battery backups

[harrvey]

Hey iv been thinking about installing some kind of power backup to my tank, because it would kill me if there was a power cut and i lost the lot

Has anyone done this? And whats the best and cheapest option

[snorvich]

Battery backups are not going to be useful except for Powerheads where the backup is designed for that equipment. Best alternative is a generator, best inexpensive alternative is battery operated airpumps.

[plasmacon]

For a system that costs $4 or $5 grand at least, an $800.00 generator is a must have... We lost everything in a ice storm a few years ago, and it will never happen again. Not as long as I have gas. I would really like to go with a propane generator and run it off of a city gas line, or 1500 gallon tank. If you don't have power restored after 1 month, and your propane runs out, your system won't be your most pressing concern... Staying alive and feeding your kids will be.

[mab349]

I have a vortech pump with their battery backup. It works well and has already proven itself once in a power outage. The battery lasts quite a while.

[Federer]

my vortech battery has made itself useful at least twice in the past 3 years i've owned it for power outages. i also use an azoo non-stop air pump they sell on dr fosters, which is well worth it as well.

[TheFishMan65]

If you go battery make sure you get the true sine wave type, I have heard the other are not good for pumps.

[mcrist]

I have APC Smart-Ups connected to my main pump and it works great for short term power failure. The pump will continue to work at least 2 hours when I lose power.

For Aquarium Backup Power: Choose an APC Smart-UPS (http://www.apc.com/solutions/display.cfm?id=AA86862C-C729-4A9B-BA3B54CEEEF50128&ISOCountryCode=us)

[Psyops]

I have Vortechs and have a backup system to them. I do have a generator but I have had no power failures longer than 2 hrs with my current system. the Vortechs seemed to work fine for that period.

[jcolletteiii]

If you just want to run a vortech or similar low-wattage pump, an APC-type battery should run a single pump for several hours.

[snorvich]

If you go battery make sure you get the true sine wave type, I have heard the other are not good for pumps.

That is correct.

[snorvich]

I have Vortechs and have a backup system to them. I do have a generator but I have had no power failures longer than 2 hrs with my current system. the Vortechs seemed to work fine for that period.

Well in the last 30 days we have had four power failures, the longest of which was 23 hours. Natural gas generators sure make those bearable. The neighbors get a bit squirrelly however.

[sporto0]

I lost 2 tanks some years ago to a hurricane when I lived on the coast, I vowed never to have that happen again, I bought a Honda generator before I restarted my Reef, & LOL Steve, mine is amazingly quiet, so neighbors can sleep!

[GarrettCurl]

I have my pumps hooked up to a apc smart ups 3000. The thing is huge, rack mountable. My ups will keep all of my pumps going for about 2 hrs. It really helps with minor power outages, and gives you time to take preventative measures.

[harrvey]

is there any batteries that would power a 150w heater, because its quite cold were i live so this is prob most important, thanks everyone

[IslandCrow]

As far as battery backups, go, one of the better overall options is something like a Triplite APS model inverter (http://www.tripplite.com/en/products/product-series.cfm?txtSeriesID=818#tab3). They're not cheap, but you hook up a deep cycle marine battery, and you're going to be able to power all of your essential equipment for at least 10-12 hours (depending on the size of your tank of course). It also acts as an UPS, so it's nice peace of mind for when you're not at home to crank up a generator. Granted, some generators will start up automatically with a power loss, but those are expensive. Otherwise, the correct type of UPS will work fairly well to power your pumps and/or powerheads, but keep in mind that your basic computer UPS is designed to provide high wattage for a short period of time, so even though you'll be demanding far less wattage than your average computer, it's not going to last nearly as long as you'd think.

The cheapest option, of course, is a battery operated pump. Some models will kick on as soon as they detect a power loss, so that's what I'd suggest. As long as your power loss isn't for too long, your tank should hopefully not get too cold even during the winter, as water does conserve heat rather well.

[aandfsoccr04]

Can someone recommend a pump that is battery operated that will turn on as soon as the power is lost?

[dgmanny]

here you go.

Penn-Plax Silent Air B10 Battery Powered Aquarium Air Pump

[taku]

Part of my hurricane preparedness in the past has been having a couple APC type computer battery backups on hand with healthy batteries (since i used to use them for my PC's). I used to have a single powerhead connected to the APC and aimed out across the surface of the length of the tank, so if power went out while i was at work, the APC would run the powerhead all day if needed. I learned a valuable lesson during the 2004 hurricanes that swept through central florida (4 bigguns in 3 weeks!), and we picked up a generator for long term outages, but short term I rely on the APC until i get home.

