a venture to Home Depot?

Walmart, Target and Radio Shack have them on this coast.

Before I got my generator I used an inverter from walmart (175w, go bigger) and a deep cycle battery, aka. a boat battery. It can provide good current far longer than a car battery since it is meant to run an electric trolling motor.

A 250w inverter should be able to handle the heater and a circ pump on a 4g for a while. A blanket or anything meant to keep things warm will do to wrap the tank.

My 175w was ok in the summer but wouldn't cover the pump and the heater on a 44g in the winter. after 36 hours I was at 50 degrees, not good.

I would just fill water bottles with warm water and float them in there. An electric blanket could easily cook such a small tank. A standard water heater if unused should last for many hours. I believe coral starts to die at around 60 degrees, so just monitor temp and don't overcorrect.

Also, and more importantly in my opinion, have a way to maintain water circulation. Corals can't breathe without current carrying new oxygen to them. A battery powered air pump can be a cheap way to get you through.