[ravenmore]

I work with computers and collect discarded UPS' occasionally. Long time ago I had two APC's daisy chained on a tank running a heater and a HOB filter. Only ever had one power outage - it was about 8 hours and the pump and heater was still working, although the heater wasn't needed very much.

[dgmanny]

The tunze powerheads run on 12v DC and they sell a connector that automatically transfers to a secondary source (battery backup) upon loss of main power. The conenctor runs about $50. I hooked it up to a 12v battery booster starter pack (which has a built-in 12v dc car outlet). I think the booster starter packs costs around $50, but i use it for other things. It ran one of my tunze pumps for a whole day and still wasn't drained. I will have to test to see how it will run. THe only issue with this set up is that the tunze powerheads are very expensive. good luck.

[garbled]

I've been thinking about some kind of 12v solar charge system, hooked to an optima car battery, and then hooked to a tunze. If you had enough capacity in the solar to run the pump and charge the battery, and enough battery to last the night, theoretically (ie, no clouds) you could run indefinitely.

[aleonn]

here you go.

Penn-Plax Silent Air B10 Battery Powered Aquarium Air Pump

+1 the Penn-Plax pumps work great and provide some peace of mind.

I also plan to purchase the Vortech battery backup unit when I have the funds. Unlike other UPS units, they can power the Vortech for longer periods of time (24-36 hrs or so, IIRC).

[t4zalews]

Last weekend I lost all my fish and most of my corals due to a power outage. I'm receiving my vortech battery back up today and plan on buying a battery operated air pump. Hopefully I wont have this happen again..it really sucks.

[dgmanny]

that sucks. there should be a full discussion section on disaster planning. I recently went on vacation and had the power issue covered with the tunze, but the impeller on my sump return pump broke and my ATO flows into the sump, so the display had no top off nor skimming nor 2-part dosing for 5 days.

[Defuse]

I have everything but my lights on a Smart-UPS 1500. It will run for 3 hours as it sits. The lights are on a Smart-UPS 750 that will run for 1 hour.

If I really need to I can fire up the generator and charge my batteries but that is a last resort.

[miwoodar]

I have a vortech pump with their battery backup. It works well and has already proven itself once in a power outage. The battery lasts quite a while.

If I had a vortech, this would be my preferred route. Otherwise, for shorter durations, a deep cell battery coupled with an inverter and a relay is the best IMO. Generators are a level that I'm not prepared to go. Perhaps if I lived in hurricane country.

Computer backups are weak. I used to have an APC1500. IIRC, it was only 8 amp-hours (16?). My deep cell battery is 205 and even larger is available.

[sslak]

Computer backups are weak. I used to have an APC1500. IIRC, it was only 8 amp-hours (16?). My deep cell battery is 205 and even larger is available.

There's a big difference between a computer backup APC1500 and a server class backup APC SmartUPS 1500.

[miwoodar]

Thanks for the clarification. Can you elaborate?

edit to add:

"The APC SmartUPS 1500 Replacement Battery.../snip/...This 12 volt battery has an amp hour rating of 18ah. "

Am I overlooking something?

[Defuse]

Thanks for the clarification. Can you elaborate?

edit to add:

"The APC SmartUPS 1500 Replacement Battery.../snip/...This 12 volt battery has an amp hour rating of 18ah. "

Am I overlooking something?

Not sure about all of the others but my 1500 has two physical batteries that are tied together. Wouldn't that generate 36ah?

[miwoodar]

I think mine had two 8ah batteries. It's been a long time since I thought about it so I can't say for sure. I think sslak is talking about a larger, but similarly named, unit.

Either way, you can DIY a very reliable 200ah for $250. The recipe thread for mine is pretty much dead these days (photos). This one looks similar though. I once did the math and figured it would run my two prop pumps for ~30 hours. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1692979

Edit...errrr....that's NOT right. That link shows a DC unit. I'll find a better link for you/all.

Edit two...Here is a link to an AC unit...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64918&perpage=25&pagenumber=5

[t4zalews]

Got my backup battery for my vortech this afternoon...thing weighs the same as a standard car battery. I guess it technically is a car battery. Relieved to know that in case of power outage...everything wont die again

[preef]

If you go battery make sure you get the true sine wave type, I have heard the other are not good for pumps.

Not always the case. I have non-true sine wave type. It runs my Koralia Evos and my Eheim sump pump with no issues besides a little noise at start up. My old Koralias however would not always start on the UPS though. You really need to test and retest periodically.

[aleonn]

Got my backup battery for my vortech this afternoon...thing weighs the same as a standard car battery. I guess it technically is a car battery. Relieved to know that in case of power outage...everything wont die again

Didn't know it was that heavy or big. Would you see any problem mounting it onto a wall?